because the thing I’d been searching for all along - or, rather, the person - was standing right in front of me, her eyes wide at the sight of the city’s magnificent skyline.
“Mr. Hammer,” Sarah’s voice blared out over the intercom, interrupting my introspection while startling Andrea simultaneously.
“Go ahead,” I responded.
“The Board is ready to see you, sir. Everyone’s been assembled in the conference room.”
“Thank you, Sarah.”
Andrea turned to face me as the intercom switched off, her expression a mix of fear and concern. “What are you going to do?”
I smiled at her. “I’m going to resolve the problem.”
She arched an eyebrow at me, “And that means?”
“You’ll see,” I told her, then extended my hand in her direction. “Let’s go.”
Andrea walked forward and took my hand, intertwining her fingers with my own. Together we made our way out of my office and toward the conference room. There, inside the room, awaited the five men who controlled the fate of my company.
“Gentlemen,” I said as I stepped into the room.
The five men didn’t even bother to stand or return my greeting, instead opting to stare daggers at me and the beautiful woman at my side, still garbed in the same strapless black dress from the night before. I myself had donned one of my tailored suits for the occasion, though I’d decided to forgo the tie.
“Well, Chase, what do you have to say for yourself?” Collin snarked, his face curled up in a hideous grin.
I smiled at him. “Nothing,” I said. “I’ll let these papers do all the talking for me.” I pulled a folded stack of papers from the pocket inside my jacket and tossed them on the table in front of Collin who, immediately, snatched them up and began scanning the documents.
“Wait,” he said, panic starting to lace itself into his voice. “This says…”
“That’s right,” I stated. “I’ve sold all of my shares, and I’ve formally stepped down from my position as head of the company. This sinking ship,” I told him, “is all yours. You shit the bed, now lie in it. Or however that expression goes.”
Without another word, I turned from the traitors at the table and strode from the room, hand in hand with the love of my life.
“You sold your company?” Andrea started once we were out of earshot from the conference room.
“Basically,” I told her. “I found out that Collin and the rest had intentionally sabotaged the company in an attempt to have me removed from leadership. That way, he could take over, magically make everything better once I was gone, and step into his new role as CEO. Well, now he’s CEO, but his company’s value has diminished significantly.”
“Damn,” Andrea said flatly. “So what now?”
“I don’t know,” I offered. “You said you’ve never been out of Boone, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, let’s change that. We’ll go anywhere you want to go. Just say the word.”
Andrea stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to process everything I’d just said. “Well,” she said finally. “There is this cabin…”
THE END
Bear & Beautiful
To this bear, even the broken are beautiful.
Curvy and calculating, Amber Kelli has been down on her luck for far too long. After a long string of unfortunate events, Amber managed to find a job working for a catering agency. She thought that her troubles were over and that her life was finally back on the right track. That is, until her agency is hired to cater a party thrown by one of Manhattan's most eligible billionaire bachelors. After an embarrassing exchange with the billionaire himself, Amber abandons her post and slinks out into the dark and stormy city where an even worse misfortune lurks nearby.
Bear-shifting billionaire Grayson Days has the whole package. He's driven, talented, and incredibly sexy. What he isn't, though, is complete. Although his inner-bear longs to find his mate, Grayson has all but given up on the