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“Harvard.”
“Ah, Harvard.” I bob my head. “They must be so proud of you.”
His eyes bulge as if he can sense my sarcasm, but he doesn’t know what that sarcasm means for him and his job stability.
“I assume that if you were smart enough or, at least, well-connected enough to get into Harvard, you have some sort of ability to comprehend basic English.”
It’s no longer his face that’s red. It’s his faceandhis neck.
“For Harvard’s sake, I’m going to give you a second chance.”
He blinks rapidly.
“I believe in you, Conner. That’s the only reason you’re not packing your things and putting them in your car, do you understand?”
“Sir?” His voice is a panicked squeak.
I glance at each of the nervous faces. “I asked for solutions. I asked for a campaign to quiet the online dissent in a way that doesn’t hurt me or the company.” I lift the binders in front of me and let them slam on the table. “Why do all of these involve distancing myself from my girlfriend?”
Terry, the PR Team leader, raises a hand timidly. The flat of her palm is balanced under her elbow as if she needs the extra support to keep her hands hoisted beneath my scrutiny.
“Sir, your relationship with Ms. Williams is relatively new.”
“I’m aware of the timeline.”
“You’ve only recently announced your relationship to the press.”
“You’re just repeating the same thing in different words, Terry.”
Terry was one of the original team members who moved to our new headquarters. I approved the transfer myself.
“Don’t bother hiding your question. I don’t like thinly veiled words, so come right out and ask.”
“Your relationship is your business, sir, but since it’s now in the public spotlight, I need to understand how serious you are about Ms. Williams. That will help us,” she glances at the trembling Conner, “to tailor our proposals.”
I rise to my feet and button my jacket. “I was clear in my initial instruction. We’re going to solve this in a way that won’t hurt me or the company.”
“But—”
“Breaking up with Yaya Williams will hurtme.”
A startled silence falls on the room.
“I want new proposals.” My gaze slices darkly through each of them. “If I have to come up with the solutions myself, that would mean I don’t need any of you and thus, you would no longer need to work here.” I walk toward the door and stop at Conner’s chair. When my hand descends on his shoulder, he jumps as if I put a gun to his head. “Good luck.”
Mosely follows me to my office where I strip out of my jacket and wrench my tie loose. Pressing my fists on the surface of the desk, I lean over and suck in a sharp breath.
I hate that I’m here, battling things out at the company when I should be with Yaya. She must be devastated.
“That was the coldest I’ve ever seen you,” Mosely says quietly. The door shuts behind him with a muted click, as if even the furniture is afraid of setting me off.
“How can the only solution be to throw Yaya to the wolves?”
Mosely approaches me the way a vet would corner a rabid animal. “Right now, the company’s in a tenuous position. Because of the Cullen Tech partnership, we need to be on our best behavior. Publicity matters when you’re vying for government contracts. Reputation matters. It’s a tight race and any mistake you make can and will be used against you.”
“Yaya’s innocent.”
“Have you confirmed that with her?”