is and outbid us,” Curt pointed out. “They can do any number of things. If there’s a spy on the team negotiating they can tank the entire process. Look, I called you as a courtesy to let you know what I’m planning on doing. I’ve got an ironclad contract so unless you want to pay me my salary and the guaranteed ten million you’ll owe me if you fire me, you should let me do my job.”
“Is he strong-arming you?” Mitch asked, his loafer tapping against the marble floor. “Because we can get rid of him.”
For a ton of money and he would have to go back to California and run the damn thing himself while he put on another exhaustive search for a CEO. He would have to leave the training program.
He would have to leave Amy and he wouldn’t have the chance to figure her out. Wasn’t that meaningful, too?
If he wanted to go up against the CEO, he would have to get the board together and they would have to vote. A no confidence vote against Hamilton could potentially trigger his contract based on whether it was on philosophy or incompetence.
If the board would vote his way. The board was still from his father’s era. They would likely be all for Hamilton’s maneuvers.
Frustration welled inside him. It was his fucking company and he was in a corner. “You be careful with this. Do you understand me?”
A sigh of blatant relief came over the line. “I’m going to let security handle it, and if Mitch wants to come over and talk to Paulsen himself, I think that might be a good idea. He’s got a great sense for telling bullshit from the truth. I’m not trying to cause trouble here. I know you’re sensitive to the way your dad conducted business, but he was right to treat Slaten like an enemy. I don’t think you understand how far the Slatens were willing to go to fuck with your dad.”
“Do you know why? My father never talked about it with me.” It was a mystery to him.
“I think it was personal. The rumors are at one point your father might have embarrassed Slaten or something. He held a grudge and it looks like his daughter is carrying on the family tradition.”
There were still problems with Hamilton’s plan. “Paulsen’s a disgruntled employee. I don’t think we can count on him to be honest about the woman who fired him.”
“Flynn, I know that you want to be an idealist and stay above the fray. That’s precisely why you hired me. I also know that eventually you’re going to want to sell this company and start your own. Let me do my job. Let me get you the best price we can get so you can start with more than enough money to be the businessman you want to be. I knew your father. He would want that for you. He had to get down in the mud and fight it out so you wouldn’t have to.”
The man was saying all the right things. “Like I said, be careful. Send me an update.”
He hung up the phone.
Mitch groaned. “This is why I don’t want to run that fucking company. Look, how do you want to handle this? If you’re unhappy with Hamilton, we pay him and get his ass out of here. I can get the board votes for you.”
He was so close to beta testing his software. So fucking close. It would be exactly what Hamilton had said. If they could get the infrastructure in place, they could sell it and then everyone would make a ton of money. If Chase wanted to run the company, Flynn would pass it happily off to him. If he didn’t, Flynn would likely have enough money that he could be free.
“He says you can come up and talk to him,” Flynn explained. “He’s going to be careful. He says this guy might know something about what Slaten is planning in the next few months.”
“And if he’s lying?”
“At least we’ll know we looked into it.” He was suddenly tired. “Is he right? Am I being idealistic?”
“Probably, but you have good intentions. Look, keep those good intentions going with Amy. You like the girl. That’s obvious. She’s not her father, but that doesn’t mean she
“Is he strong-arming you?” Mitch asked, his loafer tapping against the marble floor. “Because we can get rid of him.”
For a ton of money and he would have to go back to California and run the damn thing himself while he put on another exhaustive search for a CEO. He would have to leave the training program.
He would have to leave Amy and he wouldn’t have the chance to figure her out. Wasn’t that meaningful, too?
If he wanted to go up against the CEO, he would have to get the board together and they would have to vote. A no confidence vote against Hamilton could potentially trigger his contract based on whether it was on philosophy or incompetence.
If the board would vote his way. The board was still from his father’s era. They would likely be all for Hamilton’s maneuvers.
Frustration welled inside him. It was his fucking company and he was in a corner. “You be careful with this. Do you understand me?”
A sigh of blatant relief came over the line. “I’m going to let security handle it, and if Mitch wants to come over and talk to Paulsen himself, I think that might be a good idea. He’s got a great sense for telling bullshit from the truth. I’m not trying to cause trouble here. I know you’re sensitive to the way your dad conducted business, but he was right to treat Slaten like an enemy. I don’t think you understand how far the Slatens were willing to go to fuck with your dad.”
“Do you know why? My father never talked about it with me.” It was a mystery to him.
“I think it was personal. The rumors are at one point your father might have embarrassed Slaten or something. He held a grudge and it looks like his daughter is carrying on the family tradition.”
There were still problems with Hamilton’s plan. “Paulsen’s a disgruntled employee. I don’t think we can count on him to be honest about the woman who fired him.”
“Flynn, I know that you want to be an idealist and stay above the fray. That’s precisely why you hired me. I also know that eventually you’re going to want to sell this company and start your own. Let me do my job. Let me get you the best price we can get so you can start with more than enough money to be the businessman you want to be. I knew your father. He would want that for you. He had to get down in the mud and fight it out so you wouldn’t have to.”
The man was saying all the right things. “Like I said, be careful. Send me an update.”
He hung up the phone.
Mitch groaned. “This is why I don’t want to run that fucking company. Look, how do you want to handle this? If you’re unhappy with Hamilton, we pay him and get his ass out of here. I can get the board votes for you.”
He was so close to beta testing his software. So fucking close. It would be exactly what Hamilton had said. If they could get the infrastructure in place, they could sell it and then everyone would make a ton of money. If Chase wanted to run the company, Flynn would pass it happily off to him. If he didn’t, Flynn would likely have enough money that he could be free.
“He says you can come up and talk to him,” Flynn explained. “He’s going to be careful. He says this guy might know something about what Slaten is planning in the next few months.”
“And if he’s lying?”
“At least we’ll know we looked into it.” He was suddenly tired. “Is he right? Am I being idealistic?”
“Probably, but you have good intentions. Look, keep those good intentions going with Amy. You like the girl. That’s obvious. She’s not her father, but that doesn’t mean she
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