Divinely Living (Surviving Series)

by Courtney Cross

  I eased myself from Jonah’s strong arm and gritted my teeth. “My name is Ava and Alex’s passing has only proved difficult due to the shit he’s piled on me to deal with. If you were expecting a distraught step-daughter, Mason, then I’m afraid I will disappoint you. I’m glad that man’s dead. What I’m not happy about is he left me with this awful damn mess to clean up before I say goodbye to the asshole forever and move on with my life.”

  Mason stared at me, his face stunned. Pure admiration seeped into his eyes as he smiled broadly. Jonah smirked down at me, I could see the pride swell in his chest as it expanded fully, his hand squeezed mine and his brow arched while he slightly shook his head in amusement. I grinned back, amazed at how much calmer I was beginning to feel. Fuck Alex, fuck his company and I didn’t care who knew it. The two other men, who stood beside Mason when we entered, made their way towards us, their faces holding none of the warmness their colleague had. Jonah’s arm immediately found my waist as he tugged me slightly behind him in a protective move as they approached. The tallest and oldest looking of the two stopped directly in front of me, his eyes were cold and his stance tense. I straightened at Jonah’s side, determined not to feel threatened by the icy stares both men were throwing me.

  Sensing the growing tension, Mason turned to face his colleagues. “Gentlemen, you are both more then aware of Miss Matthews’s position here and will grant her the respect that position deserves.” His eyes held mine as he continued. “Anyone who fails to do so will be escorted from the building immediately. Am I being clear enough for you?”

  “You have no authority here, Carter. We’ve tolerated your ideas of grandeur since Alex died, at best. Now the CEO as arrived to face up to her responsibilities at last, you can go back to your usual position which is just the same of the rest of us.”

  Jonah’s low growl mirrored the anger boiling within me. Placing a hand on his arm, I took a step closer to the man stood in front of me who had just spoken and pinned him with my deadliest glare. “I don’t want to be here or be the CEO of this company anymore than you want me, gentlemen, but believe me when I say that I’m more then prepared to face up to my responsibilities within this company, starting with deciding just how important each board member and share holder actually are to this business. I’m ready to dispose of any old baggage that is no longer needed or I feel is of no further use to A.M Enterprises as it moves forward.”

  A low chuckle escaped Mason’s lips as he shook his head. The other two men, predominantly the taller of the two still invading my personal space, let their jaws drop at my statement and looked taken aback. I was past allowing suited, power driven men, dictate to me or attempt to dominate my life. I was no longer the weak, broken teenager I had been the last time I was in Chicago. The future I craved was within my grasp and nothing and no one was about to take that from me.

  “You heard the lady,” Jonah said firmly. “I suggest you tread carefully gentlemen. As much as your support would be gratefully received, my wife to be is more than capable of dealing with all matters at hand without any one of you. None of you are surplus to requirements just yet but needs change on a daily basis and I’d warn you to bear that in mind.”

  “You have no idea what you’re taking on here, Miss Matthews. Alex must have been out of his goddamn mind appointing a, barely twenty year old woman, with a commanding position within a company of this magnitude. I only hope his lack of judgement proves to be a good one, although from first impressions, I highly doubt that.”

  The shorter and bulkier of the two, who was visibly irritated by my words, spat out his tirade before turning on his polished heels and disappearing through a door to our right. His colleague followed immediately in silence and without a second look in my direction. I sank against Jonah, my first confrontation already taking its toll and one undoubtedly of many to come before the day was over. Mason’s brown eyes shone with unknown emotions though admiration was still plastered across his tanned face. I searched every crevice of my brain to find a memory he was part of but found none. Pushing the curious feeling of familiarity I felt towards him aside, I was rapidly realising he may be my only ally apart from Jonah, attending the meeting today which made him valuable. I had the sinking feeling I would need every ounce of support and help I could get; the moment I stepped foot into the meeting room and the vultures began to swarm in.

  “Thank you Mason, your support is greatly appreciated,” I said meaningfully. “I get the feeling that those attending this meeting are now sat sharpening their claws and are preparing to rip me apart.”

  “None of the assholes in there will get anywhere near you.” Jonah lifted my chin as he spoke. “Stay to your plan, Ava. You give them a few hours of your time, make your intentions clear, then we leave.” He ran his fingertips across my cheek. “I’m so proud of you, baby. You’re quite formidable when you’re pissed.”

  “I don’t feel formidable,” I sighed. “This isn’t me, Jonah. Being here goes against everything I believe in or want. I swear that jerk is laughing is evil ass off at me right now.”

  “You will be the one having the last laugh sweetheart I promise you. Just a few more hours, Ava and you’re free of this.” Jonah kissed my forehead then released me. Taking my hand in his, he nodded at Mason who was watching us intently. “She’s ready, Mason. Let’s get this over with.”

  Mason smiled and his gestured with his hand to follow him down the corridor, which the two men had disappeared into previously. Half way down, he stopped suddenly at a door to his right but turned to face me before he reached for the handle.

  “I’ll support and guide you to the best of my ability, Ava on one condition.”

  My eyes widened. I wasn’t in the mood to make deals but the humour tugging at his mouth raised my curiosity.

  “Oh, and what condition would that be, Mr Carter?”

  A full blown grin lit up his face and his eyes shone wickedly. “Give the bastards hell.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Mason,” Jonah chuckled, as Mason reached for the handle. “Hell is Ava’s middle name. It’s one of her most special qualities.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The door opened and my heart stopped. I froze. Every hair on my neck stood to attention and trepidation prickled my skin. Holy fuck, I cursed, what the fuck, am I doing here? The room before me was enormous, packed with scowling suits sat in high backed leather chairs, and the tension bouncing between the four walls was so palpable you could almost taste it. But it was the face in front of me hanging from the far wall that spread ice through my veins and made my body shake involuntarily. Every ounce of blood dripped from my face, breathing was almost impossible as the enormity of who was facing me shook me from head to feet. A portrait of my rapist, tormentor and the man partly responsible for my mother’s death hung before me like a colossal punch to the face and a knife thrust straight through my stomach. Those cold, blank brown eyes ripped into me, the sneer of the vicious thin lips that nipped and bit at my face and body struck fear into my core. Closing my eyes, I could still envision that face twisted in violence as he scratched, slapped and clawed at me while I begged him to stop. My muffled screams for help as he pinned me to the bed and violated me rang loudly in my ears and the stench of tobacco and alcohol invaded my nostrils sending waves of nausea into my core. My hand flew to my mouth, cutting off a cry of fear and desperation. Alexander Matthews was before me in all his torturous glory and all courage left me as the need to run gripped me. Every face in the room gaped at me as I unravelled before their eyes. Jonah’s eyes flew to the portrait then his face darkened. Clasping my upper arms, he pulled me against his chest and held me with brute force.

  “Get that mother fucking portrait out of here now,” he ordered loudly. “Get it out of here before I start ripping this fucking room, and everyone sat in it apart limb by limb and with my own bare hands.”

  “It will be my pleasure to remove that bastard for good,” I faintly heard Mason growl beside me. Peering up
from Jonah’s chest, I saw him stalk his way through the meeting room and pull the portrait down with a hard tug that practically ripped it from the wall. Lowering my head, I inhaled cleansing breaths of Jonah’s masculine scent furiously, in an attempt to steady my racing imagination and the torturous memories quickly engulfing me.

  “They did this on purpose,” I whispered to Jonah. “They must know what he did to me.”

  His hands cupped my face and lifted my head. “Nobody knows what he did to you Ava. The arrogant bastard most probably commissioned that portrait and hung it in here himself. I should have checked this building out from top to bottom before I ever allowed you to come here so any trace of that fucker was totally eradicated.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I shook my head. “He did this. It’s the way he operated.”

  “I don’t care who was responsible.” He gave me a fierce look. “We end this now, Ava. You inform every person in here that on a temporary basis all dealings relevant to this company run through me and me alone and I’m taking you home. You may be the CEO sweetheart but you don’t need to stay here one minute longer than necessary.”

  A thin, gaunt looking man wearing a black suit and tie stood abruptly as Mason held Alex’s portrait in his hands and began to cross the meeting room floor towards us and the open door. “What the hell is going on here, Mason?” He asked loudly.

  Mason faced the man with a smirk curling the corner of his lips. My eyes flew to the painting he was holding, grateful to find only the back of the canvas was visible.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Mason addressed the suits that were now staring in my direction. “Please meet your new CEO, Savannah Matthews and her partner Jonah Jacobson, who I am sure most of you have already spoken to.”

  A stunned silence fell; shocked faces and wide eyes drank me in as I stood clinging to Jonah. Mason walked passed the two of us into the corridor then returned only a few seconds later.

  “She as no right to remove that painting,” an angry voice projected from the rear of the room. “And until I see verified proof of her identity, I refuse to believe that this girl is Alex’s successor.”

  Jonah’s entire body tensed against me. Tucking me into his side, he scanned the room with narrowed azure eyes. His baritone voice was loud with that authoritative bite which always moistened my panties. “This woman IS your CEO and was appointed so by Alexander Matthews. You have all received the paperwork informing you of Alex’s intentions and wishes upon his death, along with signed, legal documentation verifying those wishes, as well as the identity of Savannah Matthews and I can assure every one of you this is her. Being the CEO and majority shareholder gives her free reign to do as she pleases. And that monstrosity painting displeases her greatly. So if she wants it removing, she has the authority to consider it done.”

  Audible gasps of surprise and huffs of irritation resounded around the room. The sub zero atmospheric temperature dipped even lower as individuals began to make their obvious distain for my presence clear.

  “Pieces of paper are worthless. None of us here agree with Alex’s actions. The man must have been out of his goddamn mind to curse us in this way.”

  “Alex committed commercial suicide bringing an unknown into this company. She probably has no more knowledge of how to be a CEO than she knows how to act like one,” shouted another voice to yet another unknown face.

  “Do us all a favour, young lady, go live the life of luxury that Alex would undoubtedly have provided you with, and leave the running of A.M Enterprises to those who actually know how to do it.”

  “That is enough,” boomed Jonah, his voice snapping everyone to attention. His arm left me as he stalked to the front and centre of the room. I could see the dark fury on his gorgeous face, the clenching of his fists by his side and his commanding demeanour as he assessed the room with steely, determined eyes. He was magnificent, exuded power and professionalism from every pore and possessed a majestic air as he eyed his prey with predatory precision. This was my man, my core shattering lover and fierce protector. This was the Jonah who drew me in from the first glance. He was pure, vibrant, and dominating. And every drop of fear weighing me down evaporated as I stood, rooted to the spot watching Jonah at his most arousing best.

  “You will each show your CEO some respect or you can consider yourselves unemployed in the morning.” Not one person spoke or moved. The men in the room scowled but remained silent, the women riveted and rendered speechless by the insanely attractive, virile man before them. Frantically scouring the room, I blew out a huge sigh of relief when not one pair of eyes met mine. All eyes were on my husband to be and that is exactly the way I liked it.

  He squared his broad, muscular shoulders, pushed his hands in his pants pocket and continued. “Savannah wishes to speak to you all directly and I assume you will each conduct yourselves as the highly educated, professional people you claim to be, while she does so. If anyone is unable to do that, make yourselves known now then leave the room.”

  I held my breath and waited for objections that never came. Smoothing my dress over my hips and thighs, I flicked strands of auburn hair from my shoulders, steadied myself on my heels and walked towards Jonah’s now outstretched hand. His smile was reassuring, his eyes warm with pride and as our fingers laced, I could not have been more in love with him than I was at that moment. Mouthing ‘I love you’ as I stood by his side, his smile broadened. He shuddered slightly as a volt of electricity shot into my groin when our skin connected. Judging by his reaction, he felt it too.

  Facing the pack of wolves staring and grimacing straight at me, I allowed a mask of impassivity to shutter my face. I took on a huge lungful of air, composed myself then spoke to them all for the first and thankfully the very last time. The speech I had spent days practising over and over in my mind spilled from my lips.

  “Thank you for attending today everyone and I can assure you I won’t take up too much of your time. I don’t blame you for seeing me as the wrong choice for the position of CEO. I can assure you I am most definitely the wrong choice. I’m twenty two years old, have spent the last four years living in London and approximately eighteen years of my life have been spent despising Alexander Matthews.” I shot a glance at Jonah and wrung my hands together. His small nod encouraged me to continue. “Everything that man stood for I hated, everything he touched I despised. This company is no different. The truth is there is no way out of this torment for me, I wish with everything that I am, that there was, so that means all of you need to start facing up to the fact that I’m going nowhere real soon because I simply have no choice. A clause in Alex’s will clearly states that A.M Enterprises must remain in my control or that of a member of my family for as long as it is operable. So, whatever you think of me or don’t, honestly, I couldn’t give a shit, but you will show me and anyone I appoint a position to some god damn respect even if it’s only because I’m the one in charge here. My overwhelming majority stake is such, I don’t have to ask, consult or seek approval from any of you. Basically, you answer to me and I do not, and never, will answer to you.”

  “You earn respect, Miss Matthews. Assuming a position of power does not grant you a pre requisite for respect from people who have been integral parts of this company since before you were born.” A slender, mature woman wearing a skirt suit, heavy makeup and spoke with a thick American drawl rose from her seat. “You can not blame any of us for being extremely concerned as to the safety of our invested time and money. It truly is nothing personal towards you; I more than anyone understand the position you have found yourself in. But you must also understand that I am not prepared to sit and say nothing when all I have worked so hard for may be at risk.”

  Mason, who had remained quiet since removing that fucker’s face from the room, stepped forward. “This company was more at risk with Alex in charge than with Savannah and we all know the reason’s why that was the case.”

  “The police and internal investigations came up blank, Carter
. This company is clean and has been for years. Yes, I agree, Alex involved himself with less than agreeable working practises at one time or another but that ended long ago and wouldn’t be tolerated again,” the woman answered firmly.

  “That may well be true, Maryanne, but we all lived with the taint that Alex’s illegal dealings left behind. I believe Savannah could be the start of a new beginning for this company and for us all if we just get behind her and show her our support.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” I interjected. Mason’s face fell as I cut in. “I’m not going to be running this company or assuming my position as its leader. I really have no intentions of remaining in Chicago and nothing can change that. I only flew out here for a quick visit and to inform all of you of how I intend to move forward.”

  “You’re leaving?” Mason’s voice was low, his brows clenched and utter desolation etched across his face. His reaction to my announcement was startling and only added to the feeling of confusion he filled me with.

  “Ava only came today because she felt she owed the board members the chance to put a face to her name and explain what she plans to do going forward. We intend to fly home as soon as she’s finished.” Jonah stood beside me, his hand entwining with mine.

  “I understand.” Mason nodded but was visibly disappointed. His behaviour was heightening my curiosity by the second. Where in gods name did I know him from?

  The short, chunky man who met us in the foyer earlier stood up and folded his arms across his wide chest. “So what exactly are your plans, Savannah? If what you say is correct and Alex’s will stipulated you or a member of your family must remain in the position of CEO then what are you going to do to ensure the smooth running of this company while you remain oblivious and residing at the other side of the world.”