Page 116 of Power
Marcus thinned his lips. “Now is not the time to bring that up.”
“They’re executing the morality clause.” A bitter chuckle escaped me. “They’re just picking the wrong thing to do it over.”
“Jesus, do not do this.” Marcus dragged a chair across from me and sat down, leaning forward. “Do not do that thing where you go into your downward spiral of self-hatred and feel like you deserve this.”
“Maybe I do,” I murmured, memories of choices I’d made long ago surfacing like ghosts. But how could I ever forgive myself when the jobs of six thousand people might suffer because of it?
“You don’t.” Marcus’s voice was steel. “That guy has been a total dick, and he’s trying to steal your company from you over a few sentences in a contract. You need to see that for what it is. This is nothing more than a power grab. And you cannot giveinto it because, if you do, those sharks are probably going to run your company into the ground.”
“Not if you’re at the helm,” I said, meeting his gaze.
He shook his head. “I will never do that to you. I will never take that position. Especially not under these goddamn circumstances.”
“You’re the only one I trust, Marcus.” The words came out heavy with resignation. “If we can’t find a way out of this, you’re the only one I trust to take over Lockwood Holdings and not let it come at the expense of people. Unlike them, you care about the employees.”
“You sound like you’ve already given up!” His voice rose. “Where is that fire?”
“I just need a minute to think about this,” I said, walking back and forth to burn energy. “I won’t put Scarlett in the uncomfortable position of having to lie.”
“Deny,” he hedged, rubbing his chin. “We just need her to deny it before this goes any further. Or convince Randolph to change his mind. He can convince the rest of the board.”
I clenched and unclenched my fists, my thoughts racing. All my life, my company had been my priority, my purpose, my identity. But now, standing here with everything I’d built on the line, all I could think about was Scarlett. Her face when she told me about her past. The way she’d trembled. The strength it took for her to trust me.
The realization hit me like a hurricane, shattering everything that once mattered: I cared more about protecting her than saving my company. And I wanted to do right by her, not escape the consequences of my actions.
“Where are you going?” I asked when Marcus headed for the door.
His voice was tight with frustration. “I’ve protected you for years, and I’m going to protect you from this now.”
“Wait—”
But Marcus was already out the door before I could stop him.
“Goddammit.”
I paced for a few minutes, trying to decide my next move, then suddenly stilled. What if Marcus was going off on Randolph right now? Or, God help me, what if Marcus had gone straight to Scarlett’s office to ask her to lie for me?
Bolting out of the room, I pushed past my head of legal and my assistant, both of whom had been present in the tense meeting, and both were urgently vying for my attention. Instead of talking, I jogged down the hallway, down several flights of stairs, and finally neared her office.
But when I got close enough to see her, something stopped me cold: that look on her face.
60
SCARLETT
Marcus slid into my doorframe, all smooth confidence and toxic shine. His eyes immediately went to the bookshelf, where items had been scattered during last night’s violent encounter, now cleaned up.
“Get out.” I stood up from behind my desk, squaring my shoulders and jutting my chin forward.
My gaze darted past him, relieved to see people milling about nearby. Witnesses. Safety in numbers and all that.
Theoretically.
“Do you know where I just came from?” His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“Hell? Crawling back up through the floorboards must be exhausting.” I kept my voice steady, refusing to show weakness. Refusing to show any part of that scared woman he’d seen yesterday. Today, he’d get defiant Scarlett. Strong Scarlett.
I watched his disgusting lips curl higher on one side. “It seems our friend Jace is in a lot of trouble.”
