Risk (Vault 1)

I want to stop and talk to her, but at this very moment, my main goal is to rip Dirk a new one. Dragging my gaze from Charlize, I give him my attention again. “Dirk?”

Whatever is going on here has him wound so tight he looks ready to snap. “This bitch came in for an interview about an hour ago and has now come back to my office to let me know she’s not happy she didn’t get it.”

His use of the word bitch unleashes my anger. I’m about to let him have it when Charlize takes over.

In a much more controlled manner than the ranting she was doing a moment ago, she says, “First, I don’t appreciate you referring to a woman who stands up for herself as a bitch. I know your type, and I don’t like you, but I would never refer to you as a motherfucker because you stood up for your rights. Second, damn straight I’m not happy that you chose a man over me just because he’s a man. But third, I’m glad to know how this company operates because working here is the last thing I want to do now.”

Charlize’s long hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail high on her head. It bobs all over the place while she lets Dirk know how she feels, and I’m distracted by the damn thing almost to the point of not keeping pace with their argument. Not only am I distracted by it moving around, but I’m also fascinated with the colours she now has in her once-blonde hair. It’s a mixture of purples, blues, and pinks—colours that weren’t there the night we met.

I draw my attention back to the matter at hand and cut in on Dirk who is giving her all the reasons under the sun as to why he would never hire her. I have a feeling that she’s right—that he did hire someone just because he was a male. Dirk holds a grudge against the women in my company. Something about women only being fit for jobs that don’t require much brain capacity. His words, not mine.

I look at Charlize. “How do you know he hired based on sex?”

She meets my gaze, and I suck in a breath at the fire I see in her eyes. I hardly know her at all, but I get the distinct impression she’s a spitfire when it comes to some things. This being one of those things. “I overheard him while I was in the bathroom. I was just coming out when he told someone that he would never hire a woman, let alone one with multi-coloured hair. He said something about only interviewing me to keep the boss happy and the company out of any possible sex discrimination lawsuit.”

Jesus.

I work hard to keep my calm.

“You can’t prove a fucking thing, bitch!” Dirk spits.

My calm snaps. Turning to him, I bark, “Walk away, Dirk. Get back to work and leave this for me to handle. I don’t want to see or hear from you until I come looking for you.”

His eyes widen. It’s not often I lose my calm. However, he doesn’t back down easily. “She’s got nothing on us, Owen, I—”

“Now!”

With one last glare directed at Charlize, he turns to walk away. He’s almost back in his office when she calls out after him. “By the way, you should have hired me. No way would I have ever advised North & Co to invest in those Vistaland shares. My advice at that time would have been to buy up Panorama shares, and for the record, I’d still advise that today if you’re looking to make up the millions you dropped overnight. Just sayin’.”

I have to give Dirk credit. He slows as she calls out to him, but he doesn’t engage. A moment later, his door slams shut, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, to fix the shit he’s put the company in.

“I’m sorry about what’s happened thi—”

She cuts me off, her eyes softening as she meets my gaze. “Look, it blows that I didn’t get the job, but it’s not your fault, Owen. And to be honest, I don’t think I would want to work here anyway. My guess is that the guy who owns the place must be a real asshole if he hires men like Dirk.”

My brows lift. “I’m the asshole who owns the place, Charlize.”

She blinks. “Oh.”

“So you know, Dirk won’t be here much longer.”

“Good. Your company will be much better off without him.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re a financial analyst? And y

ou know we invested in Vistaland?”

“I guess you could call me that. And didn’t everyone know that North & Co invested in Vista?”

That is true. Our investment was heavily reported at the time, and the share price rose along with that. My company is well known for its wise trades. Lately, though, not so much. My team of analysts have been making rookie mistakes all over the place, and the problems between Jill and me are allowing those mistakes to continue.

So while my investment in Vista is well known in financial circles, I’m intrigued as to how Charlize knows. “What do you mean by “I could call you that”? Either you’re an analyst or you’re not.”

She slings her bag over her shoulder. It’s the same bag she had at the wedding. A large black one that looks like it’s seen better days. “Look, does this even matter? It’s not like you need to know my education and job history. I’m not applying for another job here.”

I can’t figure out why she’s turned cagey all of a sudden. It’s like she’s trying to avoid answering my question. I cross my arms over my chest. “Humour me.”