"They are grown men. I pay them well enough and give them enough responsibility that they’d never get such plum positions anywhere else. On the other hand, if they leave, I have ten other people waiting in line to replace them; so, if they want to leave, they are most welcome to do so."
She firms her lips. I pull the door open, indicating for her to get in, then walk around to slide in next to her.
"I did have one more question," she murmurs.
"What’s that?"
"Why do you use a dumbphone?"
"A what?" I frown.
"A non-smartphone." She gestures to the phone I’d just pocketed.
"Because I have an executive assistant who is supposed to screen my emails. And this way, I can focus on the more important decisions, rather than getting dragged into the nitty gritty of everyday operations."
As if on cue, the new smartphone I’d had waiting for her at her desk and which she’d picked up earlier buzzes. She pulls it out and gasps, "What the—"
"Problem?" I drawl.
"What? No." She scowls at the phone. The color fades from her features. She gapes at her screen, then gets busy with her fingers flying over it. I’m sure the emails are hitting her inbox. Chances are good there are at least fifty new emails clamoring for her attention in the ten minutes it took for us to get to the car from my office.
Hopefully she’s answering the ones she can, and forwarding the rest to me. I’ll find out when I get to my office, no doubt.
"We’re here," I murmur.
"What—” She glances up and her eyes widen. “Already?"
I push the door open on my side, step out and walk around to find she’s already on her feet. She glances up at the building we’ve come to.
"We’re atThe Shard?"
She blinks. Is she impressed? She should be, not only is it the tallest building in London, it also has the most expensive and well-known restaurant in the city. It’s also one of the few venues exclusive enough to afford me privacy, which is why I’d chosen it for this upcoming meeting. It wasn’t to impress her, not at all.
The security guard at the entrance snaps to attention.
"JJ, good to see you again, Sir."
I clap him on the back. "Good man, how are you, Gerard? How are the children?"
"I’m good, and they're not children anymore. Sabrina’s off to university, and Samuel is in his final year of school."
"No way." I stare. "Seems like only yesterday when they were born," I say slowly.
"Tell me about it. Time sure doesn’t wait for anyone." Gerard smiles.
“Not even for those who have money. That’s why it’s best to go for what you want in life. You never know, it might all be taken away tomorrow.”
“Wise words, Sir.” He holds open the door and Lena precedes me.
“Send my regards to the family.” I wave my goodbye then guide Lena past the bank of elevators to the private one at the far side. I press the button and the elevator doors open. I gesture for her to step in and punch the button for the top floor. Yeah, time sure does go by, and we often don’t even realize it. I was twenty-four when I had my daughter Tally and twenty-six when I had Isaac. I threw myself into building this business, wanting to give them everything I’d never had. In the process, I ignored my wife and children, and by the time I realized it, my kids were teenagers and I’d already lost them. Then next thing I knew, my wife and I were divorced, and my kids were leaving home. While my daughter was more open to having a relationship with me, Isaac refused to have anything to do with me. Yeah, time sure does fly, especially when you’re busy chasing a mirage instead of focusing on what you have under your own roof.
We ride in silence for a few seconds, then she glances at me. "That was a nice thing you did."
"Eh?" I blink then meet her gaze. "What’s that?"
"What you did back there—acknowledging the security guard, asking him about his family; that was very generous of you."
"Because I spoke to him?"