And it boils my blood.
I take a sip of champagne, keep my cool on the surface. ‘She’s an exceptional CEO; the company’s lucky to have her.’
He eagerly nods his agreement.
‘So, tell me, Ethan, why the surprise? Why the negativity? Why the unease spreading through the board that she’s not up to the job?’
He frowns at me, a cough rumbling at his double chin. ‘Why, I don’t... I’m not sure what you mean...’
‘Come on, Ethan.’ Both my smile and tone are purposely conspiratorial. ‘You know exactly what I mean.’
‘Well, I...’ He clears his throat, his cheeks taking on a ruddy glow. ‘Look, you can’t blame us.’
‘I don’t blame “us”. I blame you.’
I can’t keep the menacing tone out of my voice now. I’m too angry, too disappointed in him—a man I’ve always respected, believed to be wise, honest, loyal. Hell, he’s known Lexi almost as long as me.
‘Now, hang on, Ethan.’ He waves a hand at me, but he doesn’t meet my eye. ‘I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I can assure—’
‘It’s not just what I’ve heard—it’s who you are. You keep these board members in check. What you say goes. It’s been like that since I was a boy and I’m sure it’ll be like that for a long time yet...’
My tone is back to being level now. I want him to know I’m serious, and that means taki
ng the emotion out of it. Making it about the business.
‘Unless, of course, I have something to say about it. Maybe it’s time the board had a shake-up.’
I know the power I wield. My money and my influence buy me the ability to deal with things as I see fit—and even someone of Ethan’s reach and influence can’t fight that.
I can’t deny that using my power to address his treatment of Lexi feels exhilarating. Far too satisfying to be purely business-driven.
‘Seriously, Cain, you can hardly blame me.’ To my surprise he visibly relaxes. ‘You’d have done exactly the same in my position.’
I can’t believe he has the audacity to say it, let alone believe it. And I know he does believe it. It’s written all over his face.
‘Look, Alexa and Liam were a team,’ he continues. ‘United, they were a force to be reckoned with. Apart...’
I grit my teeth as I bear the weight of his words, wait for the familiar stab of jealousy, the grief that I can’t afford to succumb to...
‘She’s a force on her own,’ I say.
‘I agree. But you can’t blame us for having doubts.’
Christ. I’m not jealous—I’m angry. Angry at their lack of faith in her.
‘She has given the company everything to ensure its success, to ensure Dad and Liam’s legacy lives on. You should have trusted her.’
He faces me head-on now, his forehead crinkling as he raises his brows. ‘Okay, I’m going to level with you—but you may want to be careful what you report back to Alexa.’
It’s my turn to frown. I’m completely thrown, flummoxed. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘Yes, she’s an intelligent, talented programmer; yes, the employees and the clients love her; yes, she leads and people will follow,’ he says. ‘But you’re forgetting that she’s lost the only father figure she has ever known and her husband, her best friend, her business partner in one fell swoop. Losing just one is hard enough. Christ, I took a month off when my wife passed—’
He breaks off, his eyes flicking away, and when they come back to me they glisten with such sorrow, such heartache, that I’m lost for words, guilt crushing me. It isn’t that I’ve forgotten, but it isn’t like I was here either. I haven’t even paid my respects.
‘I was so sorry to hear about Louisa,’ I say, when I can manage it.
He shakes his head at me. ‘Two years and still it hurts like hell. But what I’m saying is, even that month wasn’t enough. I couldn’t think straight. I had to pull in extra support. Alexa...’ He shrugs. ‘She was like a woman possessed—back in the office within a week, like nothing had happened, issuing directives, taking control... I know she was proving she could do it, proving that your father’s faith in her, your brother’s too, hadn’t been misplaced. I tried to tell her to let it go, to be with Marie, to take some time, that we would organise interim support.’