Page 45 of Hers to Love
Marshall sighed, annoyed. “She’s not going to sue.”
“You have her word on that?”
“Yes, Patrick. I do.”
Perry shook his head. “Not good enough. As soon as this mess with Brigham hits the media, we’ll be in the spotlight. We can’t have any negative press right now.”
“You’re going into business with him, aren’t you?” Marshall asked flatly. Members of the board exchanged glances. “When were you going to tell me? And since when don’t we decide these things together?”
“Since you’ve been off the rails,” Perry snapped. “Look, Marshall, we waited for you to come out of this—”
“What’s the deal?” Marshall cut him off.
“To invest in his tech enterprise once things calm down in Bendola. We’re already walking a tight rope with our investors over Bendola and didn’t want to announce anything yet.”
Marshall had hoped his updated report would ease those fears. On the way back to the shore, he’d spoken with Daemon Knight, who believed civil war was imminent, and who knew how long that would last? Marshall could see Bendola’s potential to be a thriving country and leader on the world stage, and he wasn’t going to back down on his position to support it.
A tech venture was a good idea, and Brigham was on the cutting edge of research and development. Marshall hadn’t wanted to touch him with a ten-foot pole, but clearly the board only saw dollar signs.
“She needs to go,” Perry said firmly. “There’s no changing our stance on that. Working with Brigham and having her here? That’s a serious conflict of interest.”
“Then she should receive a generous—”
“I don’t think we can afford that,” Perry interrupted.
“Wait a minute,” Patrick said, holding his hand up. “Now, she has done good work since she’s been here. There have been nothing but compliments. Departments under Marshall’s lead have increased production by nearly ninety percent, and almost all are back in compliance. That should be rewarded.”
Marshall gave a grateful look to Patrick, pleased at least one member of the board was keeping track of Ms. Kaye’s progress and found no reason to reproach her.
“It has been,” Perry snapped. “Marshall got her a twenty-five percent increase in salary.”
“Which would be over time,” Patrick said. “Think of what she could do the longer she was here?”
“She’s an executive assistant, for crying out loud! She opens emails and books plane tickets. She’s not winning the Nobel prize,” Perry argued vehemently.
Marshall—as well as the rest of the board—stared at Perry. His outburst took Marshall by surprise.Why not say what you truly feel?
Perry had always been more of a beta to Marshall’s alpha for as long as they’d been in business together. Marshall had never seen this side of Perry before. Was he really this angry over Kori being here? Over the possibility that Marshall could actually find love again?
Or was he angry because Marshall wasn’t getting fired? Didn’t Perry say he was one of the few fighting for Marshall to keep his job? Marshall was no longer certain his friend was really in his camp.
“We’re talking about a woman’s livelihood,” Marshall said in a soft tone. “She came here to do a job—which she’s still doing—and in the process…” He couldn’t say she fell in love with him. He didn’t know for sure. What he did know was that his heart had been captured once again.
Marshall took a drink of water and started again. “This is more my fault.”
“That’s exactly what we’ve been trying to avoid!” Perry cried. “If—and I’m not saying I believe her—if Brigham is remotely guilty for what he’s done, you admitting to seducing your assistant could go badly for us as well.”
Marshall rolled his eyes. His ego would like to think he did seduce Kori, but she had been the one to bewitch him with her character. “She’s not going to sue. She offered to sign papers.”
“Good!” Perry said, a big grin on his face. He slapped his paws down on the table. “This is perfect. We’ll get her to sign a document stating she won’t sue us.”
“No,” Marshall said firmly. “I’m not going to make her sign that. This isn’t Brigham all over again. That’s why it should be different. Why she should be treated differently.”
“Marshall, we can’t afford to treat it any other way than the house being on fire. Because all it takes is one match.Youmight not see the fire, but we’re choking on smoke.”
Marshall slammed his fist on the table. “There is no fire!”
Silence settled in the room. Marshall knew he’d lost this battle. The board wasn’t about to budge on this issue and, just for disagreeing with them, they could vote him out right now if they wanted.
