Troy’s ESPN interview had been a desperate, reckless act. It was exactly the type of impulsive behavior that had cost Andrea her career. Perhaps Troy was the Monarch more in need of her help. But getting him to accept her offer would be easier if he trusted her.
The situation was surreal—and unfair. Troy was grateful Jaclyn had arranged their meeting with Gerald. But why was he the one fighting for his job when Gerald was the one trying to destroy the franchise?
He’d taken the chair to the right of Jaclyn, who sat at the head of the small conference table. Gerald had the seat at the opposite end. Troy kept his expression blank as he held the other man’s triumphant gaze.
Jaclyn folded her hands on the table. “You were wrong to fire Troy without consulting me, Gerry. I’m the general manager. Personnel matters are in my purview.”
Gerald looked at Troy. “Are you hiding behind Jackie now?”
Troy spread his arms. “I’m right here.”
Jaclyn’s voice hardened. “According to our partnership agreement, you’re obligated to discuss personnel issues with me prior to acting. You failed to do so.”
Gerald gestured toward Troy. “Did he discuss his television interview with you?”
When Jaclyn hesitated, Troy spoke up. “No, I didn’t.”
Gerald looked from Troy back to Jaclyn. “Then you should thank me for firing him. Now you can hire someone you can trust.”
Jaclyn’s expression tightened. “I trust Troy.”
Gerald’s hard brown eyes glinted with challenge. “Do you agree with what he said during his ESPN interview?”
Jaclyn crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. “I didn’t say that.”
Troy interrupted again. “Jackie didn’t know I was going to do that interview. She’s made it clear she wasn’t happy about it, either.” How far was he willing to go to get his job back? Troy squared his shoulders. “I regret doing the interview and the things I said. I apologize.”
Gerald gave him a long, hard stare. Every muscle in Troy’s body tensed. His future—personal and professional—was on the line. Would he remain with the Monarchs? He couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. Tro
y held his breath, waiting.
“Good.” Gerald stood. “Since you’re here now, you can pack up your office.”
Shock punched him in his gut. Troy couldn’t move. He searched for words that would end this nightmare. But the other man’s gleaming brown gaze told him there was nothing he could say, nothing he could do to change Gerald’s mind.
Jaclyn pushed away from the table and rose. “We’re not done.”
Gerald turned to her. “Tell me, Jackie, what would you do if one of our employees disparaged you during an interview? Would you keep that employee on the payroll?”
“Troy has apologized.”
Gerald put his right hand on his chest. “And the words have warmed my heart. But I’m not obligated to accept them.”
Troy pushed himself to his feet. “You’ve spent years trying to destroy the team. We have evidence you were negotiating with that real estate investor in Nevada.”
Gerald shrugged. “So I’m interested in property in Nevada. That’s not a crime.”
Anger was edging out shock. “You tried to get Andy Benson to write a story you fabricated to damage Marc’s reputation. You also tried to get her to write negative stories about the players.”
Gerald crossed his arms and gave Troy a speculative look. “Most of your evidence is hearsay from Andrea. That makes me wonder if today’s Insider blog’s true.”
Troy frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t seen today’s blog post?” Gerald barked a laugh. “Well, I won’t ruin it for you.”
Jaclyn’s words stopped Gerald as he tried to make his way out of the conference room. “We’re rolling out a new marketing campaign. We need Troy to coordinate that. We’re also in the postseason. We need him to handle the increased interview requests.”
Gerald met Troy’s gaze over his shoulder. “I’ll supervise Troy’s staff until we find a replacement.”