Page 20 of The Billionaire's Most Unexpected Triplets

“When will you be here?” Taylor asks.

“I’m downstairs, about to walk in. Why?”

“Just be careful, okay?” Taylor warns me. “Jack Leadsom is here, in a meeting with the shareholders.”

My heart drops. I can’t imagine facing Jack right now, not when I’m feeling so vulnerable. But I can’t avoid him either. He might have taken my company, but I refuse to shrink into the shadows. If nothing else, I’ll at least be holding my head high.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” I say, then end the call.

Taking a deep breath, I gather my courage and walk into the building. The lobby receptionist greets me with a smile, but I can’t return it.

The elevator ride up is agonizingly slow, and my mind is racing. What will I say to Jack? How can I act professionally when he just betrayed me like this?

The doors finally slide open, and I step out into the lobby. Jack is standing by the water cooler, his back to me. He’s holding a glass, and I can see the tension in his shoulders.

I approach him cautiously, and he turns around. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees me, and for a moment, there’s a flicker of guilt on his face.

“Leah,” he says, setting down his glass. “Good morning.”

“Good morning?” I snap, feeling like I just got stabbed in the chest. “How could you do this to me, Jack? You knew I didn’t want to sell, and you acted like you respected that decision, but then you dothis?”

His eyes are cold as stone, and I see nothing of the man I shared Friday night with. “One day you’ll thank me. This is the best decision for the company.”

I scoff. “The best decision for the company? What about me? I poured everything I had into GourmetGlobal, and you just took it out from under me.”

“I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand the bigger picture. GourmetGlobal will still continue under the new ownership, and it will thrive.”

His tone is so condescending I could punch him.

I clench my fists and take a step forward, but Jack holds his ground.

“So this is what you’re really like, huh?” I snap. “You see what you want and you take it?”

His gaze briefly dips to my chest, and it’s a smack in the face. Yes. He does take whatever he wants.

And he gets away with it, too. Because he’s Jack Leadsom.

The breath leaves my lungs, and I step back. I’m such a fool. This man played me like a fiddle, and I had no idea what was happening.

He slowly smiles. I’m beat, and he knows that I know it.

“Your position at the GourmetGlobal is still secure,” he slowly says. “As for your staff, the shareholders and I have already decided who will be staying and who will be going.”

“You fired some of my staff?” I steel myself. “Who? Who did you get rid of?”

“Let’s just say we made some necessary cuts to improve efficiency.”

My heart sinks. I hand-picked everyone at GourmetGlobal. There’s not a person on this team that doesn’t do great work. Why would he get rid of any of them?

“You’re just trying to assert yourself.” I raise my chin. “To make it look like you’re actually doing something here when in reality you’re riding other people’s coattails.”

Jack’s expression turns icy, an indication that I’ve hit close to home. “Watch yourself, Leah. I may still need to rely on you in the future. Don’t make me regret keeping you on.”

I grit my teeth and clench my fists at my sides. I want to scream, to lash out, but I know it won’t do any good.

Instead, I take a deep breath and force myself to maintain a calm facade. It would be too easy to walk out right now, to say screw this and start over.

But I won’t be doing that for a number of reasons. One is that I won’t be giving Jack that satisfaction. The other is that this company still matters more to me than anything. You’d have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming.

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