Page 2 of Off-Limit CEO

We checked our phones, and it was as we expected. After going through some of the messages on our phones, we confirmed it. Frank had already accused us of unruly conduct; that’s funny, coming from him. My analysis proved to be correct as he got roasted in the comments of the tweet by his PR team. That reminded me I needed to call our PR team to make sure they handled everything as we discussed earlier.

“Shit. I gotta call PR.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle it.” Drew offered.

“Are you sure? Don’t you have to sieve the remaining candidates for Frank’s replacement?

“Since I’m just running through them, it shouldn’t take too much time,” he explained. “What I need you to do is focus on our next talent. You have the magic eye, and we need that eye directed at one place.” Drew got up, ready to get to work.

“Tell me when you’re done with the batch I’ll send you, so I can send the rest. For now, I’m gonna go to PR and HR. I’ll send you the list of the candidates when I get to my office.”

“Alright, thanks.”

Drew did as he said he would, sending me a list of 13 candidates from the ones he had done so far. He considered them all quite talented, but he felt I was better at spotting the true geniuses or talents from the others. I tried starting but couldn’t focus because of Maddy. Why did I feel so worried right now? I knew where my concern for my daughter came from. Considering the past, anything could happen.

Leaving the list, I picked up my phone and called my daughter. She said I shouldn’t call her in the afternoon due to classes, but I didn’t care. I just needed to hear her voice to make sure she was alright. It rang, to no avail.

“Relax. It’s okay. She’s just busy.” I told myself. I’d had one too many scares concerning Maddy’s difficult situation to be sane or logical when it came to her, but what I needed to do now was relax, truly.

I continued with the list, vetting the candidates until the evening when Maddy called. Seeing her call lit up my spirits and I quickly answered it. Before that, my brain had refused to fully function, and I hated that. Heck, I even took time to play Spider Solitaire on my laptop.

“Hello?” I spoke with haste.

“Dad?” Her voice eased my heart. “Why do you sound like you’re running?”

“I’m working at the office on something. Things are hectic here. Don’t worry about that. How are you? Are you eating well?”

“I’m fine, Dad. What’s this about?” she asked. “You shouldn’t call me in the afternoon. I told you that already. I have classes.”

“Yes, I know, okay? I was just worried.”

“Why? I’ve been feeling good. You don’t need to always worry about me.”

“That’s my job as a father. I can’t just leave you on your own.”

“That didn’t stop you before.” Silence filled the air after she said that. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I know you’re doing better now.”

“Good to see you still hold on to that.” Her words hurt me extra today because I just wanted to connect with my daughter. I knew I had made mistakes in the past, but people deserved a second chance to make things right. Apparently, I might never get one.

“Look, Dad, I don’t have the energy to argue. I already apologized for what I said. No need to drag this matter. We’ve been in a good place for a while now. Let’s not mess that up.”

I sighed. It was obvious that she had a lot she wished to say to me that remained boiling inside. A call that I hoped would be nice and make me feel good ended up making me feel worse. I felt anger, guilt, and disappointment. She had this knack for firing passive-aggressive comments, but when I wanted to talk about it, my daughter pulled away. I guessed she tried to show me how I used to be when she gave her all in the past to connect, but I zoned in on work.

“Okay, Maddy. Goodbye. Be sure to call me when you need money.” I angrily responded.

“Bye, Dad. Work as always, I suppose.” I cut the call, almost smashing my phone on the table after.

Getting up, I took my laptop and left the office. The time said 4:38 p.m., so I could leave if I wished. I went downstairs and saw two of my bodyguards, Dan and Krenshaw.

“Done for the day, sir?” Krenshaw asked, and I hummed a yes.

“Let’s go.”

I got into my Audi 2023 A8 sedan with my driver, Reginald, greeting me after seeing me. The others entered the black car behind me.

“Where to, Boss?” Reginald, whom I called Reggie, asked. “Home?”

“Yep.”

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