Page 10 of Vows In Corruption

That has to be why the nightmares decided to come back. There’s no other explanation.

“I forgot about my meeting with Gerald today,” I say as I pour the remainder of my coffee.

How I was able to forget that small piece of information is beyond me.

I’ve been waiting for Gerald to call me into his office for a “serious meeting” for almost two years now. So when he finally scheduled one for today, it felt like all my efforts were finally working.

Gerald Goldman is one of the Lane Enterprises, my family’s company, oldest employee. Not only is he the oldest employee and longest serving, having started at the company during the first few years of its inauguration, he is also the man that the board of executives placed in the role of CEO about nine years ago.

Did he know anything about running the company? Fuck no. Sure some his business acquisitions were phenomenal but nothing he did warranted making him the head of the company.

The only reason that the old man was given the job was because I finally had expressed interest in not only working at the company that my grandfather built and my father maintained, but also running it one day. My life had changed drastically, for what felt like the millionth time in my life, and I needed to get my shit together, so I did the one thing that Henry had been telling me for years to do. Try at the very least to work at my father’s company and help build it up in way only a Lane could.

Did I expect to be named CEO right away, because I had finally come to my senses? No, but I also didn’t think that the board would hate me so damn much and give someone an executive seat that had been vacant for close to fifteen years, just because they didn’t want me to walk in and claim the title as mine.

Which isn’t something that I could have done anyways since it was stated in my father’s will that neither of his sons could be named CEO before the age of thirty if anything were to happen to him. Something that the idiot board would have known if they had actually done their homework, but they have their heads so far up their asses with over inflated egos that they don’t do the proper research that is needed.

How the fuck they run a company of this magnitude is beyond fucking me.

At least they won’t be running it for much longer. Thank fuck for that. I can taste the sweetness of having the company in my hands and away from theirs.

“I’m surprised that it even went over your head. You know, since this has been something that you’ve been planning for the last two years.”

There is nothing stopping the smirk that forms on my face.

“Henry, I would never plan for a man to come to his senses, call me into a meeting and have him announce that he is leaving a position that he has held for almost ten years,” I say right before taking a sip of my coffee and facing him head on, sarcasm heavily on my voice. I’m sure my smirk is still very well defined even with a mug covering half of it. “I simply made a few suggestions to our friend Gerald. Suggestions that he hopefully took too heart and made the decision to retire on his own.”

And they really were suggestions. Strongly worded ones but suggestions nonetheless. Suggestions that have started to come out periodically from the day I turned thirty and I realized that it didn’t matter what my father’s will had stated, the board of executives at Lane Enterprises weren’t going to give me the role of CEO, no matter how hard I worked for the title.

As long as there was someone occupying the seat, I was going to be a step further from what I wanted. So I’ve been doing what I have to do to get Gerald out of his position.

Henry shakes his head at me before responding. “I’m surprised that nobody has caught on to your little game, but apparently I’m the only one that finds it odd that a thirty-two year old man would become friends with someone almost eighty years old.”

“Nobody has found it surprising because they know I spend most of my free time with you.”

“Are you calling me as old as Gerald, Mr. Lane? That man is a walking casket.” Henry lets out with scoff, sounding offended by the whole thing.

I shake my head. “You’re old, old man. I think it’s time to get used to it.”

“I would take those words back if I were you. Just because you are in your thirties doesn’t mean that I’m not allowed to punish you anymore.” He gives me the same eye roll I get from the teenagers that occupy the house. I guess I know where they get it from. “Gerald isn’t able to run or play football with a ten year old, now can he? How about learn how to ice skate or shoot a puck because one of the other kids wants to play ice hockey? The poor bastard is prone to break a hip coming down the stairs. I still have all my hand eye coordination still intact, thank you very much.”

Jesus. This is not a tangent that I was expecting at five in the morning.

I wonder if I tell the man that the reason he can still do those things and Gerald can’t, is because of his military background and the fact that he still occasionally works out outside of running behind a bunch of kids. Gerald just sits behind a desk.

“You seem offended.” I throw out, my smirk growing even more.

“I’m no such thing. I’m simply pointing out a few facts.”

“Of course you are.” I finish my coffee before giving him my full attention. “Speaking of the ten year old, can you call and make Drake a doctor’s appointment? His snoring doesn’t seem normal.”

The subject of Gerald and Henry being offended are instantly dropped at the mention of Drake. “I’ll call as soon as they open. Were you able to hear him from down the hall?”

I shake my head. “No. He ended up making it to my room sometime last night and I heard the snoring when I woke up.”

Right away, I notice the concern in Henry’s face when I mention that Drake, my ten year old nephew, came to my room.

“Do you think the nightmares back?”

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