Seb nearly falls out of his chair as Maggie pulls her seat up to the table. Elizabeth makes room, a smile on her face.
“Now,” I say. “This is the full board. And because the board’s makeup has changed, any business that was voted on in the last six months can be brought up again. I move we vote on the matter of the merger with Bushings Telecom.”
“No,” Seb says, slamming his hands on the table. “No, damn you. This is outrageous. This is… this is illegal.”
“It’s not,” Janet says and shrugs. “I don’t agree with the method, but it’s legal, all right.”
“All those in favor?” I ask.
This time, Elizabeth raises her hand with a wink. She abstained last time, but her vote wouldn’t have mattered either way. This time, we need her, and she’s coming through. Maggie, Rupert, Duncan, Janet, and Ed all raise their hands as well.
“That makes six for,” I say. “Against?”
Six hands go up. Paula, Jeff, Seb, Larry, Gail, and Alfie. They all look miserable, especially Seb.
“Six again.” I beam at the group. “That means it’s a tie. And the CEO gets to break the tie.”
“Bullshit.” Seb stands up, knocking his chair back. “This is bullshit. This is outrageous.”
“I vote for,” I say. “And so the motion passes. We’ll reconvene in a month after going through the details of the merger, and once the terms are settled, we’ll vote again. Any other business?”
“Fuck your business,” Seb screams. He slams his folder on the floor and storms out of the room.
Rupert laughs again, clearly delighted. “Well done, young man,” he says. “Well done.”
I grin at him and shrug. “Just doing my job.”
The meeting ends and everyone slowly moves out. The losing side keeps their heads down, but I won’t forget what they chose today. Elizabeth lingers, and once everyone’s gone except Maggie, she stands.
“Well,” she says. “That was fun. Not exactly ethical, but very, very fun.”
“Seb did that to himself,” I say. “He could’ve put the needs of the company ahead of his own needs, but he chose not to.” I shrug a little. “I don’t feel bad.”
“And you shouldn’t.” She smiles at me. “You’re going to make a good CEO, Josh. I think this merger is going to be very, very good for you and your investors.” She winks at Maggie and waves as she leaves the room.
I turn to my wife and she stands. She comes to me, wraps her arms around my neck, and kisses me.
I kiss her back, lifting her up off the floor.
I hold her like that, lips against hers, tasting her, feeling her body against mine, before putting her back down. She grins at me and I laugh, unable to help it. We laugh together, the pure joy and excitement of winning over that bastard Seb getting the better of both of us.
“I can’t believe that happened,” she whispers.
“I know. We couldn’t have done it without your cousin.”
“That’s what family’s for.”
I kiss her again, holding her tight. “I need you to know something,” I say. “I’m in love with you, Maggie. I want to be your family for a long, long time. I want to make this marriage real.”
She bites her lip. “I love you too.”
I kiss her, let it linger, and let the moment stretch on.
Without her, we would’ve lost. We both know it. I can’t deny that she’s making me a better man, a stronger man. And in return, I’ll take care of her. I’ll bring these companies together and make them stronger.
Just like we came together and made each other stronger.
My wife, my girl. I’ll take her, keep her, never let her go.
I kiss her again and hold her hand as we leave the room together.25MaggieTwo Years LaterI watch as Josh walks to the front of the room and holds his hands up. The crowd calms and watches him with eager expectation. I can feel the buzz in the room, the jolt of electrified excitement.
There are about fifty people, though that’s not the entire office, just the upper and middle managers. The carpeting is thick and plush with simple and inoffensively bland geometric patterns. The group stands near the front desk, just off the waiting room in the very modern open kitchen that serves as the break room for the whole office. The tables were pushed aside so Josh could address the group as a whole.
“Ladies and gentleman,” he says. “Welcome to BC Telecom.”
Applause rips through the space. He grins and glances at me. I stand off to the side, ten feet away, behind most of the crowd.
“I want to start by thanking everyone here,” he says. “You all made this possible through your hard work and sacrifice. Merging our two great companies hasn’t been easy, but we’re moving forward, building bridges, and getting market share. Together, we’re strong, and we’ll succeed where others have failed.”