Page 35 of Parker
We'll deal with this together. I’m here for you.
Her words only cemented my belief she was the right woman for me.
Eliza stands with Ebony on the opposite side of the grave. She looks broken, and I feel guilt in every part of me. What I did was cruel, but necessary.
Being chained to a woman I didn’t love would be impossible. Especially with the awareness of how Nicky makes me feel. This is real and how love should be. It’s all-consuming.
***
“Mr. Parker,” Boyd says, addressing me formally. “I know it has only been twenty-four hours since we buried your father. But we need to discuss the business. We need to get you up to speed on everything. Current business deals, etc.”
We haven’t told the staff yet, my mother and I, about our decision. We’re in my father’s office going through paperwork.
“Boyd, can you call the key team members for a meeting at two, please? My mother and I have a few decisions we wish to advise you on.” He nods and leaves the room.
Since my mother’s breakdown at the mortuary a week ago, she’s not shed a tear. It was as if she let go of the grief and decided now was her time to take control, stunning me in the process. I’m proud of the woman standing beside me. She’s intellectual, strong willed, and has come to know her worth.Having always been in the background, she’s now stepping into the light.
The boardroom is humming with chatter when I enter. Ten men, Ebony, and my mother sit around the long glass table, each in a deep leather chair. The seat at the top is free for the presumed CEO—for me—and my mother sits on the left-hand side.
Striding in, feigning confidence, I walk to the top of the table. All eyes are on me, waiting for my first words as their new boss.
“Gentlemen, Ebony, and Mother.” She smiles at me softly, encouraging me to continue. “Thank you all for coming. The passing of my father has been a tragedy for all concerned, but in his memory, we must move forward with the Parker businesses and ensure that we continue his good work.”
There's a round of applause.
The next part will not be so popular.
“You’re all aware of my struggles over these past years. My position as the financial director is one I know and am good at. I can’t accept the CEO’s position in good faith. Therefore, with immediate effect, the new CEO of the company is Imelda Parker.”
Silence. Stunned silence.
I smile at my mother, and her eyes dance with mischief. She stands and goes to take her seat in the CEO’s chair.
They have no reason to be shocked. If I couldn’t handle a fake wedding, how was I meant to run a corrupt company such as this?
“But,” Boyd stammers, “there has never been a female CEO.”
My mother gives him a broad grin and nods. “First time for everything,” she says, then turns to Ebony, sitting, taking notes like she always does. “Ebony, prepare the PR statement. Us girls have a world to conquer.”
As the voices rise around me with talk of strategy, statements, and headlines, I watch my mother take her place. Not behind a man. Not in the background. Front and center.
And for the first time, I realize that maybe walking away isn’t failure.
Maybe survival is reason enough.
I’m done trying to be my father. That’s not the man I am or ever want to be.
So, I sit back, listen, and wait. My time will come.
And when it does, I’ll speak as myself.
Chapter fifteen
Parker Fashion House, Glasgow
Joel
Boyd is sitting, drumming his fingers on the boardroom table, his lips curled back in disgust. In one week, my mother has upset every man my father relied on. I’ve loved watching her do it. Now she is out of her cage, there will be no shutting her back in.
