Page 85 of See You Maybe

“Olivia,” Cecile continued. “You’ve been with Armstrong for twelve years. In that time, you’ve risen from project manager to CFO. Some of your colleagues credit you as responsible for the growth of the company over the last six. Specifically, the XEROS program.”

Stuart.

“I certainly can’t take all the credit. One of the wonderful things about Armstrong is we have so many long-term employees. They’re loyal.” She put an extra emphasis on the word. “I didn’t develop XEROS. That credit belongs with Stuart and his team. He brought me a prospectus, and I saw future value in it. All I did was find the funding to put an infrastructure in place so XEROS reached its full potential.”

“Your method of funding put the ownership of Armstrong in a precarious position, which ultimately led to where we are today. What was your basis for that decision?” Declan challenged.

“It’s been suggested the decision wasn’t one you favored, but one the board insisted on,” Cecile added.

Olivia wasn’t sure why the woman was trying to help her, but the dark glare Declan turned on Cecile made it clear he wasn’t happy about it. Cecile didn’t even flinch.

“It’s true that it wasn’t my first choice. However, at the time, we didn’t have a prototype, and without one, the more traditional lenders wouldn’t touch us. Without a significant influx of cash, Armstrong couldn’t afford to acquire the space or equipment, nor hire the technicians we needed, to make a prototype. That was the fundamental basis of my decision.”

“Why not approach a venture capitalist?” Declan asked.

Olivia saw in his eyes he already knew the answer. Was he looking to see if she would throw Richard under the bus? “A venture capitalist would have wanted a majority share for the amount of money we needed. The core Armstrong family would have lost control of their company. The board thought, by offering small amounts of shares to extended Armstrong family members, we could raise the money we required, without lessening the ownership position. There was a risk they would band together as a power play, but it was unlikely.” Until you.

“Do you stand behind the decision?”

“I’m the CFO,” Olivia’s voice was firm, and she matched his cool stare. “It was my risk analysis that led to the decision, and I stand behind the information we had at the time.”

It was an answer without being an answer. Pointing fingers now was a waste of time. Cecile gave a brief nod and wrote something on the paper in front of her.

Olivia curled her toes to keep from fidgeting and concentrated on keeping her hands relaxed in her lap. Seconds ticked by as Declan studied her. After almost a full minute of the standoff, Olivia’s irritation got the better of her, and she lifted her chin slightly.

Declan’s lips lifted in what looked like a genuine smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Olivia.”

That’s it?

“I’d like to talk about the other employees?—”

He gave a slight shake of his head. “That’s a subject for another day.”

Olivia bit her lip to stop herself from arguing.

“I’ll be taking over Kyle Armstrong’s office.” He glanced at Cecile. “Put Olivia down for Monday.” His eyes returned to her. “Bring your current financials.”

“You have them already.”

He lifted a brow. “Not the creative ones.”

Olivia could tell Declan thought he was going to catch her off guard with the request, but she had been working on the more detailed reports since the failed sale the day before. “Of course. Would you like them today, so you have time to review them before our meeting?”

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at the startled look on his face.

Declan might think he’d won, but he was wrong.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Atlanta—Present Day

Surprisingly, despite the numerous angry messages Olivia received from Jessica over the weekend, and her nerves over meeting with Declan on Monday, Olivia slept better over the weekend than she had in months.

The disastrous meeting with Jessica before Christmas, and her parents’ unpleasantness when she’d cancelled plans the night of her headache, followed by the conversation with Declan in the park had flipped a switch in her. Olivia was done worrying about how other people felt about what she did. She had a job to do, and that was what she would focus on.

“How could you do this to us, Olivia?” Jessica’s voice had vibrated with hurt when Olivia answered the phone Friday, after leaving her meeting with Declan and Cecile.

“I didn’t do anything. I was blindsided, along with everyone else.”