Page 46 of My Cruel Billionaire

I leaned forward and rested my hand on the smooth surface of the tabletop.

“But if your delegated task fails to find its way to fruition, then the onus is upon you to complete said task or explain the reasons why it was not done.”

“You’re a fine one to talk. You know what I’ve been going through better than anyone else right now. Why are you flinging all of this up right now?”

“Because this is a business matter. You see that door?” I jabbed my finger at it. “You—”

“You have to leave your personal matters on the other side of that door if you want to succeed,” she said in such perfect mimicry of my own delivery that my own team struggled not to laugh.

“That is what you were going to say, isn't it?” She taunted me.

“Not necessarily.” I growled.

“Oh, sorry, I forget you have like a hundred door-based business proverbs. Shall we wait while you come up with another one?”

I couldn’t stand for anyone to challenge my authority. Especially at a meeting where billions of dollars were at stake. Yet, I couldn’t deny that she had a point.

And besides, I really hated making her unhappy. It killed my soul a piece at a time to see her suffer. I stared at her, then at the table. I cleared my throat and tried to sound as calm, cool, and collected as I could.

“Everyone just get to work on these documents. Right away. Immediately.”

I turned and left the room. I needed to cool off, maybe get some air and focus. It was all Jenna’s fault. Not because her team had flubbed the documents. No, it was because of the effect she had on me.

I couldn’t think clearly while Jenna was around. She demanded all of my attention without really trying. Even when I was talking about something else, she would creep back into my thoughts like an endless echo.

It made for a difficult time trying to focus on business, being so near to her. I felt closer to her than I had in years, and yet further away as well.

I headed out into the lobby and found Damon sitting on the floor, scribbling something on a piece of paper resting atop my coffee table.

He looked up at my approach, a wide grin etching itself across his cherubic face.

“Hi, Michael,” he said cheerfully. “Wanna see my drawings?”

“Is this a trick question?” I said. “Of course, I want to see your drawings.”

He held them up proudly for me. I saw lots of pictures of him, his mother, and his grandmother.

What surprised me was that he had drawn me into many of the pictures as well. Just to confirm, I pointed at the stick figure with a necktie who was taller than all the others.

“Who is that?” I asked.

“That’s you, silly,” Damon said with an energetic giggle.

I smiled, and it really made me feel good to be in Damon’s pictures. For a moment, I kind of forgot all of my problems.

“Hey, Damon,” I said. “Do you want to see something cool?”

“Yeah,” Damon said with the supreme enthusiasm that can only be possessed by those under the age of ten.

“Then come with me.”

I led him down the hallway to a set of steps at the corner of the building. This was the tallest building in town, and I had an observation deck built on top.

A lot of days it was too windy or too cold to enjoy but today conditions were just right. I led Damon up the steps and onto the roof.

“Isn’t this view great?” I asked.

“I can’t see,” he whined.

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