“I think the best thing for you will be to lie low for a while.”
“Lie low? You mean like a diamond thief?”
“I mean you should keep clear of Malcolm and focus on the acquisition strategy.”
“For how long should I lie low and avoid my chief executive? Henry, that does not sound good.” She pushed the half eaten chocolate triple bypass on a spoon away.
“A year, maybe two.”
“What?” Her eyes went to the door because she’d virtually shouted that, but it remained closed.
“Jacinta. I’m sorry, but Malcolm is going to nominate Tom as CEO.”
“No, that can’t be right.”
Henry didn’t reply and all the shadows piled up together until they were one big monstrous, smothering mass, bearing down on her, crushing her. “That can’t be right.”
Henry sighed. “I was due to come see you. Things moved faster than I expected. Malcolm feels that you’re discontent with the direction of the bank and, as leader, you’d endanger its profitability.”
She put her hand to her forehead as if that might help contain the riot of thoughts in her brain. “Malcolm thinks.”
“Malcolm and the board.”
She slapped her hand on the desk. “And you, Henry, what do you think?” If Henry was against her, she had no chance of reversing this.
“I think you’re an extremely competent and capable leader. I think you’ve proven your insight and intelligence and that you have a mind of your own.”
“That doesn’t tell me anything.”
Henry grunted. “You’ve proven difficult to control.”
She stood up and turned to the glass wall behind her. The whole city spread out to enjoy. “You make me sound like a wayward horse.”
“The Kincaid thing was... Well, it proved a sticking point for Malcolm.”
She closed her eyes as the city and the truth became too hard to see. The Kincaid thing was her sticking point too. “What you’re really saying is Malcolm wants to live forever and never give up control, but the board won’t let that happen, so installing Tom is the next best thing.”
Henry stayed silent.
She leaned a hand against the glass, cool under her palm, then snatched it back. Mace had been doing that when the bomb went off, and now her own personal career bomb was timed to explode. “And you’re going to stand for that?”
“I’m going to put it to a vote.”
“And I’m going to lose, aren’t I?” She held her breath to see if Henry pressed the detonator.
“You can continue to have a wonderful career at Wentworth.”
And there it was—countdown to a spectacular career blowout. “But not as CEO.”
“No, not as CEO.”
It was over. It was a dust cloud in the distance; one she’d been too stupid, too arrogant to see coming.
“You know this stinks, Henry.”
“I know. It’s life. Nothing is certain.”
She’d said that to Mace about her mother, she wasn’t thinking it applied to her, then, now. “I’ve given all of my twenties and the start of my thirties to this business, heart and soul.” Her voice shook and she hated that.