Fatal Attraction (Dark Desires 4)

I had the element of surprise on my side, which was a good thing. Alice had tried to keep my ‘return from the dark side’ as much of a secret as possible. It was a smart move, something that would give me the edge when I walked in on the board members while they decided the fate of my company without me. If Dennis had even caught wind of the fact that I was coming back, he’d be prepared. The son of a bitch was always fucking prepared.

Alice briefly told me about the paperwork I would need to fill once the meeting was over, and she already had a memo regarding Dennis’s dismissal ready to send out once I took the company reins once again. She had called a meeting with the company lawyers, had not told them what it was about, just so we can legally kick Dennis’s ass and make sure he stayed down. He had shares in the company, something none of us could really do anything about, but when this was all over, he’d be getting his information on Ridder Technology just like every other shareholder did; through email.

We drove into the garage, the tinted windows hiding me from the security guards as they waved us through. Miles chose to park in a spot other than my regular one, a little closer to the door. I brushed my fingers through my hair, straightened my tie and looked at Alice.

“How do I look?”

Alice only glanced at me before she stepped out. “Like a million dollars. Which is sad considering you’re worth a million times more.”

She said with such disgust, it made me cringe. I brushed it off quickly, making a mental note to talk to her after this was over and clear the air. She had been by my side for years, and I wasn’t willing to lose her now.

For a split second, Ashlyn’s face flashed before my eyes, and I realized I had not checked my phone since last night. There were no messages from her, no missed calls. Nothing.

Keep your head in the game. One shit storm at a time, buddy.

I stepped out of the car and followed Alice into the building.

The security guard by the elevators froze when he saw us, his eyes wide for a few seconds before he smiled at me. “Welcome back, Mr. Ridder.”

“Good to be back…” I squinted at the name plate on his chest. “Roger.”

I gave him my best smile and stepped into the elevator.

* * *

We rode most of the way up in silence, and just before reaching the top floor, Alice turned to face me. The scowl on her face had not changed, and it made her look much older than she really was.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” she said, “but this has to be handled with some sort of finesse. Whatever’s got you on edge, forget about it until after the meeting. You need to win everybody back to your side. Just explain your medical condition and refute the drug charges.”

“That should be easy when they realize Dennis has been lying to them,” I said.

“Not really,” Alice replied. “Some of those suits have been waiting for a chance like this forever, but have been too scared to try and do something.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, come on, Chance,” Alice said in exasperation. “Who wouldn’t want to sit on your throne?”

“This board has been loyal to me from the get-go,” I shot back. “I handpicked every member.”

“Like Dennis?”

I didn’t answer.

“Just try and charm them back to your side of the battlefield,” Alice continued. “Dennis is a bit of a hero right now, and even if you have the power to fire him, you still need the board to nullify his contract. Don’t push them to a point where they still vote you out despite the lies.”

“Fine,” I said. “I can’t believe I’m actually trying to save my position in my own fucking company.”

“The bigger the rise, the harder they fall,” Alice mumbled.

“What?”

“We’re here,” she said, ignoring me as the elevator doors opened.

I got pretty much the same reaction from all the employees as I did with the security guard downstairs. Apparently, everyone had believed the lies Dennis had fed

them, and with the media riding the wave of deceit right along with him, it was like everyone was looking at a dead man come back from the grave. It made my blood boil.

Two days. Two fucking days, and this shit happens!