by Lee, Nadia
“Yes?”
“I…”
“What?”
She frowned. “I saw what happened at the beach.”
He forced his face into a mask of indifference. “And?”
“Meredith’s a good girl.” When he didn’t say anything, she cleared her throat. “I don’t want to see her hurt.”
He stared at her. “What did you say?”
“She’s not like most people. She’s so pure in heart and loving—”
He let out a bark of laughter. “It’s amazing how you can worry about your dead stepdaughter’s friend. If you’d shown even one percent of that concern for Judy and me, maybe you wouldn’t have to worry now.”
Ella’s had paled; now she was slowly turning red. “Daniel, I’m sorry. How many times do I have to apologize?”
“None. I told you that already. I also told you the only thing I wanted was your cooperation with Aylster Resorts. And I thank you for that.”
Ella’s face crumbled, and tension tightened at the base of his skull. Far from giving him satisfaction, watching her misery simply made him annoyed and angry. He was sick of people acting like if they apologized enough times, all the wrongs of the past would vanish. No amount of sorrys could bring Judy back or change the fact that she’d died without him.
* * *
His loafered feet propped on the mahogany desk in his home office, Claude Aylster gazed at the big family portrait on the wall. In it were his parents—Daniel Aylster I and Marie-Theresa Morton—his brother, Daniel Aylster II, and of course Claude himself.
Dan looked so tall and confident, his broad shoulders pushed back, his gaze straight and directly at the camera. Their father had often said Dan was the right man to lead the company, and Claude hadn’t minded. Dan had been a terrific executive.
His son, on the other hand…
A reputation for wild womanizing, among other things, didn’t help him. Some of it was a lie, but that fact almost didn’t matter. Perception was reality. Claude knew that better than anybody.
Claude lowered his feet to the smooth hardwood floor and hit a button on his laptop. The soothing black-and-white fractal screen saver vanished and revealed a web browser showing images of Meredith Lloyd and her son Eric. She was a beautiful young woman, but then all of Stella Lloyd’s children were good-looking…even if one of them had turned out to be something of an embarrassment.
Eric was just as pretty as Meredith. The boy had dark hair like his mother. His eyes were blue, but that color ran in her family. Her brother Ethan’s eyes were blue. There weren’t a lot of photos of the boy—Meredith seemed extremely protective of her son’s privacy. Understandable. The so-called reporters these days could be obnoxious if you didn’t set some hard boundaries.
The child intrigued Claude. He’d never have pegged Meredith as the type to get herself pregnant by some no-good bastard who’d ditch her as soon as the fun was over. And it was interesting that her family hadn’t seemed to have discovered who’d gotten her into such a situation in the first place. Of course, Meredith could have kept the fellow a secret for some reason of her own. But the Lloyds had lots of money and influence, and Gavin had absolutely no sense of proportion when it came to getting what he wanted. Surely he’d want to locate the deadbeat dad…if there was one to locate.
At the same time, Meredith had been Judy’s best friend, and Claude didn’t believe people with nothing in common could become friends. Just look at him and Barron Sterling. They were both ruthless and understood the importance of timing. Barron had been luckier, but that didn’t mean they didn’t share the traits of ambition, smarts and patience.
Meredith had been very close to Judy, who had been wild and free with her affections. That poor girl had been so starved for love, she’d been on a self-destructive path. Claude had taken it upon himself to ensure she hadn’t strayed too far, but she’d gotten herself into some nasty situations anyway.
Claude picked up the phone. It was time he got to the bottom of what had really happened in Istanbul.
Chapter Nine
The next day, Meredith had a powwow with Kerri and Natalie at TLD’s Arlington office. TLD had an operation in Virginia, although it was nothing like the headquarters in Houston, which was designed specifically to show off TLD’s success and history. The Arlington office was smaller, although still respectably big with over forty employees, some of them part-time. But everyone understood if you worked out of Arlington you weren’t aspiring to the executive spots…even though that assumption might change with Meredith working there now.
Meredith laid out a few findings for Kerri and Natalie, including the photos she’d taken. The team of specialists from Houston had sent their report, and it didn’t look good.
Sipping a smoothie, Kerri read the executive summary while lounging back in her seat—she was beginning to sit in that weird boneless posture Ethan had. Her face unreadable and her eyes moving fast, Natalie sat next to her best friend and flipped through the photos. Once she was finished, she re-crossed her legs and swapped with Kerri.
After glancing at them, Kerri sighed. “It looks bad.”
“I agree, although I don’t know much about construction,” Natalie said. She’d come from a political family.
Meredith took a deep breath. “So, now what?”
“You’ll have to replace the team with somebody you can trust,” Natalie said. “That’s half the battle.”
“Who, though?”
“That’s what HR is for,” Kerri pointed out. “Don’t let things like this get to you. Delegate. And fire the moron.”
“Really? It looked like he has a family.” He was definitely old enough to have a wife and kids.
Kerri blinked. “So?”
“How is he going to support them?”
“By working harder at his next job?”
“That just seems so…cold.” And it was exactly what Daniel had said.
“Look. If someone can’t do a job, that person doesn’t belong at TLD. It’s that simple. You have to set the highest expectations and demand that everyone either meets them or gets out. This isn’t some preschool class where everyone gets a gold star for showing up.”
Meredith’s jaw dropped. “But that’s setting them up to fail.”
“No. It’s called management. And it works. Trust me.”
Natalie nodded. “It sure does. All the analysts and associates cowered before Kerri the Dictator back when we worked together in Hong Kong, but they all delivered. The managing directors loved her. I’m sure they’re still asking her to come back.”
Kerri waved the compliment away. “They just want to do business with Barron. Look, Meredith. TLD isn’t a charity, and you can’t run it like one. Businesses have profit motives; you have to make money, and everyone who works for you has to make you money. I know we’ve been busy cleaning up the mess Jacob left behind, but now that all that’s out of the way, you really have to take on a leadership role and manage your people.”
Meredith sighed. This was so much harder than she’d expected. She could do pep talks and crunch numbers, but she couldn’t just fire people. Just the idea made her stomach turn. “Even if I wanted to…get rid of the guy, I don’t know who to hire. How long is it going to take to find someone good? I need somebody now.”
“Want me to see if we can poach somebody from Justin’s team?” Kerri asked, her eyes sparkling.
“I can’t do that!”
“Justin won’t mind too much. It can be an early Christmas present.”
“Ugh. No.” Meredith didn’t want Kerri’s cousin to know how incompetent she was, especially given that he and Daniel were good friends.
“If you feel that bad about firing this Rob guy, bring him home,” Natalie said.
“Now?”
“Yesterday. And tell him he’s being let go, effective immediately. Then sit back and see what happens.”
Meredith frowned, biting on the end of her pen. “What do you mean?”
&n
bsp; “If he’s that desperate to support his family, he’ll beg to keep the job. When he does, you can give him one last chance—one week to show some real progress, or he can join the ranks of the unemployed. His choice.”
“You’d give him a choice?” Kerri joked. “Weak.” Natalie threw a candy wrapper at her.
“I don’t know if I can pull it off,” Meredith said. “I don’t think he’s going to take me seriously.” He’d dismissed her at the job site with such a cavalier attitude. If it hadn’t been for Daniel, she was certain he would’ve physically taken the phone from her.
“Channel me at my bitchiest,” Kerri said with a sharky smile. “You can do it.”
“That’s right,” Natalie said. “You guys are related now.”
Meredith nodded slowly. “By the way, there’s one more thing I want to talk about.”
“Shoot,” Kerri said, taking another sip of her smoothie. It was a vegetable health concoction the color of an old bruise.
“Daniel and I kissed on the island.”
Kerri’s hand flew to her mouth as she started to choke. Natalie patted her back forcefully and blurted, “What?”
Meredith sighed. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“Who kissed whom?” Natalie said, since Kerri still couldn’t speak.
“I kissed Daniel.”
“Generally speaking,” Kerri said in a hoarse voice, “It’s not a good idea to get entangled with clients.” She coughed violently. “You don’t want people thinking he’s keeping you on because you guys are having sex.”
“But we’re not!” Though not for a lack of desire on my part, Meredith thought, her face growing hot.
“Fine, but—khahk!—how does it look?” Kerri wiped her eyes. “Don’t forget Daniel has a—hawrk!—reputation for womanizing.”
“That’s not true.”
“Google him. Google is your friend. It tells you everything. Ahhack! God, I need some water. Excuse me.” Kerri rose and went to the break room.
Meredith turned to Natalie. “You agree with all that?”
“Yeah. Appearances are really important when you’re in a vulnerable position, which you are because of what’s been going at the company. Daniel’s probably not as bad as what the media’s made him out to be, but that’s kind of damning with faint praise, you know what I’m saying?”
Meredith nodded.
“It was just a kiss, right? And it wasn’t, like, a series of kisses or anything?”
Meredith recalled the moment her mouth had touched Daniel’s. The way her body had blazed with heat, how shamelessly she’d fitted it to his. It had seemed like more than just one kiss, but she didn’t really know how to express the situation. “Yeah. Just once.”
“Okay, then. Pretend it never happened and communicate everything through his executive assistant and lawyers and so on. You don’t have to see him in person to get the job done.”
“Won’t it look like I’m avoiding him?”
“You’re respecting his time. He’s a busy guy. I’m sure he has a billion other things on his plate. His staff can handle things on his behalf. See how simple it is?”
“But what if I don’t want to?” Meredith sighed. “I mean…I knew him from before, so it’ll look odd if I cut him out entirely.”
“Well…” Natalie pursed her lips. “Then just be friendly. Professionally friendly. You’re a smart, grown-up woman, so I’m sure you can handle it.”
Meredith nodded. “I’ll be careful.” But even as she said it, she feared she might not be so smart or careful when she saw Daniel again.
Chapter Ten
At nine thirty sharp two days later, Meredith met with the construction manager at the satellite office in Arlington. The older man was watching her with a guarded look. She took a deep breath, remembering Kerri’s instructions. You can do it. Pretend you’re Kerri. “Mr. Benson.” Meredith paused. “Do you mind if I call you Rob?”
He shook his head. He was better dressed for the appearance at the corporate office. An old but clean button-down shirt stretched over his meaty torso, and he wore carefully pressed khakis and polished brown leather shoes. The windbreaker he’d taken off and draped over the back of his chair was sun-faded to a shade somewhere between blue and gray. Nothing about him said he was a college-educated guy who made a decent living—she’d checked his HR files. He looked like a regular working-class man.
Compared to him, Meredith felt somewhat overdressed; she’d worn a designer pants suit in a hunter green so dark it was almost black. She’d chosen the outfit that morning, thinking it’d boost her confidence. Instead it only accentuated the difference in their status, which made her want to squirm in her seat. “I’ll get right to the point, Rob. I called you here because I wanted to let you know that the progress at the job site has been unsatisfactory. As the manager of the project, you’re responsible.”
“My fault?” he asked. “Isn’t this”—he gestured around—“your company?”
“Of course it is. So I’m going to do the right thing and terminate your time at TLD, effective immediately.”
“What! You can’t do that!”
“Um, I believe I can. You just said it was my company.”
“But I can’t lose this job. I have a wife and kids.” He ran his hands over his face. There was dirt under his blunt fingernails. “Come on, gimme a chance. I’m one of the best construction managers at TLD.”
“I’d like to, but the client is upset. And if what I saw was the work of the best at this company, then TLD is in for some major personnel changes.” Meredith cringed inwardly. Oh god, oh god, what was she saying? That didn’t sound anything like her.
His shoulders slumped. “Miz Lloyd, my wife has cancer. If I lose this job, she’s gonna die. I can’t afford to pay for her chemo without the insurance.”
Meredith’s heart squeezed at the abject misery on his face. This was just so terrible. Her phone buzzed with a text. She glanced down at it.
Kerri had written: Stay strong. People say anything to avoid getting axed.
Good lord. Had Kerri bugged Meredith’s office?
Another text came in: I know you.
Great. Meredith folded her arms. She wished she could be like Kerri, but Rob seemed genuinely distressed. “If you need this job, and if you’re one of our best construction managers, why have you done so poorly on St. Cecilia? I’ve read your HR files, and your performance reviews are generally good. Help me to understand what’s going on.”
His gaze slid away from hers, and he blinked rapidly. His darkly tanned throat worked as he swallowed. Oh dear. Was he going to cry? No matter how many reinforcement texts Kerri sent, Meredith couldn’t fire the man if he cried.
“I needed the money. One of my kids was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got himself shot, and he needed rehab therapy so he could at least move around. The company insurance refused to cover it. So…” He heaved a sigh.
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Why wasn’t I told before?”
“What would you have done?” His mouth twisted. “You don’t owe me anything ’cept a paycheck.”
He continued talking, but her mind wandered. He must’ve been under crushing pressure and probably couldn’t focus on work. Totally understandable. She should talk to her assistant and see if one of her foundations could reach out and help him. It was horrible that his wife and kid were suffering needlessly. He was paid well, but hospital bills could bankrupt any middle-class family.
“…so I took the money,” he said.
That jerked Meredith out of her musing. “Huh? What money?”
He chewed his lower lip. “Some guy came out to the site when we were first breaking ground. Said that if I delayed the construction, he’d pay me.”
Her right hand flew to her mouth. Her fingers felt cold against her lips. “Excuse me?”
Rob hung his head. “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I had no choice. I took his money.” He buried his face in his hands and let out a wracking sob. “It was so s
tupid, but I had to save my son. I don’t want to see him crippled for life. He’s only ten… such a great boy. Got his whole life ahead of him. Now I’ve ruined everything.”
She pressed both of her hands against her mouth to stop her own sob. Her sorrow for him was nothing compared to what he’d gone through. His son was just Eric’s age. She didn’t know if she would’ve been able to turn down an offer like that if she’d been in his position. When she could control her emotions, she said, “This man… Is he blackmailing you now?”
Rob nodded.
“But he’s still paying.”
He nodded again. He wiped his face with his sleeve. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry I didn’t know. It wasn’t right you had to go through that alone. But the construction work has to get back on track. I can’t lose this client.”
“I’m so sorry.” Fresh tears came to his eyes.
What would Kerri do in this situation? Meredith shook herself mentally. Who cared what her sister-in-law thought? The man had been punished enough. And Meredith didn’t want to see his family suffer because of this. “Do you think the project can get back on schedule?”
Rob’s features began to compose themselves again as he considered the problem. “It’ll be tight and require overtime…but, yeah, it could be done.”
“Fine. What you’ve done is simple espionage. Dirty and underhanded, but there’s nothing to be done about it now. So here’s what’s going to happen. One, we’ll keep this conversation just between ourselves, at least for the time being.”
Rob nodded.
“Two, I want to know who this money guy is.”
“Ma’am, honest to god, I don’t know his name.”
“Can you give me a desc—never mind. I’m going to send a man named Pattington to talk with you. He’s TLD’s in-house investigator, and he’ll be able to find out what’s going on.”
Rob spread his hands. “I’ll tell him everything I can.”
“Good. And three, I want you to put my project back on track.”
He stared at her with his mouth open, then rubbed his face roughly. “I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to fire me.”