by nikki blaire
Both Ayda and Dwele silently traded glances for a moment.
“Seriously, becoming CEO means that I’ll need to replace the CFO position. Who in the hell is going to want to do this job while we’re on the front page news?”
No one in their right mind.
He said to himself. His best bet was to try and convince his brother to finally join the firm, but he knew that was a long shot. Dwele wouldn’t work for the firm when things were simple. He surely wasn’t going to come running now, no matter how much Marcus needed him. He looked over at Ayda, who wasn’t even an option. He would have to pull her to the firm kicking and screaming.
“I need someone who I can trust, but that also has business acumen and will support whatever strategy and vision that Charlisse comes up with.”
“I hope you’re not thinking of asking me.” Dwele shook his head. “I’m just waiting on one of the partners to pull me into their office. I can hear everyone whispering about me.”
“Me either.” Ayda just had to add. “I can’t do it, Marc. I’ve spent my entire life avoiding that place.”
“Oh trust me. I know that neither of you would touch Forde Financials with a ten-foot pole right now.” Marcus sighed. “But I’ve gotta find someone and I’m drawing a blank.”
“Why not move someone up in the firm?”
“Who?” Marcus sighed. “I can’t think of anyone who would want to take that heat, right now. Also, I can’t trust them like I can trust family. There will be so much coming their way that I need someone as concerned about protecting our family as we are.”
“Well, what about Tremaine?
Both Ayda and Marcus abruptly turned in Dwele’s direction. Marcus wanted to scrounge up his face, but stopped short of making a disapproving expression.
“Oh hell no.” Ayda bellowed. “You’re not dragging him into this.”
“I’m not too fond of the idea either, but it’s an option.” Marcus shrugged.
“C’mon, he’s the answer to all of your problems. He knows how to do the job and he’s family.” Dwele was insistent.
“He’s not family.” Marcus swiftly corrected, but as he mulled it over, it made perfect sense.
Tremaine was already working in business development for a major company.
And he helped you get Damien as a client.
He could now admit. Still, his stomach was uneasy at the thought of propositioning a man that he had spent months being hard on.
“You don’t really have a lot of options, Marc.” Dwele cut into his thoughts.
“No, find somebody else.” Ayda was adamant. “Tremaine-”
“Is all we have.” Marcus was finally honest with himself.
He would have to put his pride aside and ask Tremaine for the sake of the firm.
“So, my opinion doesn’t matter?” Ayda rolled her eyes. “Like always.”
“Of course it matters, but we’ve gotta make decisions for everyone. Not just ourselves.” Dwele reached out to rub her shoulders.
“Besides, who even knows if he’ll say yes.” Marcus crossed his arms.
“He’ll say yes.” Ayda sighed. “It’s his dream job.”
“Even though Marc’s been a complete asshole to him?” Dwele wasn’t so easily convinced. “He’s my own brother and I wouldn’t work for him. No offense.”
“Trust me, if you talk to him. He’ll take it.” Ayda looked disappointed. “Despite everything.”
“Then it’s decided.” Marcus clasped his hands. “Can you set it up for me?” He turned to Ayda, who was clearly upset.
“Fine.” She exhaled. “But I’m doing it for him, not for you.” She poked Marcus’ chest. “And don’t make me regret it.”
Marcus closed his eyes to breathe deeply.
I hope none of us do.
Ten
Fired. Charlisse had never been fired or let go from anything ever in her life.
“How did this happen?” Charlisse asked herself again while getting dressed the next morning. She had spent all night trying to understand why Marcus, Sr. had come to this decision, but still wasn’t any closer to finding an answer.
At first, she had wanted to call Marcus Forde, Sr. back to demand more of an explanation. She knew that she deserved more than the rebuff that he had given her, but eventually she decided against it. What would have been the point? She knew nothing would come of it.
Her second thought was to call Marcus, but her gut warned her against doing that as well. What kind of crybaby did that make her? The last thing she wanted was special treatment, especially if it seemed to come simply because of her relationship with him.
Last night, Marcus had texted her to say that they needed to talk, but she never responded. She already knew what e had to say. No amount of explanation or apology would change what had happened.
"He didn't even have the decency to call." She was hurt.
She had ended their affair, but thought that Marcus had more respect for her than that. But, she must have been wrong.
Charlisse felt betrayed, but couldn’t pinpoint why her firing hurt so deeply. She had other clients and would still be paid for her work, but the sting of being let go vibrated through her body.
“Just get to their office, settle this, and move on.” She stared at herself in the mirror.
This was a clean break, which was best. Maybe that's why Marcus had done it.
Her face grew hot and tensed up, as if she was going to cry. So she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She wasn’t going to let herself cry over a man who she should not been involved with in the first place. She needed to move on from Marcus and this job.
“They’re all the same.” She sighed to herself then finished getting dressed.
Charlisse took a Lyft to Forde Financials' downtown office then strutted through the lobby as if nothing was wrong. She wore her master poker face and hoped it held up when she saw Marcus. That was her only wild card.
She walked onto the executive floor, just as her phone began to ring. She looked down to see Marcus’ name on the screen.
“Speak of the devil.” She whispered to herself, as she hit decline and then made her way to Marcus, Sr.’s office.
She didn’t want to hear any of Marcus’ last-ditch explanations.
“I’m here to see Marcus Forde, Sr.” She waited for his assistant to take her to his office.
While she waited, she tried to think of what she would say to him. She hoped to be professional, but she also didn’t trust herself enough to say anything more than a “thank you.”
“Just give him a minute, Ms. Lageaux.” His assistant smiled sweetly.
“No problem. I’m fine waiting.” Charlisse sat down in the waiting area.
She shook her head and sighed.
They’re probably having a toast at my expense.
She thought to herself, while she sat there stewing.
“You can go in now, Ms. Lageaux.” His assistant’s voice tugged her back to the present.
She stood up to go in when the scent of Marcus’ cologne hit her just before the sound of his voice.
“Charlisse, what are you doing here?” He approached her after making eye contact.
She had quickly averted his gaze, but that hadn’t been enough to give him the hint that she didn’t want to talk.
“I need to,”
“You haven’t answered my texts or my call from this morning, but you show up here?” He cut her off.
“Are we falling back into our old cat and mouse routine?” He leaned in to whisper to her.
“Marc, stop.” She put space between them. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t have time for it.”
She was curt and stern, but it was more for her than him. Marcus standing so close often caused a lapse in her judgment.
She pushed past him towards his father’s office. “It was nice working with you.”
She called over her shoulder, but his long legs brought him right back
to her in no time.
“Excuse me?” He stopped her right in front of his father’s office door. “I need to talk to you. I told my father to resign,”
“I know,” It was her turn to cut him off.
“You know?” He seemed confused, just as his father’s office door opened.
“Ah, yes, both the people that I wanted to see.” Marcus, Sr. ushered them in.
“What is this about?” Marcus decided to stand rather than sit like his father motioned.
Charlisse also chose to stand because she wanted to be as close to the exit as possible. Marcus’ feigned surprise was already getting on her nerves. She could vomit at any moment from being fed all of his crap.
“This is about the conversation that we had the other day, Marc.” His father retorted. “Where we discussed my resignation.”
Marcus, Sr. turned towards Charlisse. “I’ll give you what you want, son. I'll resign.”
He pushed a sheet of paper on his desk towards Charlisse then set a pen on top. “The media doesn’t need to add a tit for tat between you and I to its list of headlines about me.”
This is about our conversation the other day.
Hearing this made her anger flare, although she remained calm on the outside. All that she had asked of Marcus and his father was for them to be honest with her. His father had failed miserably, but she had higher expectations of Marcus. She had seen a sliver of decency in him.
“Excuse me, whatever conversation the two of you had can stay between the two of you.” Charlisse’s emotions spoke for her.
“I don’t need to know anymore about what you discussed. Let’s not belabor this point. I’m fine with ending our contract.”
She moved forward to sign the paper on Marcus, Sr.’s desk, but Marcus held out his hand to stop her. “End your contract? What is this about?”
Marcus turned to her with a pained expression.
“Very simple, son. Her, in exchange for my resignation.” Marcus, Sr. glared at them both.
“Excuse me?” Charlisse whipped her head around to the old man then turned to Marcus. “What? Is that what you discussed yesterday?”
She was sure that she could not have heard him correctly.
“I’m not some object to bartered, Mr. Forde. Not for you, Marc. Not for anyone.”
“You piece of shit,” Marcus suddenly roared. “I told you to resign, that’s it. And you couldn’t even take that like a man.”
Marcus moved in front of Charlisse, almost lunging at his father over the table.
“You threatened me like you forgot who the hell I am!” His father blared back. “You don’t threaten me without consequences, boy, and you know that.”
“Hey, stop it.” Charlisse couldn’t believe what she was witnessing.
This was not anything that she expected. Marcus' father was a more treacherous individual than she ever imagined.
“Marc, it’s fine.” She scribbled her name on the paper. “It’s fine. Really. None of this is worth it.”
Her chest heaved as she thrust the paper in Marcus, Sr.’s face. “Take it. I’m leaving.”
“No, hell no.” Marcus fumed.
“You don’t get to fuck me, Marc. I fuck you. So, you want your resignation, fine. But she’s gone and I dare you to try and hire her back.” His father’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t think anybody would take too kindly to you fucking your crisis manager.”
Marcus, Sr. spat the words out like chewed tobacco. “I also don’t think her career could take that hit either.”
Charlisse’s heart dropped. As far as she knew, her and Marcus’ affair was between them only. Hearing it repeated out loud by his father crushed her. She had worked for a decade to become who she was - Charlisse Lageaux, crisis manager extraordinaire. The best.
Now, all of her hard work was on the verge of being washed away because she had to have Marcus Forde, Jr. just one more time. Revulsion at her own behavior consumed her.
“Excuse me.” She felt vomit rising in her throat.
She pushed her way out of the room to the nearest bathroom then let go of her stomach’s contents in the closest toilet bowl.
“Charlisse.” She heard Marcus’ voice calling out to her, while she kneeled down in the stall.
“Go away.” She yelled back, while she wiped her face.
“I’m not going away.” His feet stopped in front of her stall. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay, Marc. None of this is okay.”
She needed to get out of here. She was breaking down, but couldn’t do it in this building.
“But I will be.” She stood up, straightened her dress, and then grabbed her purse.
Charlisse opened the door and stepped out, running right into him.
“I’m sorry.” He held onto her, but let her go once she tried to wriggle free of him.
“We’re both to blame.” She walked over to the sink to check herself in the mirror. “I knew not to do it, but I did.”
They stood in silence for a moment, while he watched her, but Charlisse refused to make eye contact.
“I didn’t tell him. He just guessed.” Marcus confessed. “I could have denied it, but I didn’t think...”
“About me. Yes, you didn’t and that’s okay. I shouldn’t have expected you to.”
“Charlisse, I need you. I care about you.”
“Yea.” She shrugged her shoulders.
She couldn’t believe him. She had to stop letting herself get so caught up in him.
“And maybe this is good for us. I mean, if you’re not working here then there can really be an us…”
That statement made Charlisse’s skin prickly. She spun around to him and reached for the closest thing to her. She grabbed a wad of paper towels and tossed them at him.
“That’s all you’re thinking about right now, Marc? How this is good because we can have sex?”
“I didn’t say sex. I said “us.” He took steps towards her, but she just kept throwing the paper towels at him.
“No, Marc. Absolutely not. Stay away from me.” She moved out of his proximity and made a beeline for the exit.
“Stay the hell away from me.” She called over her shoulder again before charging out.
*****
“Congratulations, Marc!” His siblings and his mother lifted glasses in the air to toast to him around the family dining room table.
But the moment was more solemn than celebratory for Marcus. This was far from how he envisioned taking over his father’s financial empire. He had always imagined a moving speech at his father’s retirement party with a gracious “passing of the torch.”
His wildest nightmares could have never predicted the treachery that had taken place for him to assume his new title of CEO of Forde Financials, Inc.
His father wasn’t even here to celebrate with him and neither was the person who had risked her career to get him here...Charlisse.
Marcus was still fixated on Charlisse’s face when she stormed out of the bathroom after he had tried to comfort her. The key word was “tried” because everything that he had said seemed to make things worse.
His father blackmailing the two of them in exchange for his resignation was the lowest blow that he could have ever given to Marcus. Doing something to hurt him was something that he could handle, but he could not handle anything that hurt Charlisse.
“No speech, Marc?” His brother Dwele nudged him, as they sat around the table for dinner,.
Marcus just shook his head no. His family only knew that his father had resigned and he wanted it to stay that way. Charlisse’s reputation had been through enough. There was no need to drag her name through another telling of what happened.
“What? The incredibly obnoxious and arrogant Marc Forde, doesn’t want to gloat about his success? I’m shocked.” Ayda chided him, but even his sister couldn’t get under his skin.
He was too sullen to care.
“C’mon Ayda, let the man j
ust have his moment.” Tremaine chimed in then turned to Marcus.
“I know this may not be the perfect moment for you, man, but we’re all still proud of you. I’m sure there are some big things ahead.”
He raised his glass one more time. Everyone joined in with another round on congratulations then settled in for dinner.
“Thanks, Tremaine.” Marcus tone was genuinely sincere.
His words had hit the nail on the head and he was slightly shocked that someone who was not close to him could read between the lines of his detached mood.
It was even more of a reason for Marcus to approach Tremaine about being his new CFO. He just needed a moment alone to do it.
“Well, I’m very happy for you, son. This has been a rough time for all of us, but you have been strong for each of us. Especially, me.”
His mother eyed him. He watched as her eyes began to glisten with tears. He knew that she would not let any fall in front of everyone.
Marcus' heart ached for her because she had lost the most out of all of them. And Marcus couldn’t fix that for her either.
“How?” He found himself saying.
Everyone was praising him, but he just didn’t see it. He had failed. He had let himself be fooled and now they were all paying for it.
“You’re giving us all a new beginning. That’s how.” Claudette smiled.
“All of us, including me, have tip-toed around your father for years. I let things happen out of simply not wanting to deal with it. His cheating, his never spending time with you all. I could have put a stop to it a long time, but I dove into motherhood and keeping up my end of the bargain,”
Claudette’s voice cracked just a little. “But now, we can all move forward. We can move on. We can live out our dreams and not just the ones he had for us.”
“Does that mean you’re getting a divorce?” Ayda asked, but their mother just shrugged.
“My attorney says that it takes time, so I’m going to wait until all of this blows over. Marc doesn’t need any additional bad press.”
“I don’t want you holding up anything because of bad press for me. He’s given us more than our fair share. I think a divorce is good press, shit.” Marcus grumbled, still angry with himself.
