by Adair Rymer
What did I do to drive her away?
I let the letter slip from my shaking hands. I was a torrent of emotion. I didn't know how to handle this. After my parents deaths I had trained myself to avoid attachment so I would never have to feel this kind of loss. Despite our short time together, I cared about Claire and that wasn't an easy emotion for me. I didn't want to end things like this.
I refused to let us end this way!
I immediately started scrolling my phone for her number. The silly thumbnail Claire had set for her contact image gave me pause. My thumb hovered over a picture of her being goofy. I had to call her.
Please give me the space I need to do this.
Damn it!
I tried to push her words out of my head. It didn't work. I decided against the call and slumped against the counter, then let gravity drag me to the floor. I cleared the phone function and browsed the pictures we'd taken instead.
We had done so much together in the past few weeks. I had shown her my favorite restaurants and scenery across the globe. We practically lived on my jet. Every place we visited had dulled for me over the years, but Claire had a way of reinvigorating them and finding new beauty that I had somehow missed.
My phone buzzed. Bianca's name invaded my screen, covering the pictures of Claire. Bianca wasn't on social media and had never sent me any pictures of herself so her contact image stayed the default empty silhouette. It was such a sharp contrast to my picture of Claire who was just about to take a monster bite of cake. It made my heart ache.
I rejected the call; I didn't want reality to steal my moment of reflection. Nothing was more important to me than seeing Claire's face.
Having someone to experience life with was an indescribable experience. Before Claire, I was always looking for the next, newest adrenaline kick; the high that would distract me for a little while longer. But with her, things slowed down. It felt like I could take the time to enjoy each experience, not just rush through them.
My surroundings weren't all that different than before I met her, but with Claire at my side everything seemed to have a sudden depth to it. It felt like my entire life had been lived in black and white, and Claire was this rich paint that added vibrant color to my world.
Had I suffocated her with my lifestyle?
My resolve broke and I called Claire. The need to know what happened was overwhelming. I was a junkie jonesing for a fix. Maybe there was something I could do. She'd never let me pay off her debt or take care of her bills but there had to be something I could do. What was the point of having all this money if it didn't fix my problems?
Bianca buzzed in again, her placeholder image wiggled impatiently. I switched my call to her when it looked like Claire wasn't going to pick up.
“What?” I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
“Fly back here now,” Bianca stated, in her typically deliberate tone. She wasn't put off at all by my outburst but there was definitely something off about her voice. If she was calm seawater then there were swirling, angry sharks just beneath her surface.
“Why?”
“The Board just fired me,” her voice finally cracked, not with sadness but with barely controlled rage. Bianca's calm water had turned red with blood and was beginning to boil. “I'm heading to the office now. Hurry up.”
Fired? That's insane! Who the hell did they think would be better at running the company than Bianca?
“Shit.” I couldn't wallow over Claire any longer, I had to find out what was going on. I didn't know what I could do but I wanted to help my sister any way I could. “On my way.”
I was already moving when she ended the call. I almost felt bad for the poor bastard they were replacing her with. Bianca wasn't the type that gave up without a fight. She was going to rip the Board Members to shreds.
It wasn't going to be a conversation or even a confrontation, it was going to be a goddamn feeding frenzy.
Chapter 7
Maynard
“Enjoy your throne, little brother.” Bianca's voice was broken glass, as she stormed past me toward the elevator.
I was still in Chicago when she called me. I had to fly halfway across the country to get here. Needless to say, I had arrived at our corporate headquarters much later than Bianca had.
“Wait, what? Bianca!” I reached out to her, but she ignored me. She was already on her phone, probably with her lawyers.
My throne?
What the hell was she talking about? I thought about going after her but quickly decided against it. No one forces Bianca to do anything. If she didn't want to talk to me, there was fuck-all I could do to change her mind.
Bianca and I have grown a little closer these past few weeks as I've been stepping up and taking more company responsibility. It was a new dynamic to our relationship that neither of us were familiar with.
Bianca was several years older than me, so after our parents died she tried her best to fill that role and take care of me. I was a selfish hellion of a kid who never made it easy for her. When I turned eighteen I inherited the hotel and escaped to cause as much trouble as possible. It was only very recently that our relationship had even started to mend.
And that was all because of Claire...
Fuck! I suppressed another swell of emotion and forced myself to concentrate. One problem at a time. I threw open both massive oak doors of the boardroom. Time to find out what was going on.
The conversations in the room died off with my entrance. I eyed the large full meeting room of people, wearing an expression that demanded answers. There were two dozen people in the room. There were also about half that in faces on monitors from the Board Members and shareholders that couldn't be here in person.
The mood was dour and the discomfort that hung in the air was thick enough to fog a window. Everyone was frazzled and exhausted, some of the men had even been brought to tears. It looked like Bianca really put them through the ringer.
Good, I thought. That's what they get for messing with our family's business. I was disappointed that I missed it.
“Congratulations to the new CEO of Cooper Corp,” Anthony's voice slithered out from beside the main doorway. His tone had diffused some of the room's residual dread that Bianca had left in her wake.
“What?” My disbelief was drowned out in the growing applause from everyone that was present.
Did they actually want me to run the company? I didn't know shit about business. Hell, I'd never even been to college.
This must have been what Bianca meant. Shit, did she think I stole her company from her? I had nothing to do with this dog and pony show. I needed to talk to her as quickly as possible and sort all this out.
Several servers walked in behind me pushing small carts that held a variety of alcohol. It would have been obscenely tasteless to have them waiting around the room as Bianca was fired. The mood in the room started to rise as they began pouring celebratory drinks for everyone. I waved mine off. I didn't feel like rejoicing.
This was all so abrupt and fucked up. This whole day felt like I had woken up in a parallel dimension where everything I knew had been turned on its head.
I glanced around until I found the source of the announcer’s voice. Anthony leaned against the wall next to one of the more attractive shareholders. He must have been chatting with the rich brunette before I walked in.
Why was Anthony even here?
How could he know about this before me? I knew he wasn't a Board Member, that would be a conflict of interest because of the company he owned. He must be a shareholder. Cooper Corp, like Anthony's company, was publicly traded. That meant anyone could buy shares.
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked loudly when the roar of the crowd diminished.
“The public loves a redemption story, that's what.” Anthony winked at the girl then broke off toward me. “You know what kind of headlines your Christmas stunt has pulled? 'Billionaire socialite has change of heart. Donates millions. Returns home to save his co
mpany and honor his philanthropist parents.'”
He wasn't lying. I'd seen the bold print in articles online and now I wished I hadn't. In this context, shame had replaced the pride those headlines had filled me with earlier. For as glad as I was to have the public boost that wasn't my goal at the time.
“Fuck, man!” Anthony grunted with satisfaction. He slung an arm around me, spreading out the other before us in a wide arc to emphasize the good news. “You can't buy that kind of good PR.”
“It wasn't a publicity stunt. I was in a position to help, so I helped.” My eyes narrowed in response. Anthony had a way of making everything feel sleazy, even donation. Claire showed me my potential and that made me want to make a genuine difference, so I fucking did.
It was as simple as that.
“Oh, that is perfect, man!” Anthony patted me on the chest. “Do it just like that when the reporters ask you. Do that look too! That insulted, how-dare-you look is money, Mayday. Did you practice that?”
“Get the fuck off me.” I shoved Anthony back. His excitement was nauseating. How could I ever have been friends with someone like him? Were we ever so similar that I thought this was ok?
“I haven't agreed to a goddamn thing yet.” I was still talking to Anthony but I stated it loudly enough to be easily overheard.
I didn't ask for this and I sure as hell didn't want it. Maybe in ten years I'd think about taking over but not now. I didn't have a tenth the business savvy or technical know-how that Bianca did.
While I spent the better part of a decade seeing how fucked up I could get, Bianca threw herself into our parents shoes and kept our company from being bought up by vultures who would've dismantled everything. Thousands of good, hard-working people had stable careers because of her.
It would be unfair to ask you to wait for me. Claire's voice abruptly pierced me, derailing all the other things that were going on. What did that mean? Was there hope for us to get back together?
If she was done with me wouldn't she just say that?
“Maynard.” Anthony repeated, finally securing my attention. “I'm telling you this as your friend. Bianca is out. You need to step up.”
My friend? I couldn't tell how sincere it was, but after our last encounter I wasn't sure we'd ever be friends again.
With Claire gone, I never realized how few friends I actually had. Pangs of loneliness reverberated through me. I used to fill that emptiness with pussy and other fun mistakes, but even that felt hollow now.
There was a growing pit in my stomach and it showed no signs of going away any time soon.
“Look around, man.” Anthony continued. His tone was much quieter, reverent even. His gaze filled with hesitant concern as he searched out someone in the crowd behind us. “All these guys care about is the bottom line. If you don't take this position then there won't be any Coopers left to run the family business.”
I surveyed the room of disconnected, wealthy shareholders more closely this time. They clinked glasses and passed around cigars talking mostly amongst themselves. The celebratory atmosphere was quickly changing to one of skeptical wariness as opinions on what I just said made their way across the room. More and more sets of eyes were furtively glancing my way.
What if Anthony was right?
I had barely skimmed the company's bylaws, I had no idea how quickly a new CEO could be assigned after the old one was voted out. I hadn't even officially accepted the position yet. I didn't want to even do that much.
The last time I'd been in this room was with my father when I was just a kid. It might have been the childhood filter I saw everything through but looking around, it struck me that none of the faces were familiar.
Choose your friends and allies well. Take care of the people that support you and they will take care of you. That was what my father told me after he introduced me to everyone.
He was very meticulous when he vetted high ranking people in his company. Where had those Board Members gone?
When had everything changed? I didn't know any of these people.
“Well then, Maynard,” A tall, elderly man with thick-rimmed glasses called to me. He was the only person in the room that looked even remotely familiar. The ancient man broke from the crowd and casually made his way over. “What's it going to be, Son? Will you take the position?”
I'm not your son, old man.
“Who are you?” I asked, keeping myself in check. For this man to be the first and only one to talk to me, aside from Anthony, I knew that he had to be someone that everyone else rallied behind. He was probably the man that encouraged the shareholders to vote out my sister.
If I struck him in his sunken, bony face right now, would his head turn to dust?
“My apologies.” The man extended a hand and Anthony respectfully withdrew. “I'm Adam Boniello, CFO. We met a long, long time ago.”
“CFO? You oversee the finances then.” I remembered him now. I couldn't recall his position back then but it was nothing nearly as lofty as chief financial officer. I was curious how he'd risen so high in such a short time. “Did Bianca appoint you?”
“Oh, no.” The wiry man chuckled in the same way that you might correct a small child when they asked if the moon was made of cheese. “We updated those archaic bylaws in the interim between your parents' death and when Bianca took over.”
I'd forgotten all about that.
Bianca had to wait a full year before she could legally take the company. She had to fight tooth and nail for it, too; several Board Members tried to keep her out. During that year someone else was voted in as president. I got the feeling that a lot of things in Cooper Corp changed that year when no one was looking. That soured my mood even further.
Fucking vultures.
“Why me over my sister?” I studied Adam's face, looking for little tells that could give me an edge. I didn't trust anyone in the room. Beneath the strained pleasantries was an unmistakable tenseness. I felt like a lone hunter that had run afoul of a large pack of wolves.
“Bianca was a vision, to be sure, but growth under her leadership has unfortunately stagnated.” Adam was smooth. I was sure of it now, he had to be this corporate pack's alpha.
“What are you talking about? She's steadily made us more profit every year than the one previous. She's brought our family's company further than my parents ever did.”
“That is all well and good,” He waved a dismissive hand as if yearly net gain wasn't nearly enough. “But that pales in comparison to what you've done in the short time since you've returned. You have doubled the value of our stock with just a speech. Frankly, you're much more charismatic than your sister and that fun figurehead is exactly what will usher our brand into this new digital age.”
“She has far more experience than I do.”
“That's what we're here for.” Adam placed a fatherly hand on my shoulder. It made my suit jacket itch. “Let us do our job. What do you say? Will you join us in our bold new future?”
He extended his hand again. I watched Adam's thin lips spread in what he hoped was a disarming smile. It wasn't, but that didn't seem to matter to anyone else. Everyone in the room, including those who viewed us through their monitors as proxy, was at rapt attention. In that moment, a pin drop would prove deafening.
Would the last Cooper heir accept control over his family company?
I exhaled, thinking the offer over. These people kicked out my sister and wanted to install me as some impotent, puppet king while they shaped our parents' company to their whim. A moral man would turn down the position and probably even spit in Adam's sallow face.
It was an affront to everything Claire helped me uncover about myself. I wanted to be a better man. This felt like a gigantic step in the wrong direction, but even I knew that I would never be able to make things right from the outside.
Since I've known you, you have grown so much as a person and as a part of your family's company. Thoughts of Claire hovered around the periphery of my mind and heart.
I was glad Claire and my parents couldn't see what I had become. Even having the best intentions at heart, I felt like I had already betrayed their faith in me.
Thank you for being... you. Claire's voice cooed in my mind, damning me.
I was a selfish, socialite mess before I met Claire and during our brief time together I was getting a sense of the good person I could be. But who was I now?
I hovered on the edge of the most responsibility of my life and she was gone.
“I'll do it,” I said. “On the one condition that we continue with the charity foundation.”
“Of course.” The old man's crooked smile filled my throat and stomach with gravelly tar. It took every ounce of restraint not to crush his spotted, porcelain fingers when I shook the old devil's hand. “Philanthropy is very important to all of us here.”
Most people would be elated to become the president of a massive conglomerate. Not me.
Today was the worst day in my adult life.
Chapter 8
Claire
For such a densely-packed city it was easy to feel alone.
Whoever said no man is an island had never ridden the subway in this city. Aside from sparse conversations on the phone or with their companions, very few people acknowledged each other. I wasn't looking for a new BFF, but even a nothing-conversation would've been nice right about now.
I pushed through one of those full-height toothy-metal subway turnstiles as quickly as possible. Of all the things I've had to adjust to, these things freaked me out the most. They reminded me of revolving doors from hell. I always felt like suddenly it might reverse direction and chomp me to bits.
The hardest part so far had been ignoring Maynard's calls and texts. I wasn't ready for it yet. I knew that if I engaged him online or over the phone I would immediately crumble and fall right back into his arms.
I just needed some more time to get my head straight.
