Page 89 of Resist

We’re all dressed in our most killer, boss bitch suits. Phoenix is rocking a pantsuit, Maddie and I have knee-length skirts, and I’m regretting the fucking pantyhose with each step I take toward my office.

It’s not even nine AM yet, and I’ve already had an hour-long conversation with my lawyer. We both agree that there’s no way Michael, Dad’s right hand man and chief financialofficer had no idea about my father’s deplorable activities. So dealing with him is first on my to-do list.

If I have to somehow clear out the entire fucking board of crusty, old advisors of my company and fill the positions with my besties, I’ll make it happen. No idea how, I’m sure there are checks and balances in place to prevent something just like that from coming to fruition—my lawyer’s looking into it. Because they aren’t directors, they aren’t elected by the shareholders, I might be able to wave a wand and fire them all in one go. Some of them hold positions in the company, but I’ll do my level best to get them out.

I refuse to let anyone stay in my company who had something to do with the sordid events of the past.

If I have to burn the whole company to the ground to clear house, I will.

I take my seat in the conference room, my girls flank me. We’re all cradling paper cups of steaming hot coffee—there’s a chance Phoenix spiked them with whisky before we got out of the car.

Dutch courage, she said.

To relax the nerves, Maddie said.

Once we take our coats off, settle into our seats, and take a few mouthfuls of our liquored up coffee, I’m ready, impatient even. So when someone knocks on the door, I school my face, smooth out my skirt, and prepare my armor.

Michael’s head pops around the door. “Oh, I thought you said nine. I can come back.”

“Come in, Michael.”

His face twitches at the sharpness of my tone.

“Take a seat.”

His nostrils flare. The manhatesbeing told what to do, though I’m starting to wonder if it’s simply because I have tits. He never seemed to show visible signs of dislike when Dad bossed him around.

His ass is barely in the chair before I play my whole hand in one go. “Michael, you’re fired.”

He blinks at me, eyes bugging out, before he tugs the legs of his pants down and shifts in his seat. “I’m sorry, Cora. I thought you just said I’m fired. You don’t have the authority to do that.”

I smirk. He’s probably right, but I’m sure Dad would have left a provision that if anything were to happen between him and his friends that he could fire them. It’s a risky play and maybe the lawyer will correct me, but this man has to go.

“I do, and I did. You’re done here.”

He snorts. “If youcouldfire me, what would your reasoning be? My performance here has been impeccable.”

That makes Phoenix—who has been examining her nails until this point—snort. “If you mean aiding and abetting a rapist...” She drags her glare off her nails and lays a hard look right on Michael’s face. “And possibly committing crimes of your own ‘impeccable,’ then sure. We can go with that.”

My breath stops at the word ‘rapist.’ It’s only been twenty four hours since hearing that information, the claim against my father. And while I want to believe he is innocent of Mrs. Montgomery’s and Maddie’s accusations, if I didn’t already believe my best friend with every fiber of my being, the way Michael’s face pales to a ghost-like pallor tells me all I need to know.

My blood runs cold. Dad’s irrefutably guilty. And from the swell of guilt in Michael’s eyes, he might be too. Fuck. My stomach drops, threatening to bring up the coffee.

“You can’t fire me,” he whispers.

“If you don’t resign effective immediately, I’ll destroy you. I checked your contract, there’s a morality clause that says you can be fired if you do anything that could cause harm to the company.” The satisfaction I expected to feel isn’t there, my chest is still hollow.

His eyes widen, his face still almost translucent. He’s got his legs crossed, they’re bouncing against the floor making his whole body shake. It’s a classic sign of anxiety, I know because I used to do it as a kid.

“You’d be destroying your own company, Cora. Be reasonable.”

My two friends and I make a variety of disgusted noises.

“Yes,Cora,” Maddie snarls. “You should be reasonable. Help the poor rapist hide his crimes from the world and let him keep his job for the good of the company.”

“See?” He waves a hand toward Maddie, clearly having missed her scathing, acerbic sarcasm. “She gets it.”

“Eat a dick.” Seems Maddie’s not taking any prisoners today. “I hope you get a flesh eating bacteria that rots your cock off.”

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