Chapter 9 - The Unexpected Promotion
Sterling let out a nervous, breathless laugh on the other end of the line.
"To you, Emily. Or rather, to your father's designated family trust, which was filed as the primary lienholder on the property this morning before the county arrived."
The world seemed to tilt slightly on its axis. I lowered the phone an inch from my ear, staring at Dad as he leaned casually against his truck fender, whistling softly while winding up an extension cord.
The man who had spent thirty years fixing other people's broken pipes, who had endured months of snide remarks from Richard and condescending glares from Melissa, hadn't just collected a debt. He had quietly checkmated the entire executive board of my company.
"Emily? Are you still there?" Sterling’s voice crackled through the speaker. "The board wants you in the downtown office by three o'clock. We need to discuss restructuring the department... and, ah, perhaps your immediate promotion to Senior Vice President of Operations."
I stared at Richard, who was now being placed into the back of a county patrol car, his head bowed in absolute defeat.
"I'll look at my schedule, Mr. Sterling," I said coolly. "Though I have a lot of paperwork to catch up on today."
I hung up the phone before he could reply.
Beatrice turned her sharp, intelligent eyes toward me, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "I take it corporate headquarters has finally figured out who owns the ground they're standing on?"
"They have," I whispered, shaking my head in sheer disbelief. I turned to my dad. "Dad... when were you going to tell me that we owned the corporate building downtown?"
Dad stopped winding his cord, looped it neatly over his arm, and gave me that same calm, unbothered smile he had worn by the pool the day before.
May you like
"Never mix business with plumbing, sweetheart," Dad said, walking over to pat my shoulder. "Though I figured it was about time your boss learned the cost of a proper excavation."
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