"Thank you, darling," my mother said as she hugged me. "This will be such a nice evening."
I felt slightly guilty that I was about to cause my brother a whole world of pain, but I also knew that he deserved it. I'd told Leah that we'd keep the affair to ourselves since there was really no reason to destroy Jessie in front of everyone. Besides, I had a feeling that once Lincoln was no longer useful, Sloan would drop him like a hot potato and move on to the next rich and powerful man who could help fuel her career. She was ruthless that way.
A few minutes later, Martin led our guests into the living room where I greeted each of them with a glass of champagne and a lively toast.
"Well, isn't this a lovely evening you've planned, Jack," Sloan said as she linked her arm with mine and pressed her body against me. She was wearing a form fitting dress that looked like liquid gold stretched across her perfectly proportioned body. I wanted to shove her away, but I knew better than to do that before the main event. So, I smiled and nodded.
"This is quite the dinner you've set up, Jack," Lincoln commented as he peeked into the dining room and saw the elaborate set up. "It's good of you to invite us."
"Of course, I can't think of anyone I'd rather have here for such a momentous occasion," I said as I moved away from Sloan and grabbed the champagne bottle. "Tonight's a night for celebrating! More champagne!"
I refilled the glasses as I kept an eye on Sloan who had sidled up to my mother and was quietly whispering in her ear. Despite knowing about Sloan's treachery, my mother played it off like the consummate actress I knew she was. I cast a quick glance at Leah, and she smiled before turning her attention back to Jessie's latest story about Joey and Mimi's afternoon at the zoo. To her credit, Norma stayed on the outskirts of the conversations and simply observed what was happening. I flashed her a grateful smile, but she just nodded and turned her attention back to the conversations.
When dinner was ready to be served, we moved into the dining room and took our seats around the beautiful table my mother had prepared. The candles were lit, giving the room a romantic glow as they reflected off the beautiful china my mother had chosen for the table.
I sat at the head of the table with Sloan to my right and Lincoln on my left. My mother sat at the other end of the table with Leah on one side and Norma on the other, positioned as the audience. All through dinner, Sloan kept slipping her hand into my lap and squeezing my thigh. I knew she was anticipating the moment I made my big announcement, and this genuinely made me smile at her throughout the meal.
When the last plates had been cleared away, I stood at the head of the table holding my wine glass.
"I'm so grateful you could all be here for this momentous occasion," I began smiling at everyone as I looked around the table. "It was a terrible time losing Pop, and then when I was forced into the leadership position at Baby Steps, I wasn't happy. However, we found a way to make it work, and now the company is growing stronger by the day thanks to the hard work of one woman who has put in more time and energy than I could have ever imagined."
Sloan beamed brightly next to me as she looked around the table and then back up at me as I continued.
"There's no way I could have done as much as I've d
one without her, and I feel deeply indebted to her for standing with me as we figured out a way to overcome our latest challenge. Tonight's dinner is my way of thanking her for being such a team player and for contributing so much more to the effort at Baby Steps than I'd ever hoped she would. Her business acumen and her ability to work with the people who make Baby Steps great go above and beyond the call of duty. As a result I'm thrilled to announce that I'm promoting Leah to Senior Vice President of Distribution."
Norma, Jessie and my mother immediately began clapping as Leah looked at me shocked by the announcement. Sloan's face was a mask of disbelief and anger, but she quickly hid it and put on a wide, fake smile as she politely clapped along with everyone else. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lincoln's confusion, and I smiled as I held my glass high and said, "To Leah!"
"What about my contributions, Jack?" Sloan asked once we'd all taken a drink and congratulated Leah.
"Your contributions?" I asked with feigned surprise. She was playing right into my hand, "What about them?"
"I've done a lot to generate new business and bring clients on board," she said in a tone that tried hard to hide her resentment at being ignored.
"Indeed you have," I nodded.
"Then why aren't you promoting me to Senior Vice President, too?" she pouted.
"Ah, that's a very good question, Sloan," I said as I steadied myself for what was to come next. "And I'm glad you asked. I'll tell you why. I don't generally promote people who are actively trying to destroy my business."
You could have heard a pin drop as the room went silent. The look on Sloan's face was one of complete shock as I continued.
"You see, I'm aware of the fact that you have been negotiating with the Chinese and the folks in New Delhi to sell parts of Baby Steps' business to them," I said, looking down at her, no longer smiling. "And I've cut off all possibility of you doing any kind of business with them, or with me."
"Jack! How could you think I'd ever betray you like that?" she cried as she stood up and faced me.
"Probably because you've been working with my brother to undermine me with the banks," I said, turning my attention to Lincoln. The blood drained from his face as I recounted the ways in which he'd sought to sabotage the business and make it easier for Sloan to negotiate with foreign companies.
"How do you know this?" Lincoln demanded. "There's no evidence of any of this!"
"That's where you're wrong, big brother," I said as I nodded at Norma who stood and walked into the hall, grabbed the folder she'd left on the table, and brought it to me. I opened it and pulled out the copies of all the evidence we'd compiled and tossed it in front of Lincoln. "Here's all the evidence. Feel free to take some time to read it, but I'm fairly certain that you're already quite familiar with it, seeing as you drew up most of the paperwork."
Lincoln studied the papers as Sloan silently fumed across the table,. I waited until he'd looked through the whole stack to drop my next bomb.
"So, as you can see, your attempt to break up Baby Steps was unsuccessful," I said. "And as a result, I've decided to switch banks. As of tomorrow, Baby Steps will be working with First National of New York, and as soon as I am released from the contract I signed, I'll be shifting my own funds as well."
"You can't do that!" Lincoln exploded as he shot up out of his chair. "You cannot move the business!"