He knew the board would fire him if she went to them. They would take his job. The board had been looking for excuses to get rid of him after the RentTech debacle, and this would be a perfect excuse to fire him.
“You wouldn’t,” he whispered.
Lucy stared up defiantly. “I would. For this, I would.”
The betrayal hurt. Nathan had thought they were a team.
“I’m sorry, Nathan. I like you, but I like money more,” Lucy told him, reading his thoughts. “You taught me that. Money is everything.”
Her words hung in the air, haunting him.
Money was everything.
Or was it?
“This is a wake-up call, Nathan. You need to get back to what you are good at,” Lucy told him. “You need to head back to California and do your damn job. Things will go as planned. We’ll make money. That’s what matters.”
Nathan nodded. His head spun. Usually, he was the one in control. He was the CEO, the boss. How had he let this happen? How had he lost his way in this?
“Nathan, we’ll make money.” Lucy touched his shoulder, her voice soft and kinder now. “That’s what’s important, right?”
“Right.” Money was what was important. It was what drove him. It was what had always driven him.
“Okay.” Lucy smiled. “Your flight is scheduled in four hours. I already had Gregory pack your things. That should still give you enough time for dinner with what’s-her-name.”
“Holly. Her name’s Holly.”
What was he going to tell Holly? He could still see her smile when he told her the company was staying. She would be crushed. Her students, her father’s bookstore, her town... he was taking it all away from her.
“Sure.” Lucy shrugged. She frowned at his expression. “It’s going to be okay, Nathan. We’re going to make millions. Money is everything, remember?”
“Right.” He hoped he sounded more sure than he felt.
Lucy sighed, her face concerned.
“Boss, can I make a suggestion?” She put her hand on his shoulder.
“What? You have more companies you want to move?”
“The girl. She’s not good for you,” Lucy told him. “She’s got you all sentimental. You aren’t making sound business decisions because of her. It’s not like you. You don’t give up money for anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you aren’t yourself. Two weeks ago, you were a bloodthirsty shark. Today, you’re all cuddly and soft. You want to keep a business here because it’s the nice thing to do,” Lucy explained. “You can’t run a business and be nice.”
Nathan sighed. He had felt the same thing. He wasn’t hungry for the thrill of seeing his bank account numbers go up like he used to be.
“I think you need to choose between her and your business.” Lucy squeezed his arm. “I don’t mean to be cruel, but I want to be honest. I’m here to help you make money, remember? And she’s not helping you with that.”
“I know,” Nathan admitted. “I’m not thinking about the business when I’m with her.”
“And that’s a problem if you want to make money,” Lucy said. “It’s already a problem, but it’s just going to get worse.”
She grabbed a pen, scribbled something and handed him a slip of paper. It was big number and lots of zeros.
“That’s the projection,” Lucy told him. “That’s all going to be yours if you choose the company.”
Millions. Millions of dollars. He’d have an even bigger bank account. He felt the usual thrill of seeing money in his account. This would fix all the loses. This would make him happy. He knew it. Money always made him happy.