Page 54 of Nanny for the Bossy Billionaire

“Eve will never go for that. The whole point of this is that she wants to bank onHarris Tech’s name to sell these ridiculous toasters of hers. She’ll never allow us to brand it differently, and even if she does agree to that, we will be too stretched financially to do what I want to do and what the board wants to do at the same time.”

“Well, then bide your time. Do what they want now and work toward what you actually want in the background. Basically, what I’m saying is throw the battle so you can win the war.”

“No, because the second we do this there’s no going back. I don’t have to tell you how elitist the tech world is. The second we get the reputation of selling out we are pretty much dead in the water.”

“So what are you going to do? Just give up?”

“I’m not giving up. Eve beat me. I really did try. Hell, if Packard had hung on for one more week, I’m sure I would’ve been able to kick her out, but instead, this is what has happened. I can choose to make my peace with it and leave with some of my dignity, or I can fight this and be carried out of the building by force…I choose the former.”

“What’s going on with you? This isn’t the Reid Harris I know. You’ve never rolled over for anyone in the decades I’ve known you.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” Clive starts to say something, but I stop him. “Please, can you leave? I would like to be alone now.”

“Reid…”

“I mean it, Clive.”

Clive sighs then stands up and walks out of my office, but not before he gives me a pathetic look.

That’s one of the main reasons I want to walk away with my head held high. I can’t stand people giving me the look Clive just gave me. As if I’m some sort of dead man walking.

News of what has happened is about to start spreading. If I’m here for much longer, I’ll probably get a dozen more walk-ins like the one I just sat through. So I run away like a coward.

I have Julia reschedule all my meetings and an hour later I am walking into my house.

When I get home, Ethan and Naomi are in with Mr. Alvarez. I had hoped to sneak into the house and hide out in my room, but for some reason, today, they are doing their lesson in the living room. Which means Naomi sees me the second I walk into the house.

She whispers something to Mr. Alvarez, then stands and meets me.

She has a huge smile on her face as she walks toward me, but it falters the closer she gets.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing,” is all I say.

She raises an eyebrow. “Nothing? It’s not even noon and you’re back home.”

“Can’t I just want to come home early?” I snap.

She scrunches up her brows. “Yeah, you can want that, but you never do.”

“Naomi, I really don’t need the third degree right now,” I snap at her then push past her and rush upstairs.

Once I’m in my room I close the door and lean against it and take several deep breaths. I hate that I just treated Naomi that way, but if I had to answer one more question I probably would have burst into tears right there.

I pull at my tie and start walking into my closet when the door bursts open. I’m an idiot for thinking that would be the end of it.

“I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you don’t get to speak to me like that.” She walks in and slams the door behind her.

I massage my temples and turn around. “You know, you can give me some space. I don’t have to tell you everything that’s going on in my life. I am entitled to some privacy.”

“Of course, you are. I was just concerned. You can’t hold that against me. If you don’t want to tell me, all you had to do was say that.”

My chin quivers as I feel pressure building behind my eyes. I have two options. I could either bawl in front of Naomi right now, or I could blow up at her.

“I don’t know how many other ways there are to say this, but can you leave me the fuck alone?!”

Her neck snaps back like I’ve just hit her, which, in a way I have.

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