Page 43 of The Merger

Not long after, the employees who’d been meeting with Sabrina started filtering in, at least the ones who had been deemed redundant or of being less qualified than their assistants, who all happened to be women. When I tried to instruct, in a nicer tone, Mrs. Bennett to keep them from barging into my office, I found her hiding in the supply closet again. Apparently she was also afraid of most of the junior executives.

I’d turned back to the report I’d been emailed this morning by one of the accountants at Anderson Global. Aaron Roberts and his team had been tasked with reviewing the financial reports from each department of Easton Corporation. I was still pouring through the findings, but it appeared there were a few departments operating at a loss. Given Maxwell’s incompetence and poor staffing, that wasn’t a surprise.

I was double checking the report to make sure it was accurate before I called a meeting with Jana when my door opened. “I said not to bother me,” I shouted.

I didn’t care if my outburst sent Mrs. Bennett back into the closet, but I needed to focus. If there was any hope of turning this company around I had to figure out what drove those departments into the ground in the first place.

I didn’t have time to spare a second to look up, but I could still feel a presence lurking in the doorway. If another employee came to justify Maxwell’s management of this company I was going to lose my shit. “For fuck’s sake, I don’t have time for a bunch of bumbling fools bothering me every few minutes!”

“Starve then. I’m getting lunch.” My heart lurched into my throat, and I hesitated too long before I chased after her.

By the time I got my ass in gear the elevator was already on the way down. She would come back. She had to. Knowing that didn’t temper the surge of rage racing through me. I grabbed one of the decorations Maxwell had left behind, and threw it against the wall. It was a useless glass globe. It shattered on impact, littering the floor with shards of glass.

I pressed the button for the intercom. If Mrs. Bennett was hiding again, so help me I was going to fire her along with Maxwell’s boy's club that was getting the boot today.

“M-Mr. Lawson, did you need something?”

“Get someone in here to clean up some broken glass. I’m heading out for a bit. If Ms. Lake returns, I want to be called on my cell immediately.” My tone was still hostile, but I was never great at policing my tone. Perhaps I’d have to learn, but not until I apologized to Sabrina.

“Of course, right away, sir.”

I stifled a groan, which was progress. Maybe I’d have to find a replacement for her anyway. I certainly couldn’t handle her vacillating between cowering and fawning over me. Grabbing my jacket off the hook by the door, I did what I should have done when Sabrina walked in, followed right after her. I just had to find where she was.

I tried her cell, but it went straight to voicemail. Then I tried the hotel, but no one had seen her. I hadn’t given her a key, so going to my room would be a waste of time. Inside I was panicking, but I forced myself to calm down. This wasn’t like before. She wasn’t going to leave and forget me, not again.

Trusting someone for me was hard. The only person whom I’d ever given my trust to freely was my mother. Caroline worked hard to earn it, and I’d eventually let her in as well. Until now, I hadn’t given much thought about the fact I didn’t trust Sabrina. Not that she’d purposefully betrayed me, but pain was pain. I was hurt when she forgot about me, and I kept expecting the same thing to happen again. It would take time to move beyond that, but she’d have to stop running from me as well.

It hit me then and literally stopped me in my tracks. She would have to choose to come to me. I couldn’t chase her down, if I did, I’d be one step further away from trusting what we were trying to build.

Resolved, I decided to drop in on Jana at Anderson Global. The rain was coming down hard, more than the usual spring drizzle. I pushed the button for the garage rather than the lobby and decided to take my car the few blocks to their office. The traffic was thick and it wasn’t even rush hour yet. What should have taken less than five minutes ended up taking nearly twenty by the time I made it to the elevator.

When I made it up to the executive floor Beckett Anderson was waiting for me. “I saw you on the camera,” he said and extended his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

I shook his hand. “It’s either all true or total bullshit. Depends on whether Jana talked about me or Colter.”

Beckett laughed. “It was Jana mostly. When Colter filled me in he sounded like a jealous husband. He did say you and your brother don’t get along, which was a solid recommendation if I’ve ever heard one.”

I knew my brother was not popular in many social circles, but I hadn’t realized he was hated. “I know why I don’t like my brother, but what about you?”

He shrugged. “He’s a lot younger than me. It isn’t like we went to school together, but I’ve seen him around enough to know he’s sleazy. Then there was the whole thing with Colter’s sister.”

My fists clenched. Beck took note of the change in my posture and shook his head. “Not Sabrina. Their half-sister, Waverly.”

I relaxed, but I wanted more information. This was a bit more than what Sabrina had told me, and I got the feeling it was because Colter had kept it from her. “What exactly happened that has both you and Colter against him? Don’t get me wrong, my brother is a dog, but he and Waverly seemed pretty friendly the other night.”

“Spell it out for me,” he said in a low tone.

I shuddered as the mental image came back to me. Bad relationship or not, there are some things you should not catch your younger brother doing. “Mal had Waverly bent over the couch drilling her from behind. Sabrina went in ahead of me, but we didn’t linger. We spent the rest of the weekend in my suite.”

His posture had gone rigid. I narrowed my eyes studying him. I could be wrong, but he didn’t seem like the type of man to be this upset over his best friend’s sister hooking up with a bad guy.

“I’m missing something here. Why don’t you fill me in?”

He raked his hand through his dark blond hair, messing it up. “They dated years ago when Waverly was about eighteen and Malcolm was in his early twenties. Neither of them were faithful.”

I nodded. “I heard this part.”

His next words confirmed that Sabrina didn’t have all the details. “Well, there are things that Sabrina doesn’t know. Colter lost his shit when he heard. Waverly is manipulative, and he always believed her. This time though, he had seen for himself that she’d moved on to some other guy. He didn’t like her behavior, which meant he was less likely to indulge her the way he always has.”