“Your results in a period when you have been heavily guided. I would call it a honeymoon period, but…” Robert let the statement trail off, to titters from the members of the board gathered.
All but one. David Gannet snorted. “Robert, you killed a horse so you could beat a dead one. You spent most of your early years at the company single, and with your nose planted in Henry’s ass. This is a non-issue.”
“I did, it’s true,” Robert said with a frown. “And it made my life more difficult. I wasn’t even the CEO, but I guarantee, it hurt my position.”
“More like, it hurt your pride,” David countered. “Gregory has given us results. Money is coming in. We’re a stronger presence in the market. That’s what matters.”
“For now. What about in a few years? When he’s not a fresh, new face on the scene anymore. What do you think they’re going to do then? He’s already given them fodder to turn him into another sort of media freakshow.”
Gregory turned off the projector to leave the room in darkness for a heartbeat. When he turned the lights back on, he wore a frown. “Is this where I have to remind a room of professional men that, for some of us, assistants are valued employees and not opportunities for misconduct? Should I help my assistant retain an attorney for a sexual harassment suit against my board of directors?”
He locked gazes with Robert, who frowned and backed down a step. “That isn’t what I’m saying. No one here cares what you do behind closed doors.”
“I care,” growled Edwin Madeau. “I don’t want to take my cues from some flaming homosexual and his pet tranny.”
“Then I will look for your resignation on my desk this week,” Gregory said in a too-calm voice. “Because this company’s forward march into the future will greatly bother your delicate sensibilities.”
Robert raised his voice. “Gentlemen. Listen, no one here has any right to cast stones. We all live in glass houses. The point is not whatwethink, but what thepresswill think. This is all about optics. Gregory, you’re young. You’re young, and you’re barely qualified for the position you find yourself in. Your personal life does not offset this impression. It shows a lack of stability and commitment. That is what shareholders are looking at. They want someone they can understand and approve of.”
Gregory folded his arms. “A thirty-three-year-old man who takes care of his mother and grandmother isn’t stable and committed.”
“Mama’s boy isn’t a good look, either,” Robert said. There were murmurs of agreement.
Charles Vanderpool spoke up again. “It’s nothing against you, Gregory. You’re doing a better job than we could have hoped for. You currently have public approval, and therefore, you have shareholder and investor approval. But Robert presents an image much more in line with what we hope to convey. Worked his way up from nothing, straight to Henry’s right-hand man. Now here Robert is, wife and two kids, accomplished and with knowledge to bring to the table. He’s practically the poster boy for the American dream.”
There’s the play. Robert’s been angling to take over. I wonder if it’s just because I didn’t make those payments, or if he’s been doing this for longer. There’s no way to tell, but I know damn well this is his doing.Gregory could see it in the man’s face, the faint smirk, the tilt of the chin, the smug triumph beneath the neutral expression.
Robert had engineered an attempted coup. And if Gregory didn’t figure out how to regain control of the situation, he’d find himself deposed before he could talk to a single shareholder.
* * *
The old boxesof medical records had accumulated decades of dust, cobwebs, and Hanna didn’t want to think about what else. She’d just finished cleaning them off, then cleaningherselfoff, when the knock sounded at her bedroom door.I thought everyone would be down at the party. Maybe Vivian came up to rest and wants to watch movies.
When Hanna opened the door, however, Vivian’s grim look did not bespeak a desire for snacks and television time. “Vivian? Is everything all right?”
“Do you want to help Gregory?” the older woman asked.
Hanna’s brow furrowed. “Of course I do.”
“Then follow me.” Vivian nodded to one of the house staff, who pushed her down the hall.
Confused and concerned, Hanna padded down the hall in her socks to Vivian’s room. Maids had stored the old dresses that had decorated the room days before, locking them safely away for what Hanna hoped wasn’t the final time. All but one. The magnificent blue dress still sat on its mannequin, a ghost of untapped potential from another era lurking in the room’s dim light. Vivian’s chosen assistant rolled her chair next to the dress and turned her to face Hanna.
“What’s this about Gregory?” Hanna asked. “Is the party not going well?”
“No. It isn’t. Robert has gotten a bee in his bonnet about something, and he’s trying to undermine Gregory with the board. If Robert succeeds, the board may decide to call an official meeting and vote Gregory out as CEO. I imagine they’d elevate Robert to that position instead.” Vivian’s frown hardened.
Hanna frowned, too. “He told me Robert’s been unhappy. I heard Gregory put Robert firmly back in his place the other day on the phone.”
“Apparently my boy didn’t slap Robert down hard enough.” Vivian sounded quietly angry, which was far scarier than the louder sort of upset. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into Robert, but I know what a cornered rat looks like.”
“What can I do?”
“You remember what we talked about before? About the rumors of Gregory and Martin, and the nonsense about Gregory’s personal life? That’s the leverage Robert has chosen to exploit. Too many rumors, not enough apparent commitment and stability. Traditional values. He’s presented himself as an authority on Gregory’s character, as well as the better choice for taking the reins of the company. We need to cast that into doubt for long enough that Gregory can swing the shareholders to his favor and have the board of directors replaced.”
Hanna nodded. “All right. That makes sense. Robert needs to look like he knows less than he does. That will make the board question if any of Robert’s claims are true, including that he’s the best man for the job.”
“Precisely. Here’s where you come in.” Vivian glanced at the dress, then back at Hanna.