Page 113 of Power

And why didn’t it occur to me until now that out of the eight people on the board, only one of them was a woman? Was I unknowingly contributing to the misogynistic culture that Scarlett had experienced?

“Mr. Lockwood.” Randolph Whitmore stood, deliberately buttoning his suit jacket. The guy’s hair had gone gray long ago, his middle soft from too many expense-account lunches.

“Randolph.” I stepped into my office, shoulders tensed, sensing an ambush, though I couldn’t pinpoint its source.

“Please, take a seat,” Randolph said, gesturing to my own damn chair like he owned it.

At least Marcus, my right-hand man, was here.

I made eye contact with him, silently asking,Any idea what this is about?

His response was immediate. A slight shake of his head and a deep breath told me Marcus was as exasperated by these guys’ tactics as I was.

“I was unaware we were meeting today,” I said, keeping my voice neutral despite the tension knotting in my intestines.

“We weren’t.” Randolph’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Take a seat.”

The tone of his voice pissed me off. I was the CEO of Lockwood Holdings, and he would be well advised to remember that.

“What do I owe the pleasure?” I remained standing behind my chair, gripping the backrest until my knuckles whitened, eyeing the board. Their body language screamed trouble: angry glares, and tense postures.

“It seems we have a problem,” Randolph announced.

“Another one?” I arched an eyebrow.Shocking.

Randolph folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat, eyeing me like a father scolding his son. If he thought that would intimidate me, he’d clearly forgotten who he was dealing with.

“Something has come to our attention.”

“Don’t drag it out, Randolph.” I wasn’t normally this short with the board, but I’d had it with them.

They had set up roadblock after roadblock about this deal in particular, making it clear they hated it. And that, I’d decided, was what showed me in blaring lights what their true colors were. Because this deal was more financially stressed than the prior two we’d done. The previous owners were so in debt that it was going to require an ass ton of cash to turn the company around, and patience was, evidently, something this board lacked.

Money, money, money. Ticktock.

“Are you or are you not dating Scarlett West?” Randolph asked curtly.

I froze, though I wasn’t sure if it was shock or anger that suspended my movements.

“Pardon me?”

“Scarlett West. She is an employee here. It has come to our attention that you’re dating her.”

I quickly glanced at Marcus, who looked just as surprised as I felt. He shifted in his chair in that way he always did when he was formulating a plan to have my back.

“Come to your attention how?” Marcus snapped, leaning forward.

“That doesn’t matter.” Randolph dismissed with a wave of his hand.

“I disagree.” My voice dropped dangerously low. “You serve as the board of directors formycompany. If someone is coming to you with information aboutmypersonal life, you will tell me who did it.”

“It’s a yes or no question,” Randolph pressed, scrubbing that gray excuse of a beard.

“What difference does it make if Jace is or is not dating an employee at this company?” Marcus pushed back, his loyalty a shield I was grateful for.

I shot him a quick glance of appreciation. The only person in this company who had my back one hundred percent of the time was Marcus.

“The difference is the morality clause,” Randolph said, tapping his finger against a folder in front of him. “Which clearly states it is against company rules to date an employee.”