Page 78 of My Boss's Sons

At the thought of kids, the room went somber. I sank back into Dad’s desk and scuffed my foot along the floor. “That’s probably not going to happen anytime soon.”

“Your visit with Sophia didn’t go well?”

I shook my head. “She hates us.”

“Hates you?” Mom scoffed. “Yeah, right. No one could look at these cute faces and hate you. You just didn’t try hard enough.”

Ethan grunted. “Thanks?”

“Did you take her flowers? Did you do anything other than show up with your tails tucked between your legs?” Mom saw our faces and nodded. “Thought so. You three have a lot to learn about groveling. Thankfully, you have me as your boss now. I’ll lead you into success.”

“Success? Is that how you’re pronouncing babies these days?” Alex laughed when Mom swatted him.

“Get a notepad, boys. We’re going to brainstorm.” The phone buzzed and Tiffany announced that Dad’s appointment had arrived. Mom clapped her hands. “Okay, work first, I guess.”

62

***Sophia***

“Are you seeing this, Soph?” Ava sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes glued to the TV. “This is wild, right? I mean, this isthem?”

I stared at the TV with the same mixed feelings I’d had since Randal called me the day before and told me that Mary Anderson had called his wife and hired her immediately to help the company. It was strange to be on the outside of such a huge news story about Anderson Inc.. It was bittersweet. I would never complain about not working for Gerald but something huge was happening at a company I’d devoted five years of my life to. I’d had plans to be there for years to come. Yet, I was unemployed, at home, completely disconnected.

“You okay?” Ava looked over at me and frowned. “I’ll change the channel.”

“No!” I blew out a shaky breath and shook my head. “Leave it on.”

Lily ran into the living room and crashed into my legs. “Mom! Guess what?”

I scooped her into my arms and smiled. Being unemployed wasn’t all bad. I’d gotten to spend so much more time with Lily. “What?”

“Chicken butt!” She threw her head back and laughed at the new joke Milo taught her.

“Chicken butt? Gross!” I tickled her before dropping her on the couch. “Go wash up. We’re having lunch in just a few minutes.”

After she ran off, the news report caught my attention again. Looking up, I saw Mary standing at a podium with the guys behind her. My heart ached at the sight of them and I bit my lip to keep my emotions down.

“As I’m sure everyone has already heard, Gerald Anderson has been fired as CEO of Anderson Inc.. An emergency board meeting was called yesterday and after viewing evidence of behavior unacceptable by Anderson Inc., there was a unanimous vote to take the company in a different direction. I will be stepping in as interim CEO until my son, Noah Anderson, is ready to take over.

“The accusations against Gerald have rocked our family, but we stand with the truth and we stand with women. It’s been a long time coming but Anderson Inc. is moving into modern times. We’ve hired a team of people that we feel will help us in reconstructing the top. Things will be different, but our teammates and employees can rest assured that Anderson Inc. will be around for a long time to come, but it will be better.”

There were questions shouted out from around the room but Mary stepped back and nodded at Noah. He stepped forward and stared stony-eyed out at the crowd of reporters until they went silent. His suit was perfect and he looked so good it made my body hurt. I missed him. I missed all of them.

“Our family is going through changes at this time as well and we’d appreciate privacy. It’s not everyday you find out your childhood hero isn’t the man you thought he was. Someone told me once that they hoped I never had to find out the truth about our father. At the time, I was angry and I thought I already knew the truth. I didn’t listen and I let my faith in the truth I thought I knew hurt someone I care about. While the truth is ugly, I’m glad it’s out there now. I want to run a company that appreciates its employees, no matter their sex. I want to run a company that I can be proud of. I’ll be honest.” Noah looked around at the crowd before his eyes focused on the camera and I felt like he was staring into my soul. “We still have a lot of house to clean. We won’t promise perfection right away but I promise you that we’ll never stop trying. Thank you for your time.”

I dropped onto the couch and covered my mouth with my hand as I replayed his words in my head. I didn’t notice Ava turn the TV off or the knock on the front door.

I believed Noah. He would take care of things at Anderson Inc.. The company would get better and women like myself would be able to work their way up to the jobs they deserved without having to compromise themselves to get there or stay stuck somewhere they didn’t belong. The changes were exciting and I could imagine the energy in the office was electric. It would be a beautiful thing. It just wasn’tmything anymore.

“Soph? Can you come here?” Ava called from the front door. “There’s something for you.”

Walking absently to the door, I was surprised to see several huge vases of flowers sitting just outside. A man in a suit held another one in his arms and smiled. “Ms. Sophia? I was instructed to bring these in for you. They’re a little heavy.”

My pulse shot higher. “No.”

Ava gasped. “What the hell, Sophia? Don’t be rude to the poor man.”

I shook my head. “No. Not to you, but to the flowers.”

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