Page 136 of Heat & Deceit
“Your parents have been arrested—”
“I heard you the first time, jackass. Why didn’t you tell me what you were up to?”
“I mentioned it.” And I had. He told me to leave it alone. I didn’t.
“Fuck. You’re serious?”
“Absolutely.” I glance out of the glass walls surrounding the conference room. “And now the employees are looking at me. They need a familiar face.”
“I’ll be there in thirty.”
“Make it twenty.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a control freak?”
“Once or twice,” I admit with a smile. “I’ll let them know you’re on the way.”
“Javi?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“Pack takes care of pack.” He helped me tear down my parents. “Now get your ass over here.” I hang up and turn to Winston.
“You’re not passing the announcement off to me. I’m only the lawyer.”
“Chicken shit,” I huff.
“Chop, chop, Mr. CEO. They’re starting to panic.”
With a heavy sigh, I turn and strut out of the conference room.
* * *
ROME
“Jesus,” I mutter, tossing the analysis away from me. “Is this real?”
Javi scowls. “Unfortunately. I’ve fired the accountant.”
“I knew something beyond the pricing was wrong, but I never expected this.” I shake my head in disgust. Pierce Pharmaceutical employees haven’t received bonuses for three years. My parents’ salary was double what a typical executive salary might be, and they were funneling profits to their hedge fund to pay back investors they’d lied to.
“A few people quit, but most stayed to see what you had to say.” Javi glances around my father’s office. The painting on the far wall cost more than your average house.
“Right.” I run a hand over my head, trying to come up with something inspiring to say.
“They don’t need a grand speech.” Javi knows me so well. “They need a boss they believe in.”
I hold up a report. “This is a lot to come back from. I’m their son. What if the employees don’t believe me?”
“Anyone who knows you will realize you’re nothing like Howard and Marge. You can turn this place around. You can do what you’ve always dreamed of doing—providing affordable medicine.”
That’s been a dream of mine for so long, and now that it’s within reach, I almost don’t believe it.
“Go out there and speak the truth. They’ll respect that more than placations.”
I nod and take a fortifying breath. The employees, scientists included, are gathered in the main part of the office. The whispering stops as I come into the room, and the weight of a hundred expectations falls on my shoulders. A few people I worked with before I was fired send me tentative smiles.
