“All right, I’ll bite. What for?”
“One, I asked Tonia to give you an interview as a personal favor to me. Two, I just fired Buffy as a personal favor to you.”
“You did what?”
“I fired her.”
“That’s just great. You promised no more layoffs.”
“She was rude to you. I cannot allow that.”
“So you’re a liar now.”
“How is that lying?”
“You promised me.”
“One firing to help you. It hardly counts.” He looks utterly unfazed by my anger which irritates me more.
“It does in my book.”
“Yeah, and now she’ll really go for me.”
“I heard the way she spoke to you just now. You can’t have your employees treating you like shit.”
“So you decided to take away my problems? Is that it?”
“I thought you’d be grateful.”
“You thought wrong. Look, either I’m in charge, in which case I will handle things here, or you are, in which case feel free to take over.”
“You’d rather she was around to talk to you like that?”
“The only thing keeping her under control was her job. She already thinks I got Melanie fired. Now she’s going to make my life hell. She and Buffy have given witness statements saying I’ve been importing drugs. I was trying to get her to retract her statement, but that’s not going to happen now.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“Because I can handle my own problems.”
“Apparently not. I will deal with your witnesses.”
“Do not kill them.”
“You think that little of me?”
“I know you.”
“I promise, no physical harm will come to them.” He walks over to me. “Never let fear of other people’s reactions stop you from doing the right thing.”
“Good advice. Maybe follow it once in a while.”
“You’re heading toward a spanking, just so you know.”
“Won’t change the fact I know what I’m doing. I broke up with Oswald despite his threats. I know how to handle difficult people. I just don’t want to end up in trouble because of it.”
“The arrest she spoke of. Don’t worry. It won’t happen.”
“What? How do you know about that?”