Page 16 of The Tempo of Truth
“Not me.The board of directors from Byrd Enterprises.You know they don’t want this merger to go through.They’re happy with the status quo and think working with Halliday Inc.will cause business to expand beyond our means.I’m sure they see you as the weak link.They’re looking for any means to sway the vote back in their direction.I know it’s an invasion of privacy, but I have to say,” he stared at me, confusion clear on his handsome features.“I didn’t expect to see you coming and going from such a sketchy establishment.I don’t think a woman like you belongs in a place like that.”
I stabbed the cheesecake with my fork and scoffed.“A woman like me belongs wherever she wants to be.”I wasn’t about to let anyone dictate where I could and couldn’t go.Never again.Once my grandmother, the esteemed Colette Halliday, was six feet under, the days of me abiding by someone else’s standards were a thing of the past.“You never know what you’ll find when you wander into interesting and unexpected places.”
Oliver leaned forward, his gaze intent on mine as I savored the rich dessert.“I don’t mean to pry, but what exactly is your relationship with Kyser Kent?The reports I’ve seen are varied.From the outside looking in, he doesn’t seem to be a very stand-up or reliable guy.Are you sure he won’t use his relationship with your son to take advantage of you?”
I chuckled and waved for the bill.We’d been dining long enough for any intrepid paparazzi to snap a photo to sell.And if I wasn’t mistaken, several of the young diners had already posted about this pseudo-date on their social media accounts.An heiress out in the wild always made for good content, especially since I was around the same age as a lot of the people who were following my story purely for entertainment value.Who didn’t love getting a peek into the drama and intricacies of the super-wealthy?
Oliver tried to fight me for the bill.I refused to let him pay for me because that would make this interaction more date-like than it already was.He eventually agreed to split the check.While he was grumbling under his breath about how the afternoon didn’t go as planned, I shocked him even more when I told him, “I appreciate your concern.I doubt you’ll believe me when I tell you that I’m the one who wants to take advantage of Ky.I’d offer him anything he asked for if I thought it would get him to stick around.”
The amiable expression on his face shifted to one of confusion and irritation.I could tell he didn’t appreciate my response.
“Is that guy really someone who can be a positive influence on a developing mind?He’s got a highly questionable past.One that is peppered with criminal activity.Most people wouldn’t want someone like that around their vulnerable and impressionable child.”
“I’m not putting in the work to lure Ky out of the dark for anyone other than myself.”I tapped my phone to pay the bill and left a generous tip.It was easy to tell the server had been tasked with taking extra good care of our table.She was very attentive without hovering.“I’d like to have him be a consistent figure in my life and let him get to know my son better.”I stated my true intentions with no remorse.My decades-long obsession with Kyser Kent surely wasn’t a poorly kept secret anymore.“Thank you for joining me for lunch, Oliver.When you return to your company, let them know I don’t mind them following me because I don’t have anything to hide.However, they should bear in mind that not everyone around me feels the same way.Some of those stones they’re determined to turn over are large enough to crush a man to death if they lose their grip on them.”
I said my farewell, not fazed in the slightest that Oliver looked like he’d just eaten an old shoe for lunch instead of a meager salad.I thought we might be able to be friends, considering our miles of common ground, but the more persistent he became in his pursuit of a romantic relationship, the less I enjoyed his company.I thought it was glaringly hypocritical that he wanted to warn me of others trying to take advantage of me when he was trying to get close to me to benefit himself and advance his place in his family’s business.He was a nice enough man, but I didn’t think for one second that he was attracted to me.I was a far cry from the typical svelte socialite he dated.
On the way out of the restaurant, I was getting ready to text Jeremiah that I was on my way back to the office when my phone rang.I was surprised to see the number that messaged me the night Ky left his phone at my place.I couldn’t think of a reason the Russian boxing coach would be calling me other than Ky being in such a bad state that he wasn’t able to.
I frowned when I flicked my finger to answer the call.I let Helio guide me by my elbow to where the Bentley was waiting.I climbed in to avoid the busy flow of traffic on the sidewalk.Helio motioned for the driver to pull into traffic and pretended like he wasn’t eavesdropping on my conversation.
Once I was in the backseat, I could hear the older man’s voice, with its slight accent, apologizing.“I’m sorry to bother you, Ms.Halliday.Ky asked me to call you and tell you that he’s going to miss the appointment he had to see the kid tonight.”He sighed.“His phone got smashed, and so did his left shoulder.I’m certain it’s dislocated.I know he’s gonna end up in a sling for at least a week or two.It looks like he’s got a couple of busted fingers as well.We’re sitting in the ER waiting for an X-ray.”
Lev’s words made my heartbeat still, and a chill ran through my veins.Ky was no stranger to injuries.They were common in professional sports.I knew he hated seeing a doctor or going to the hospital.He usually just had the team trainer or team doctor patch him up and then carried on with his game.He must’ve been banged up pretty badly if he allowed Lev to drag him to the emergency room.
“What happened?How did he get hurt?”Wasn’t Ky a fighter?Shouldn’t he be able to take better care of himself in a dangerous situation?
The older man swore in a foreign language.I heard the sounds of a busy emergency room in the background.“I don’t know the exact details.Ky said he and one of his buddies from the old neighborhood got jumped while playing a pickup basketball game.The kid’s friend is in worse shape.Ky wants to make sure his boy doesn’t think he bailed on him after taking a beating for him.”
“Let me move some things around and free up the rest of my afternoon.I’ll come to you.I can take Ky home with me.That way he has someone to help him while he can’t use his arm, and he can still keep his visitation with Lowe.”I was speaking utter nonsense, but Lev chuckled, the sound low and warm in my ear.
“I was hoping you might have the same idea.I suggested going home with you, and Ky nearly bit my head off.Probably needs some painkillers to calm him down.He’s good and pissed.”
The sound of them arguing back and forth filled the phone call.Eventually, Lev told me they were looking at a couple of hours before Ky would see a doctor and that he wanted to wait to see how his friend was doing before leaving.He suggested I go back to work, and he would text me the name of the hospital and any updates as they came in.I didn’t know the man at all, but there was no mistaking the faint smugness in his tone when he shouted a hurried goodbye.
Once the call ended, I looked up and saw Helio’s scowling face in the rearview mirror.He turned his head slightly and asked in a serious tone, “Should you really be skipping work so soon after taking over?If you come across as uncommitted and disinterested in doing the job to the best of your abilities, you’re doing nothing more than proving all the haters right.”
I avoided his probing gaze by looking out the tinted window at the passing cityscape.“They aren’t called haters in my world.They’re called naysayers.”
He snorted before turning back around to face the windshield.“It doesn’t matter what they’re called.I don’t know why you would give them any ammunition to use against you.Stepping into a leadership role at your age is already difficult.There is absolutely no reason to make it even harder on yourself.”
I propped my chin up on the back of my hand, eyes locked on the plethora of different people going about their business.I absently wondered if any of them also had to worry about proving people’s awful expectations of them wrong.
It must be nice to be normal and accountable to only yourself and your loved ones.Having the global economy resting on your shoulders was a weight few could understand.
I’d never wanted to be Atlas holding up the world.I’d much rather be Icarus, flying so high that I managed to touch the sun.Even if I fell back to Earth in spectacular fashion, I’d never forget what it felt like to reach the highest places and face a warmth that might finally thaw the coldest parts of my heart that were still frozen from my traumatic childhood.
“I’m the boss.”I exhaled against the glass and drew a heart with my finger in the fog.“My uncles have guarded my place with everything they have for so long.They sacrificed and succeeded so that I can lead the company in any way I see fit.Neither Win nor Alistair would want me to surrender the things that make me who I am, just to fit into some preconceived idea of what a CEO should be.I don’t care if I prove the naysayers right.The only expectations I plan to meet are mine.If the road isn’t easy to walk, that’s fine.I’ve got surprisingly good balance and endless endurance.”
“There are a lot of young women and girls who look up to you, Winnie.Whether you like it or not, you’re a role model.Hell, my little cousin asks me about you all the time.She thinks you’re way cooler than whoever the hottest pop star is at the moment.I don’t want you to lose sight of all the good you can do from your elevated position.”
I sighed and indicated the conversation was over by picking up the tablet on the seat next to me to read through my emails while stuck in traffic.
Being held up as some type of paragon of virtue and greatness was never something I wanted.I was all too aware of how deeply flawed and dangerously damaged I was.I didn’t want anyone to follow my crooked path to the heights I’d inherited.I might’ve felt different if I were sitting on a throne I earned instead of one that was handed down through the years.Before I agreed to come back home, I made sure my family knew that I was taking over on my terms.It’d taken me too long to shake off the title of heiress.I didn’t want to get saddled with another one I didn’t love, like CEO.I’d rather be the captain of the ship or the ringleader of this particular corporate circus.
I planned to protect the Halliday legacy for Lowe and the rest of the younger generation of my family.There was nothing wrong with keeping the bones while rebuilding the heart and soul of a vast and sprawling monstrosity.I’d learned a ton about switching up aesthetics and injecting new blood into a lifeless landmark.Halliday Inc.could use a facelift.And I fully planned on wielding the scalpel.
Ky
