Page 11 of One Last Time?
Who was he?
And what was going on here? Dad never mentioned anything about us meeting with anyone else.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Dad spoke abruptly but cut me a crude glance, displaying his displeasure at my lateness. It was a habit I’d grown used to. That stare meant he wasn’t done with me and we’d have words later about it. “Taylor, this is Dylan Patterson of Patterson Inc. He’s a consultant I’ve hired to review and assess your business performance.”
There it was…
The storm. It came with thunder and lightning too. It absolutely fucking did.
“What?” I asked. “He’ll be doing what?” I looked at Dylan, literally looked him up and down, forgetting my prior thought on his gorgeousness. That was bullshit in my eyes now.
“You heard me,” Dad replied, intensifying his stare. “Dylan will be with us for the next ten weeks, but to do his assessment, he’ll look over your work of the last year. Once he’s done, we’ll talk about your proposal to run the company. Of course, following the results of his analysis.”
I didn’t know how many times I’d called on the good Lord today, but I needed him again now. I needed some higher power to help me because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was off the charts unfair and showed he didn’t trust me. Or value me. Not at all.
“Dad, this is bullshit. It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous and unfair. You know me. You know how hard I work here.” I glowered at him. I’d never spoken to him in that tone before and definitely not in front of people.
“Taylor, this is my company, and I will decide how I want things done,” he threw back.
“But I’ve worked for you for years. It’s not like I just pitched up off the streets and you don’t know me. I’ve taken this company to some amazing places.” That was so true. When I stepped up and really started to shine, it was like I’d taken the company out of the dark ages and brought it to the twenty-first century.
“Business is business. Basically, impress him, and you may impress me,” Dad answered, cold and hard.
I looked to Dylan, meeting his arctic stare.
Yes, that was it.Arctic. That blue that was clear as ice was exactly that. Cold and arctic. There was nothing warm about him.
It was like the person who sat before me now and the man last night were two different people.
The only similarity they shared was that neither were impressed with me.
If I was supposed to impress this man, I’d already lost the battle. No point venturing to the war.
“You will meet tomorrow and discuss how to proceed,” Dad added.
I noticed that this whole time, Dylan didn’t speak.
What was there to say though?
Last night was enough.
Chapter 4
Taylor
* * *
Istood by my office window looking out at the beautiful scenery before me. We were right near the beach, and the palm trees that dotted the coast gave it that tropical feeling I loved.
This was me getting lost in the scenery because it was the only constant around me. I’d read somewhere that psychologists used landscapes as therapy sometimes because certain scenes triggered happy memories.
I wasn’t looking for a happy memory today. It was more the case of trying to tamp down my rage with Dad.
Dad… It was clear to me now that the man was the devil. If not, he was surely rubbing shoulders with old Lucifer himself.
It came to me last night. The understanding of what had truly happened. Dad didn’t trust me. He knew I was good for the company, knew he could hand me the company on a plate. It could even be a silver plate, and hell, he could even give me the proverbial silver spoon too, but he wasn’t going to do that.
He’d already made me jump through hoops, and just like back in college when he thought I was seeing one of his rivals’ sons, he’d had me followed.
