Page 3 of Autumn at the Willow River Guesthouse
Jonas just started at her. ‘You’re from Devon, are you not?’
Lily nodded. Jonas could know every detail about her just by looking at his computer screen, but this was all part of the game.
‘Yes. Willow River.’
‘That’s a town name?’
She nodded. ‘Well, more of a village. It only has about thirty houses. It’s just outside of Brentwell—’
‘That’s nice.’ Jonas leaned forward. ‘I’ve never willingly been to the countryside. I don’t like all the chitchat and the coffee mornings and the sitting around in parks. I find such trivial things a waste of time.’
‘Oh. That’s a shame.’
‘My father built this tower,’ Jonas said. ‘Do you know how many trees he had destroyed in order to break ground?’
Lily smiled. ‘I don’t, but if you told me the square metreage of the site, I could make an educated guess.’
Jonas nodded. ‘Educated. There’s another relevant word. You were the best in your class. Oxford, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes. Economics.’
‘You have all the goods, Lillian. You have the education, the smarts, you’re even beautiful—’
Lily gave another awkward smile, wondering if it was her turn to be the subject of one of Jonas’s legendary advances. She had so far avoided it, but her engagement to Steve was now common knowledge and Jonas might view that as a challenge.
‘—although I would suggest finding a more upmarket hair stylist before your wedding day.’
Lily’s smile dropped.
‘What you can’t seem to shake loose from is your heritage.’
‘My—’
‘You country folk, you just can’t adapt to city life. You can’t just amble along, pushing your wheelbarrow, leading your horse and cart, stopping to complain about the weather with Mabel or Earnest or whatever worryingly-back-in-vogue names all you country lot have.’ He punched a fist into a palm. ‘You have to have the drive—and I’m not talking about cars, here, although I understand that’s another of your shortcomings—and you have to have the nerve to get things done. Do you know how much money we didn’t make yesterday due to your tardiness?’
Lily looked down. He was getting to the point now. ‘About half a million pounds?’
‘Nearly three quarters!’ Jonas said. ‘Do you know what we can buy with three quarters of a million pounds?’
‘A chateau in France?’
‘Stock! More and more stock! With careful management, that three quarters of a million could have been two million by the end of next week, had it not been for your inability to get to work on time. And not only that, but are you aware that you made the BBC News?’
‘Someone downstairs mentioned it—’
‘As a result, our own stock price dropped by almost a twentieth of a percent. Do you know how much money that is?’
Lily grimaced. ‘Honestly, I have no idea.’
‘It’s due to this lack of consideration for what’s around you that I’ve had to come to this decision, Lillian. I like you. You have everything to succeed in financial management except the most important thing: city smarts. I don’t want to let you go, but I have no choice. Do you know how many applicants we had for your job?’
‘No.’
‘All of them.’ Jonas clicked his fingers again and pointed at the door. ‘Thank you for your efforts, Lillian. Collect your things on the way out. HR will arrange a decent severance, so there won’t be any reason for you to bother suing us.’
Lily stood up. Her shoulders felt weak, her head too heavy. She shuffled towards the door, face smarting. The smug tycoon with his suit that cost the same as ten African villages set in motion a little roller ball ornament, then chuckled as he put a finger in between the swinging chrome balls to disrupt their clicking harmony.
There wasn’t a single colour in the room that wasn’t a shade of black or metallic grey. Lily paused by the door and looked back.
