Contemptous CEO

by Myers, K. L.

I hung upside down there for what felt like an eternity. I felt the blood dripping from my head onto the floor, but I was afraid to move. Sirens wailed in the distance, and a sense of relief that someone would soon be here gave me hope. The next thing I remember was the bright lights of the hospital as they wheeled me through the hallway.

  “She’s awake,” a female voice I didn’t recognize called out.

  “You’re going to be all right, Miss. Hightower,” a deep voice spoke to me from above my head. I tried to move, but I couldn’t. I felt the stiffness of the board beneath me and felt the pressure of the straps across my forehead and chin, holding my head in place.

  “My daughter. I need my daughter.” My voice barely a whisper as I spoke. Tears pooled in my eyes and seeped out of the corners, rolling into my hairline. “Brookie.” My voice was barely audible. But no one paid attention to me. “Xander,” I tried to scream.

  The gurney came to a brief stop inside a room where the light grew brighter.

  A female face appeared above me. “On three,” she counted down, and I felt my body lift before finding a new resting place. A plastic cone soon rested over my nose and mouth. It wasn’t long before the room went black.

  Chapter 39

  Xander

  Lucas sat on the opposite side of my desk, along with Hollis. It was time for planning the annual charity auction our companies facilitated each year to raise money to find a cure for pediatric cancer.

  “So, has Maddie finally committed to moving here?” Lucas inquired.

  “No, she hasn’t. And I thought we were discussing the auction and not my love life.”

  “We can do both,” Lucas replied.

  I looked at Hollis for assistance. “You going to say something?”

  “Nope. He’s your problem, not mine.”

  Lucas smiled. “I wouldn’t be anyone's problem if someone would just keep me in the loop.”

  “I’m not in the loop,” Hollis added.

  “You’re more in the loop than I am. Xander’s kid plays with Hailey.” Lucas argued.

  “Doesn’t mean I’m in the loop. Now, Elodie, she’s in the loop.” There was a twinkle in Hollis’s eyes when he mentioned his fiancé.

  “So, if I need info, Elodie’s where I go?”

  “Good luck with that. She won’t tell you anything without checking with Xander first.”

  I slammed the folder in my hand against my desk.

  “Could you all stop talking about me like I’m not here. If you need to know, Maddie is coming out here for the summer with Brooklyn, and hopefully, by then, I’ll be able to convince her to stay.”

  “Okay. Now that’s settled, can we get back to talking about the auction?” Lucas chuckled.

  “You are such a dickhead.” I snapped.

  I opened the folder in front of me with the list of contributors and auction items provided and set it on my desk in front of the two of them.

  “This is the list Millicent was able to round up.”

  Hollis removed a piece of paper from his jacket pocket, placing it next to my list.

  “Here is the list that Laurel put together.”

  Both of us looked at Lucas. He was always the slacker between the three of us.

  “What? I’ve got a list somewhere.”

  He fished through his jacket but came up empty-handed.

  “I must have left it in my car. I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”

  With palpable frustration on his face, Hollis chose that moment to speak up. “Lucas, you need to take this seriously. You know how important this event is to me, and it pisses me off that you show up unprepared.”

  “Look, cut me some slack, will you? I’ve got the damn list. I just left it behind.”

  The two men began to raise their voices in debate when my intercom beeped.

  “Mr. Livingston, I’ve got an Evelyn Harper on the line.”

  Maddie had mentioned the name several times, so I knew it was her friend. What I wasn’t sure of was why she was calling me.

  “Put her through.”

  “Hello?”

  “Dad?”

  “Brooklyn? I thought Mrs. Harper was calling. How are you, sweetheart?”

  My little girl started crying on the other end of the phone, and my heart sank. I knew something was wrong before she even opened her mouth to tell me.

  “I’m scared, Daddy. Mom forgot about me, and we can’t find her.”

  Immediately, I stood and strolled away from my desk. Between the bickering that still ensued between Hollis and Lucas and the sobs from Brooklyn, I needed a little quiet.

  “Stop crying, sweetheart. Is Mrs. Harper nearby?”

  “Yes, and she wants to talk to you.”

  “Good. Let me talk to her, then I’ll speak with you next, all right?”

  There’s a feeling you get when you know something terrible is about to come, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Well, that is what I was feeling. There was a shuffle of the phone before another voice, an older voice, came over the line.

  “Mr. Livingston, my name is Evelyn. I’m a close friend of Maddie’s.”

  “I know who you are. Maddie has talked about you many times. What can you tell me?”

  “Brooklyn, dear, go watch a movie with Bridgette. I’ll come to get you before I hang up with your dad, okay?”

  There were a few moments of silence before Evelyn spoke again.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I knew you needed to know.”

  “You’re not bothering me, and what exactly is it I need to know?”

  Evelyn coughed a couple of times then cleared her throat.

  “I received a call from the school today because Maddie didn’t show to pick Brooklyn up. I thought it was odd because she’s never forgotten about her before. I tried calling Maddie several times, but she didn’t answer her phone.” There was a brief pause that felt like an eternity until Evelyn spoke again. “I received a call just a few moments ago from a deputy who had Maddie’s phone. He’d seen my call come through several times and said his gut told him to call the number back.”

  I knew I needed to remain calm when all I wanted to do was scream at the woman to get to the point, but yelling wasn’t going to get me the answers to my questions.

  “Since you’re calling me, Evelyn, I’m assuming there is a situation that requires my assistance. Do you need bail money or something?”

  “Uhm, Mr. Livingston, Maddie was involved in a terrible car accident and—”

  Once I heard the word terrible, I stumbled backward a bit and sat on the edge of one of the chairs around the table in my office. The room had become eerily silent suddenly.

  “How serious was the car accident?”

  Both Lucas and Hollis stood, walking toward me. They stopped just shy of the table and stood staring at me. Both men placed their hands in their pockets as they waited for information.

  “The deputy said the accident was serious and she was taken to the hospital. I tried to call there, but they wouldn’t release any information other than to say she’s in surgery right now. I haven’t said anything to Brooklyn because I wanted you to know first, and I wanted to see if you wanted me to tell her or how you wanted to handle that.”

  Now I was the one clearing my throat to remove the lump that was threatening to cut off my air supply.

  “I appreciate you giving me the opportunity. So, yes, I’d like to be the one to let her know. I can be in the air in about an hour. Do you know what hospital she is in?”

  “Temecula Valley General.”

  I repeated the hospital name aloud. Lucas quickly walked over to my desk and jotted the name on a piece of paper.

  “Did you, by chance, get the name and a phone number for the deputy?”

  Lucas placed the piece of paper with the name of the hospital on it in front of me. As Evelyn spoke, I added the information for the deputy then added Evelyn’s address and phone number, as well.

  “Thank you for being there, Evelyn. I�
�d like to talk to my daughter now.”

  As I waited for Brooklyn to come back to the phone, I asked Hollis to have Millicent make the necessary calls to have my plane ready to go within the hour.

  A tightness I’d never felt before settled in my chest, making it hard for me to breathe. I knew telling my daughter her mother had been injured was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever have to do.

  “Dad?”

  “Hey there, Bookworm. I’m on my way to see you, so I don’t want you to worry about anything, okay? I’ll be there before you know it.”

  “Do you know where Mom is?”

  “I do, sweetheart, and we’ll talk about it when I get there, okay?”

  Brooklyn began to cry on the other end of the phone. “Something bad happened, didn’t it? That’s why you won’t tell me over the phone.”

  “Yes, something happened, but everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

  And there I was again, making promises I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep. At least, not until I knew the severity of the situation.

  “Hurry, Dad, please.”

  “I am. I promise.”

  There was silence for a moment, then my little one spoke again.

  “Dad”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m scared for Mom. I’m afraid she’s hurt or something, otherwise, she’d have called or come for me by now.”

  “I’m sure your mom is fine. Just keep your phone by you, okay?”

  “Love you, Dad.”

  It killed me to hear the fear in my little girl’s voice. She was trying to be brave when I knew she was terrified, not knowing what was going on. I felt so helpless, and it was a feeling I didn’t ever want to feel again. I hung up the phone and said a quick prayer to God not to make me a liar to my daughter and ensure her mother was safe.

  Chapter 40

  Xander

  As the jet touched down, the first call I made was to Evelyn. Before I could do anything, I needed to know if my little girl was doing all right.

  “Evelyn, it’s Xander. How is Brooklyn doing?”

  “She’s apprehensive. I hadn’t realized you didn’t mention the car accident. So, when she asked if I’d heard anything about her mom, I assumed she was asking about her condition. I’m so sorry, Xander, but I fear I’ve made the situation much worse for you.”

  “Fuck.” I set my phone down, drug my hands over my face, and took in a deep breath before letting it out and reaching for the phone again. “It’s all right, Evelyn. I should have told you I was going to wait until I got there.”

  “I believe it would be best if you picked her up. Brooklyn needs you right now.”

  “Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”

  It wasn’t like this was the first time my plans hadn’t gone as I anticipated in life, but I had hoped I’d have answers before I went to see Brooklyn. It looked like that wasn’t going to be the case this time. I had planned to head directly to the hospital and get answers. Ones I wanted to be able to digest without having my daughter standing beside me. Now, thanks to Evelyn, I only hoped I could convince Brooklyn to remain at the Harper residence until I could get an update on Maddie’s condition.

  Google Maps directed me through a variation of right and left-hand turns once I exited the interstate. The traffic on I-15 took longer to navigate than I had initially hoped. A subdivision of steeply pitched roofs felt out of place amongst the sea of ranch style homes I had passed. When I pulled my car into the driveway of the white and grey Tudor style home, the door flew open, and Brooklyn ran down the walk.

  I quickly exited the vehicle and crossed over to the front lawn before dropping to my knees and opening my arms for my little angel. Her body slammed against mine, and I didn’t hesitate to envelop her in them. Her tiny body shook as I felt her tears soak my shirt.

  “Shh,” I attempted to calm her. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise.”

  Brooklyn raised her head and looked me in the eyes. “How can you promise that, Dad? Why didn’t you tell me Mom was hurt?”

  “For this exact reason, Bookworm. I wanted to be here to hold you when I told you what happened. Instead, you’ve had to wait for me to get here, and I’m sorry. I’m sure the worst thought has gone through your head, but I promise I’m going to find out what happened, okay?”

  Brooklyn nodded as she pulled out of my arms. I watched as she raised an arm and drug the back of her hand across her nose. “Can I come with you? Please?”

  “I need you to stay here with Mrs. Harper and Bridgette.”

  Her bottom lip puffed out as she shook her head. “I wanna go with you. I wanna see Mom.”

  “I know, sweetheart. But right now, I need to find the answers, and when I do, I promise, I’ll come to get you, and we’ll see Mom together.” I held out my pinky, hoping she’d link hers with mine and know that I was sincere in my words. It took her a second before she hooked my finger with hers.

  Evelyn stood in the front entrance to her home as Brooklyn and I walked up the sidewalk toward her. When we arrived at the door, my little girl brushed past her and ran into the house.

  “She’ll be staying with you, if that’s all right. At least until I can get some answers.”

  “Of course, Xander.” Evelyn wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m sorry we’re meeting for the first time under these circumstances.”

  “I’m sorry, too, but I’ve got to get going. I’ll keep you apprised as I get information.”

  I didn’t have time for idle chatter, and frankly, I didn’t give a shit if she thought I was rude by turning my back on her and walking away. Precious time was ticking away with each second spent on mindless chatter. Evelyn had no answers for me, and I had none for her. But, if it took every penny I had, I was going to get the answers I needed.

  Deputy Gerard was no help. He’d been dispatched to the accident, and upon finding the car mangled against the streetlight, he immediately called for assistance. Once the ambulance left for Temecula Valley General, Gerard headed back to the precinct to complete his paperwork. After some convincing, he’d relinquished the items he’d pulled from Maddie’s vehicle to me. Her phone was amongst them.

  As I sat in my car, I scrolled through it, trying to put the pieces together. Was she on the phone and not paying attention? Her last call had been at noon, so that couldn’t have been the issue.

  Next, I opened the calendar app, and there it was. A meeting with Elsinor Marketing Automation Inc. My head bounced back against the headrest. Last month, I’d told Maddie, if she could increase marketing for GOMC by twenty percent, I wouldn’t push her to move to New York. I’d been selfish and wanted her and Brooklyn near, and I knew if she couldn’t perform on my request, I’d have the leverage I needed to insist she relocate and turn operations of GOMC to my second in charge. The deadline was fast approaching, and she hadn’t found a single reputable source she was confident could meet her goals. She’d called last week excited that Elsinor Marketing had provided their prospectus, and she set a meeting to review it with them.

  The conference was set for noon, according to her calendar. There was no reason she should have been there more than an hour or two. I couldn’t help but somehow feel responsible for her accident. Her desperation to prove me wrong potentially forced her to stay longer than she wanted. At least, that was what I assumed had happened. Putting my car in reverse, I backed out of the parking space and headed toward the hospital.

  * * *

  “My name is Xander Livingston. I’m Maddison Hightower's fiancé.” I wasn’t above lying to get the information I needed out of the tight-lipped nurse behind the admissions desk. I began to raise my voice in frustration. “If you aren’t going to work with me on this, I’d like to speak to someone who will.”

  The mature brunette pursed her lips and glared at me briefly before inhaling and letting out an exasperated breath. “You aren’t going to go away, are you?”

  Was she seriously asking that question? I
’d been there twenty minutes pleading my case. “I most certainly am not going away, and if I do not get the information I need,” I looked at her badge, “Josie, I’ll be forced to make some calls to some vital members of your board, and you’ll be looking for a new job by morning.”

  Josie didn’t know I was full of shit, but one thing I’d learned from Malcolm was, if you’re going to bluff, do it with confidence.

  “Fine, what did you say your name was again?”

  Exasperated, I stated my name for the fifth time. As Josie backed away from the desk, I saw a doctor in teal scrubs walking toward me.

  “Did you say your name was Xander?”

  Confused by her question, I acknowledged her. “Yes. Do I know you?”

  “Josie,” she called to the admission Nazi, “I can handle this.”

  Josie eyed the blonde standing beside me. “I’ve already told him, Dr. Cates, that he’s not listed as a family member on the chart of the patient he’s inquiring about and that we can’t,” she emphasized the word, “give him any information.”

  “It’s okay, Josie.” Dr. Cates turned her attention to me. “Are you inquiring about Maddison Hightower?”

  “Yes. How did you know?”

  “Miss Hightower said your name several times when they brought her in. I was just coming back from lunch when I heard you say your name.” She smiled at me. “I took a chance, since Xander isn’t a common name, and I assumed you were here for her.”

  For the first time in ten hours, it finally felt as if something was going my way. “What can you tell me, and may I see her please?”

  I walked alongside the doctor as we made our way through the doors marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. When we reached a small vacant room, she ushered me inside and closed the door. “You can call me Gina. What do you know so far?”

  “Frankly, I know very little. I was told Maddie was in a car accident and that she was rushed here.”

  Gina frowned. “That’s not much.”

  “No ma’am, it's not. What do I need to know? Is she all right?”