Page 39 of The Tempo of Truth (The Monsters Duet #3)
Winnie
I looked down the length of the massive, custom-built boardroom table.
Seated along each side were rows of men and women staring at me with blatant disappointment.
My uncles sat on either side of me at the head of the table, glaring at the board of directors for calling this meeting last minute.
The only reason they agreed to convene was to stop the petty whispering and halt the spreading unease circulating through all levels of the company because of the upheaval since my arrival.
There were several pairs of eyes looking at Win and Alistair like they were the saviors the top shareholders had prayed for.
I could see them silently begging for one of them to step back into a leadership role instead of standing as silent sentinels, guarding me against the hostility and judgment aimed in my direction.
“Since the inception of Halliday Inc., there has never been a time when our company has had such a bad image in the press and among our competitors. We’ve become a laughingstock.
Investors are worried. The market is unstable.
There are too many employees and too much money on the line to keep going like this.
As one of the top shareholders, I demand that you, as the president and CEO, take immediate action.
” The man who spoke has been on the board since my grandfather was alive.
His only interest was how much his yearly dividends were and how much his shares were worth if he decided to offload them.
I spun an expensive pen through my fingers and met every accusing stare without apology. This storm had been brewing since I returned. And every time my name was in a headline, it made the rising tension worse.
Win was tapping the tip of his index finger on the table, his annoyance bleeding through every pore.
“How convenient for you to forget my father’s affairs and my mother’s psychopathy.
It wasn’t too long ago that my younger brother was brought back from the dead, and the press had a field day with his resurrection.
On the day my mother died, our stock price hit the lowest price in the company’s history.
” Win looked at Alistair and stated, “Not to mention more than one of us sitting at this table survived an attempted murder at Colette Halliday’s hands.
Those headlines were far more polarizing than the ones we’re dealing with now.
Unless you think being a murderer is less offensive than being a single mother, in which case you are not suited to sit on this board of directors. ”
Deathly silence followed Win’s words, and several of the board members shifted uneasily in their expensive leather chairs.
Alistair threw his head back and laughed like a madman.
When he finished chortling, he made a big show of wiping away fake tears.
“The only reason I’m here at the head of the table is because my mother had an affair.
I’m a bastard, and not even a Halliday, yet none of you in the room called an all-hands-on-deck meeting to discuss my leadership when Win stepped down. ”
The same board member who initially spoke nervously cleared his throat and tried to justify why we were all wasting our time on such a nice afternoon.
“You started your own company, and it was doing well without the Halliday name. You had experience, Mr. DeVere. We’re all concerned that Ms. Halliday is simply too young and too inexperienced to give the company the guidance it needs as it continues to grow.
No one is saying she isn’t entitled to the birthright handed down from generation to generation; we just think she needs some more time to get acquainted with how things work.
There’s plenty of time for her to invest in her career once she gets her personal life in order.
Right now, a lesser role is more suitable. ”
I could tell Win was getting ready to unleash hell.
I put my hand over his to stop the tapping and looked at the detractor through narrowed eyes.
“Setting aside the fact that my Uncle Win was only a year older than I am when he took over for my grandfather, I think it’s clear that the real problem you all have with me is that I’m the first female Halliday to step into the CEO position.
It’s been a leadership role occupied by a man since the start of the company.
I don’t think I need to point out how obviously sexist your objections are.
How dare you question if I can be both a mother and an executive?
Halliday Inc. has one of the best childcare programs in place among many of the Fortune 500 companies.
I can take care of the company and my child at the same time, just like my uncles did when they started their families. ”
An older woman cleared her throat and jumped into the fray.
“What about the headlines romantically tying you to a criminal? It’s not a good look for others to do business with us if our CEO is knowingly involved with someone of low moral value.
Sexist or not, your current image is harming the company, Ms. Halliday. ”
I lifted my eyebrows and asked her, “Would it be better if I released the text messages between your adult son and the underage girl he’s been grooming?
” Her gasp of outrage filled the room, but I ignored her and turned to look at the older man who started the pile-on.
“While you might not be well-known enough to grab a headline, the mattress actress who is the same age as your granddaughter—with whom you like to spend weekends at your beach house—sure is.” I looked at the irate woman and back at the flustered man.
“At least she’s of age. Barely.” I pointedly met the eyes of everyone sitting around the table.
Win pulled his hand free and gave mine a gentle squeeze of encouragement.
I leaned back in my seat and coldly reminded everyone, “You are all so focused on my private life and what may or may not be true that you’ve lost sight of who I am.
I. Am. Winnie. Halliday. Colette Halliday and Winchester Halliday raised me.
I have lived and breathed this company since before I could walk.
How dare any of you insinuate I’m not the best person for the job! ”
Alistair chuckled again and slapped the table, making several of the nervous board members jump.
“All of you combined can’t reach a fraction of the shares in Winnie’s possession.
She holds more power in her hands than either Win or I ever have.
You can’t vote her out. You can’t vote against her.
And if you keep trying to use underhanded tactics to pressure her into stepping down ‘for the good of the company,’ I will personally wage war on all your outside interests. ”
Win nodded, his threat even scarier than Alistair’s.
“The dirt Winnie has on you now is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ll dig every secret you’ve ever had out and bring them to light.
I can make all your skeletons dance to whatever tune I choose.
I’ll send your uptight asses to prison and help Winnie restructure Halliday Inc.
and the board of directors from the ground up.
So what I’ll ask is this: Is there anyone in the room who wants to bring up my nephew’s or my niece’s private life again? ”
The room went quiet. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
I thought everyone was going to leave the meeting with their tails between their legs when one of the more unassuming board members asked, “What about the merger with Byrd Enterprises? That merger seems to be on shaky ground. That’s a large project to lose if it’s handled wrong.
Mr. DeVere, you initiated the deal. Shouldn’t you stay involved to see it to the finish line? You bear some responsibility.”
“If Winnie needs help, she knows where to find me. I’m still the sitting president of this corporation.
You all act like Winnie showed up one day and tossed the rest of us on the street so she could grab unlimited power and resources.
I think you forgot we’re family.” He pointed at me and Win.
“We want Winnie to be successful. None of the decisions Win and I have made over the years of running Halliday Inc. were to line your pockets and inflate our stock price. The choices we made were designed to set our niece up for success. She’s our priority. Not your overly stuffed wallets.”
The older man who originally spoke grumbled in dissatisfaction and called for an adjournment of the meeting. Everyone shuffled out of the room, several shooting me dirty looks. I smiled in response and taunted, “Welcome to the revolution.”
Once we were alone in the boardroom, Alistair frowned and said, “We need to report that woman’s son.” He was a girl-dad, so of course, he wouldn’t let something as serious as covering for a sexual predator slide.
I flopped back into my chair and tried to shake loose the tension gathered in my shoulders and neck.
“Don’t worry. The girl he’s talking to is actually a fifty-year-old retired policeman.
They’re going to arrest her son within the next couple of weeks.
She won’t have time to worry about anyone else’s criminal history. ”
“You handled yourself well today. Eventually, you’re going to need to weed out the naysayers who are holding up progress and let new investors buy their way onto the board.
” Win shot Alistair a pointed look. “When you’re ready to make big moves, we’ll put a handful of our shares up for sale, and you can handpick who you want sitting across from you for the long haul. ”