Page 44 of Hers to Love
Perry flushed. “Marshall…I…I don’t think that’s—”
“Any of my business? I’m sure it’s not. It’s only my company, right? I might’ve had a tough time this past year—and you all have been more than generous—but now that things are back on track, I hope the next person to carry the torch is going to uphold the ideals and values I’ve established. The board is still behind those, right?”
Perry tugged at the tie around his red neck, his expression flustered. “Um, yes, of course.”
Marshall slapped Perry on the shoulder. “Perfect. Glad to hear it.”
Perry’s eyes narrowed. “What’s with you, Marshall? I would’ve thought you’d be…more concerned.”
Marshall shrugged and then smiled. “You know what I’ve learned after surviving a plane crash? You have to seize every day. Live it to the absolute fullest. And you know one of the times I’ve felt most alive?” He wagged his brows. Perry shook his head. “When I started this company.”
“I don’t understand.”
Marshall grinned. Of course Perry didn’t. It was something Marshall had thought about last night as he was strategizing a way for Kori to keep her job. He would have to fall on his sword. It was the only way to appease the board. It didn’t take Marshall long to conclude that losing his position would appease him too.
“I guess what I’m trying to say, Perry, is that maybe starting over would be the best thing for me. Don’t want to get stagnant. I built this company from the ground up. I can certainly do it again. Probably even better now that I know the pitfalls to avoid. Don’t you think?”
Perry’s expression looked alarmed. “Now, Marshall, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The board will likely impose a non-compete—”
“Oh, this won’t be in the same field, I think. But it just might have the same impact, or greater. Why don’t you take a seat? This will be good, I promise.” Marshall gave Perry a toothy grin and then stood at the head of the table while everyone else took their seats.
Marshall picked up the remote for the screen and began his presentation on Bendola. It was an easy decision for the board to make: they would invest after the country stabilized.
It wasn’t two seconds since Marshall had ended his presentation when Perry attempted to steal his thunder. “Now, for another matter,” Perry began. “We’ve had this conversation before, Marshall, regarding your assistant. Based on some information provided to us by a source—”
Marshall snorted. “Please don’t insult my intelligence. I would hope we could still respect one another.” He eyed each member of the table. “From Jarod—you received some information from Jarod.”
Perry cleared his throat. “Yes, from Jarod, that you and Kori are engaging in an interoffice relationship—”
“False,” Marshall said. “I did kiss her—that Jarod witnessed. But he didn’t provide you any information that you could corroborate. True?”
Perry averted his eyes.
“Look, Marshall. Truth is, we don’t want to lose you,” the newest member of the board began. He was younger than Marshall by at least five years, but he had his finger on the next generation of visionaries and was a great addition to the board to keep ideas fresh. “I know I don’t. You’re the reason I joined this company—your work ethic, integrity, and vision for the future. I wanted to work and learn from you.”
Marshall swallowed, his throat thickening. He didn’t expect that he would care either way what each member of the board thought of him. All he knew was that the majority wanted him out, and he would be in a couple of months. He’d begun to emotionally distance himself from all the members except Perry. Perry had been with him from the beginning, and it didn’t feel right to completely shut him out.
“Well, thanks, Patrick. That means a lot to me.” He took a swig of water from the glass of water that had been placed in front of his seat.
“We want you to remain,” Patrick continued. “We would like to avoid any hint of scandal. Especially since Ms. Kaye’s issues with her previous employer haven’t been resolved. I think we’ve been more than fair in not demanding you fire her right off the bat.”
Marshall’s throat settled and he set the glass down solidly on the coaster. “Didn’t you, though?”
“But with this new information, we’re resolved to be firm in this.”
That was a sticking point. Marshall had considered contacting Brigham and personally settling the matter, but he hadn’t determined how he could do it and keep his company out of legal troubles as well as not offend Kori. Kori was a woman who wanted to and could fight her own battles.
Wait…Brigham sent him a message earlier. One he didn’t finish listening to. Maybe Brigham had phoned the other board members. Were any of them under duress? Had the board been considering doing business with one of Brigham’s companies?
“We’ve agreed that if you let her go, then you can remain in your position. I think we can all agree that it’s a fair offer.”
“Fair for all except Ms. Kaye,” Marshall countered.
“You’ve done some good work in these last few weeks and—”
“Because of Ms. Kaye’s support,” Marshall ground out.
Patrick offered a stiff smile. “We don’t want to be sued.”
