Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 334(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Her lips press together. “My family owns Genesis Cable Network.”
“Genesis Cable Network,” I repeat, digesting the fact that Debbie’s family is the powerhouse behind a major network. “And why, exactly, are you working for me and not them?”
“Your father and my father would have gotten along. I do not want to work for my father.”
Considering we all now know my father killed a co-worker he was sleeping with, that says a lot without saying much.
“I made a deal with him,” she continues. “I get five years outside the company, then I have to work for him or I don’t inherit. Sometimes I don’t even know if I care about the money or the empire anymore.”
“Why?” I ask, truly curious. I always wanted to prove I could run the empire.
Always.
“The problem for me,” she explains, “is that I don’t like being the boss. I don’t like pressure.”
“I don’t find that to be true of you at all. You handle pressure and do it well.”
“I appreciate that, but I’ve learned a lot working for you. Starting with business is not personal. It’s business. That premise has served me well in life in general and it’s helped me deal with my father.”
That’s about all I’m going to teach someone like Debbie, I decide.
The truth is, she’d be well served to work under someone like Bella, who could teach her how to go at things a bit more gently but just as effectively as me. But the idea that Debbie is on that damn list of Gavin’s, and Bella will one day find out doesn’t sit well. I do not want Bella to feel as if I was interviewing Debbie to be this stupid fake fiancée Gavin believes I need and decide to pair her with Bella. Despite it being untrue, I do not think that would go over well.
What I know, though, is that long-term, Debbie would be better off adding diversity to her resume. “I believe that old saying: do what you love, and the money will follow. I love this company. What do you love? What is your passion?”
“Animals,” she says with no hesitation. “I volunteer at a shelter. I’d work to help animals every day if I could.”
“Allie, Allison, who I know you know—”
“Yes. She handles the company’s charity division, and she’s engaged to Bella’s brother, Dash.”
“Yes. She needs an assistant in the charity division. I’m sure there is a way to incorporate your love of animals into what she does. I’ll throw your name into the hat if you’re interested in being interviewed.”
Her fingers curl on the arms of her chair. “I’m confused. Am I not doing a good job?”
“If you weren’t doing a good job, I’d fire you, not help you get a job you’ll enjoy. Think about it and let me know. And on that note, I’m going to get a bite to eat. I need the big screen set-up for a Zoom meeting at five.”
“Of course,” she says and stands up. “I’d love to be considered.”
“I’ll let Allie know.”
“Thank you,” she says and she heads for the door.
“Debbie,” I say as another question comes to mind.
She rotates. “Yes?”
“That guy that comes and picks you up sometimes. Is that your boyfriend?”
“Yes. That’s David.”
“What does he do?”
“He works for the animal shelter where I volunteer.”
“Does he know about your family money?”
“God, yes,” she confirms. “He wants me to walk away from them and all that comes with them.”
My eyes narrow on her. “What about the money?”
“David wants me to walk away from it all and marry him. But my father doesn’t approve of David. If I marry him, I’m also disinherited. It’s a challenge.”
“Why? You clearly don’t love him.”
“I do,” she says quickly. “I love him.”
“But not more than the money.” It’s not a question. It’s a fact, I’m certain.
Her cheeks heat, a wash of what reads as guilt to me. “I’ll handle the delivery,” she says, and she doesn’t wait for my reply, she’s out the door.
I’m enlightened on the character of my secretary, and with that enlightenment is a lesson on knowing those who work for you. Debbie is all about money, which some might think I’d find a valuable trait. But nothing I’ve ever done was about the money, it was about the challenge. About proving my worth. About showing my father I was a winner. When you live for money, the water tends to muddy in dangerous ways.
Bella’s willingness to walk away from a client like Carson over disrespect, and the lesson and yes, respect that followed, has actually made her, her client, and the company more money. The way Bella doesn’t want to be seen as bought or as sleeping her way to the top is all about her hard work and character. We are suffocating in my father’s demands and if it was only about money, I’d walk away in a heartbeat. I can’t ignore my father’s demands, not without risking a hostile takeover that jeopardizes jobs. But I’m also not going to blindly do my father’s bidding, not when losing Bella is the price I will pay.