One week had passed, and I officially hated merges more than I knew. It was no thanks to the rumors and whispers I’d been hearing and trying to ignore all week, and the one word I despised…restructure.
Alexander was starting in, and I swear to God that if one more employee walked out of this building in tears, I was done trusting his skills.
Mr. Mitchell had guaranteed this would be a fair and equal merge, but it certainly wasn’t feeling as if that were the case. I had to trust Mr. Mitchell, who was known to be a fair and fantastic businessman. I also learned this week that he and Alexander were best friends, and there would be no way that Alex would make Mr. Mitchell out to be the fool.
That knowledge was the only reason I hadn’t thrown open the door to Mr. Grayson’s office…yet. I was beginning to think the man lived in his office, or at least, that’s where it seemed Alexander Grayson’s personality was transformed from a trickster and into the devil.
Alexander took no prisoners. I only thought this way because I’d been informed that it wasn’t just Stone Company that was dealing with the good and bad of the merge. Theo confirmed Brooks Architectural Firm was going through this dreadful process too.
I was patient only because I knew I had a huge heart—a heart that would allow the companies to merge without a single person being laid off. I may have been a stiff businesswoman when I needed to be, but to pick and choose who remained employed during a restructuring wasn’t my thing. Now, though, it seemed like every single day, someone was on the chopping block. Would it ever end? My emails this morning—with three more employees from marketing given their severance packages—told me the devil in his suit hadn’t put the pitchfork down just yet.
It was as if a disease had entered our building, and our employees were dropping like flies.
On the positive side, Alex left the design and engineering teams alone. For how long, though? Were our architects up next? At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if my ass was getting sacked.
Stop being dramatic, Bree. You already agreed on restructuring this division together.
I needed to calm down. I understood restructures, I understood mergers, and I needed to refocus. Alex had already informed me he would interview all employees and go through resumes and work accomplishments before making these cuts. Even so, this whole thing was becoming too much for me.
I needed to eat something, get my coffee, and, for the love of God, stop letting that damn email with the newly dismissed employees get under my skin.
Once I’d eaten, I started feeling better. The coffee added to my encouraged spirits, and the barista’s jokes at the coffee shop were a perfect way to lighten my mood.
Then I walked in the damn front doors of my firm.
I should’ve chanted away the evil spirits, but alas, the sense of gloom wafted over me anyway. I sipped my coffee, looked up at the glass dome in the ceiling, watching the sun’s light shining down in our central atrium. I looked around the light and airy space, smiled at our security and receptionists, all while understanding today was the day I would most likely meet face-to-face with Mr. Grayson. The expressions on the faces of employees rushing around to get into the elevators were enough to tell me that everyone felt the unease that I was feeling.
Instead of ignoring the tense nerves of the office, today, I absorbed them. The fact that everyone’s eyes were intense as I walked into the drafting room let me know that this shit was interfering with our creative designers, and, of course, it was on the day I was scheduled to give my final pitch to Sphere. If we lost this deal, we might as well go under. I knew the numbers weren’t looking good for this firm, and Sphere was the deal I needed to right this ship. Now, I had my entire drafting team looking at me as if they’d caught some zombie virus and were waiting to mutate into the living dead.
Damn it, I thought. I felt deflated and more concerned about my employees’ feelings than pitching this deal to Sphere and paying the bills.
The devil on the third floor seemed to have possessed the team I was working with inside the drafting room, and as we studied the final 3D images for the Sphere pitch, I noted all of their eyes were filled with dread.
“That’s it!” I finally said, unable to focus on the computer screen that showed me the building’s blueprints. “I’m heading to Grayson’s office. We won’t get anywhere if everyone’s in this mood. All of you can take a break until I get back. Get some fresh air and take some meditating breaths or something.”
“We’ll be here. Unless, of course…” my head architect and designer, Danny, said before he stopped himself.
“Stay in here and keep going over the finals. I need these drafts, and you’re coming with me to pitch this to Sphere. So, if you think you can focus, Danny, then please do,” I answered him. “Just—just keep this moving forward. We need to be packed up and out of here by noon to be early and make this deal with Sphere happen today.”
Danny was an asshole, and he’d always stared down his nose at me on projects Dad had put us on together. I bet the jerk was livid to see me on the second floor again, heading up our teams. The guy and I never got along, but he was a kick-ass architect, and I hoped we’d build a better relationship by me allowing him to oversee this project. We still butted heads, but that didn’t matter right now. We needed to focus on our final drafts and get ready to pitch our deal with Sphere.
“Danny, I need you to dive deep into this final mock-up we’re doing. I’m still finding mistakes as if it were our first pass.”
“It’ll be finalized. You worry too much,” he said in a dismissive tone.
“There’s a difference between worrying and finding errors in a final project,” I snapped.
“Go deal with whatever it is Grayson’s doing to piss you off today.”
You’re an asshole, I thought, knowing that Danny not finding errors on this project was the main reason I hadn’t even spoken with Alexander since he started making cuts. I was in this room, fixing this prick’s mistakes.
Here we were with a deadline, and I needed to speak with Alexander since he moved in and turned into Ebenezer Scrooge—Satan style. Too bad it wasn’t Christmas, so he could be paid a visit by three ghosts. I’m sure the third and final, grim reaper ghost could give him a run for his money.
“Bree,” Theo said. His voice was grim when it came from out of nowhere. “We need to talk.” My eyes were pulled away from Danny’s indifferent expression and turned toward my right-hand man, Theo.
Shit. My heart sank after seeing Theo’s grave expression. No need to wait for the holidays. I’d play the grim reaper spirit and strangle Grayson myself.
“Don’t tell me,” I said, tugging at his elbow and leading him out of the drafting room, “you got yourself a sweet little email from Mr. Grayson, and now you’re here to tell me that you’ve been replaced?” I opted to take the stairs up to Grayson’s floor instead of using the elevator.
“Breanne,” Theo said, keeping up with me as I took the steps two at a time.
“Let me guess,” I interrupted him, “since you didn’t tell me about this, and you haven’t talked to me all fucking week, you want me to take this all casually, right? Responsibly, right? Hell no. I’m done with Grayson, and I’m not losing you.”
“You’ve been working on Sphere, and it’s a long week. You know why we haven’t had two seconds to talk.”
“It’s been a shitty week, to say the least, Theo.” I looked at him as I approached the hall that led into the devil’s den. “Stay here, and we’ll talk when I’m finished dealing with this man.”
“Bree, I wanted to talk to you before he did—”
That was all that my vice president had to say. Grayson was mine. It was time he learned he was privileged to sit in that office and allow me to trust him on this end of this business. Now he was taking out Theo?
I pushed open the cracked door to Alexander’s office. A smiling and cheerful tiny blonde with soft red lips was the one to greet me. “Ms. Stone,” she said, shifting files to her left arm, “I’m Jacey. It is such an honor to meet you finally.”
“The pleasure is mine,” I said, maintaining my composure to the kind woman. “Would you mind allowing me a moment for a private meeting with Mr. Grayson?”
“Absolutely.” She nodded. “If he needs me, I’ll be next door.”
“Wonderful.”
Jacey closed the door behind her as I stood there and studied the tall man before me. Alex was on his phone. He had a hand casually slipped into his pocket as he stood facing the windows that overlooked the streets below our building. I was lying when I said his view would be an alley, but I wished it was. No. He would do better in the basement. That way, he could be closer to hell where his true throne likely was.
“That’s fine. Will the interns be placed on the Berkenshire after that?” he asked. “I want their fresh minds, just as I know you do. There’s a reason Brooks Firm in London is out there.”
I took a seat as I heard him casually laugh. The blazing heat was surging in my veins as anger pulsated through me. I needed this fire out, and the only way to make that happen was to handle the freak up here, handing everyone severance packages.
He ended the call and turned back to me. “Well, to what do I owe this honor of finally seeing my business partner?” he asked, sitting at his desk.
The once empty office had been transformed. It was immaculate with computer monitors and flat screens hanging on walls. He’d certainly brought in some high-tech stuff that made even me a tad bit envious.
“I thought you and I agreed that this would be a fair restructure, and you would be considering everything about where an employee’s talents were served best in this merge, Mr. Grayson.”
“We did. That’s exactly what I’ve been keeping in mind while I’ve been handling the restructuring. Is this why you’ve finally decided to grace me with your presence?” He tried to appease me with his charms.
Not today, Satan!
“Replacing nearly everyone who worked for Stone is not my idea of meeting in the middle on this merge.”
“I understand,” he said. “However, when you dropped all of the business side of Stone in my lap, I took charge. You, my darling, have let quite a bit slip through the cracks. I’m not even sure Mr. Mitchell or Mr. Monroe know the full details of these financial reports I’m seeing.”
“Why are you firing Theo? My VP was not good enough for you, I assume?” I snapped. “Is that Jacey woman your secretary? Is she serving him with his final—”
“Hold up,” he said, his face darkening, and goddamn if it didn’t make him look sexier. “Theo came to me, not the other way around.”
“Excuse me? Theo is practically my brother, so that is an outright lie.”
“I think you and I should probably take our lunch together today. We have quite a lot to discuss, and I’m honestly surprised it took you a solid week to enter this office to question my decisions.”
“I’ve been busy, and I don’t have time for lunch with you this afternoon. I have a ready proposal, and—”
“I’ll be going with you,” he interrupted. “Unless, of course, you’d trust me in your place on that job as well. Dare I say that me going alone with Danny, who is costing you that job, would not end well for him.”
“I will be there. How would you know about Danny costing us anything? Danny has done well with Sphere, and the bid is perfect. It’s the reason we’ll nail this deal today.”
“Interesting.” He eyed a paper on his desk. “Papers, numbers, and facts on spreadsheets all overrule your opinions about Danny and his bid for Sphere.”
“Opinions?” I nearly screeched. “If you must be there, we leave at noon. I’ll eat lunch and discuss business further with you after I secure that deal. So, yes, come along. By all means, I’d love to have your business mind there. Perhaps you’ll ax that deal along with Danny in front of me this time.”
“As partner,” he grinned that damn sexy smile again, “I will be coming along. Danny has a lot to explain in the mock-ups I’ve seen, and especially with a multi-million-dollar deal on the line for Stone.”
“Now that we’ve settled that,” I said, watching him study the computer and fidget with his fingers, “tell me what’s happening with Theo.”
“Theo has requested he speak with you about his future with Stone. I encouraged him to do so,” he answered. “I know you’ve only experienced a night of me roleplaying and not being my authentic self to you at that gala. I appreciate you being concerned for Theo, given this has been a week of me making executive decisions. In all of what you’re most likely hearing, I can see why you’re here and wondering about Theo’s future.”
“The way you said his name just now,” I said, “it’s almost as though I’m witnessing Mr. Ass-Suit himself feel bad about all these cuts he’s been making.”
“I understand you are prematurely judging me; however, I haven’t seen you up here once until Theo approached you.”
He grew bold, and I sat more erect in the chair I took across his desk. “That’s on me,” I said. “I’m just sad I’ve learned my lesson this late in your heartless game.”
“This is not a game,” he answered. “I assure you of that.”
“You’re right. Games are to be left back with me, getting buzzed and acting like a fool.”
His expression was unsettling. What the hell was going on, and why in the heck did I think I could pounce off in rebellion and leave my dad’s company at the mercy of this man?
I wasn’t handling this merge well at all. I was trying to bury myself by returning to the design room, but ignoring the hard work was more than reckless.
All I could hope now was that we landed Sphere, and it would be worth the negligence on my part. I turned to leave, knowing I needed to speak with Theo.
“I will admit…” Alex started, stopping me from leaving the room.
“Admit what, Mr. Grayson?”
His smooth and sexy voice pissed me off the more I thought about what Theo would tell me.
“I wasn’t lying when I mentioned you’d be a fine partner for me that evening at the gala. We need to start working together more. It will all be fine in the end. Trust me on that.”
“Good. Anything else?” I said, trying to keep it together.
“Now that you mention it, yes. I will also admit that you’re much more beautiful in person than online or in magazines. Also, your ex is a fool for letting you go.”
I narrowed my eyes at his playful tone, knowing I was on my way to find out why Theo was most likely getting axed by this man.
“Thank God you’re handsome,” I managed to return. “I think, because of that, I’ll never have to worry about my idiot of an ex ever again.”
“Indeed, fine looks and a dapper man was all you needed to rid yourself of that lunatic.”
“Dapper man?” I stared at him. “Interesting. I think even Satan’s real name was Lucifer, right?”
“I believe that is correct, Ms. Stone. How this analogy has anything…”
He paused when I arched an eyebrow at him. “Lucifer was beautiful, possibly even dapper, all while being evil as well. You’re nothing more than a devil in a suit to me, Mr. Grayson.”
He chuckled. “Well, then, at least you’ve formed some manner of opinion about me. Now, you and I can get to work, merging these companies as the devil and his mistress.”
I rolled my eyes. “Way to spin that into something that makes absolutely no sense at all.”
“Well, we are life-long partners, and you’ve associated me—your partner—as the devil. That makes you my lovely mistress.”
“We have more pressing issues than this nonsense of referring to each other as diabolical entities.”
“We do. Might I point out that I wasn’t the one to bring up the analogy of evil creatures and being associated with them; you were.”
“Then perhaps you should quit acting like an evil asshole, and those comparisons wouldn’t enter my mind,” I said. “I have to go. I need to speak with Theo and make preparations to meet with Sphere today.”
“Fantastic idea. We have quite a busy day ahead of us. I’ll have the car ready and waiting when we’re set to leave and meet with Sphere.”
I wanted to get out of here. Alexander Grayson was flirty, tricky, and I wasn’t about to get caught up in his handsome features as he used my lame references against me. What I’d seemed to fail to get across was that it felt like our firm had been possessed by some evil entity, bringing about the gloomy atmosphere all around us.
I had to speak with Theo. I needed to regroup, get my head straight, and move forward. Alexander was probably right; I needed more time with him to form a better opinion of him. I certainly didn’t want to continue to see him as a beautiful man who was nothing short of evil while he made cuts, handed out severances, and made life-changing decisions for both firms’ employees.
I had to get to know him and understand how the man ran a business on top of adding my opinions about who we laid off in this merge. I would take full responsibility for avoiding this part, knowing I might have been able to save jobs if I’d stayed at this man’s side while he made the hard decisions. I was blaming it all on him as if I weren’t supposed to be helping make all the cuts.
After I left Alexander’s office, I couldn’t shake the way he mentioned Theo’s name. That was what stuck with me. He was sincere, and I saw that in his eyes. I was too busy throwing insults around instead of appreciating that this man may have had a heart after all.
