Annihilate Me 2: Vol. 1 Read Free Page A

  Whether you know it or not, your husband
is fighting for his job in that boardroom.”
    “Fighting for his job?   What does that mean?”
    “Including Alex, there are eight
members on the board.   You know
that.   What you might not know is
that his father cultivated the old guard.   Thank God, four of them are still on it.   They’ve known Alex since he was a boy,
and, unless things get increasingly ugly and they believe they have no other
choice, they’ll remain loyal to him.   But there are three relatively new members who don’t share that same
kind of alliance—especially that smarmy little sonofabitch Stephen
Rowe.   The newcomers are only
thinking about the bottom line, not to mention the pressure they’ve already
received from investors and will continue to receive throughout the day and
possibly the coming weeks.   Rowe is
nothing if not persuasive.   Worse,
he’s also a snake in the grass—a true opportunist.   If he wanted to, he could convince other
members to publicly side with him against Alex.”
    “Why would he do that?”
    “Isn’t it obvious?   To create the sort of PR nightmare that would
cause your husband to step down for the greater good of the company.   You’re correct on one level—Alex
has the voting shares in his favor.   But he’s a good man.   He’s a
conscious man.   And if he was
pressured enough to step down ‘for the greater good of the company,’ I think
he’d do it out of respect for what his father built.   Rowe is the problem.   I know what he’s going to do.   I know that he’s going to lobby the
board to pressure Alex to step down so he can take his place.”
    “I think you’re being
melodramatic.”
    “I think you’re being naïve.”
    “Barbara, where is this coming from?”
    “Years of experience that you don’t
have.”
    “Maybe not, but I do have common
sense.   And I also know Alex.   Since when has he ever been averse to
dealing with pressure?   If he wanted
to, he could crush Rowe.   And
please, fill me in.   Why are you
being so hostile?”
    “Because I know what Rowe is
capable of.   I warned Alex against
him before he even invited him to join the board.   I’ve never trusted him.”
    “On what grounds?”
    “Gut instinct—and
reputation.”
    “Even if he tried to do anything to
Alex, he wouldn’t have time to pull it off.   Don’t you get it, Barbara?   Time is against him.   With Wenn’s stock so low, we now have a
buying opportunity at hand.   This
could be over by week’s end.   The
stock may be back to normal at that point.   Why is everyone signaling the potential ruin of Alexander Wenn just
based on what’s happened today?   It’s ridiculous.   It’s a
misguided hissy fit.”  
    I pushed back my chair and
stood.   I loved Blackwell, but where
was her faith in Alex?   “Don’t you
believe in Alex more than that?” I asked.   “The company has only grown since Alex took over after his father killed
himself.   I’ve already said it once
today, and I’ll say it again—today is a blip.   My husband is a genius.”
    Before she could say another word
to me, I left her office, shut the door firmly behind me, and walked down the
hallway to the bank of elevators, still stunned and discouraged that our
exchange had gone so far.

 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER THREE

 
    When I returned to my office, I was
sidelined by Ann, who motioned me away from her desk and the proximity of
Alex’s office, presumably for privacy.
    “The board just broke up,” she
said.   “Alex is in his office.”
    “That was sooner than
expected.   How did he look?”
    “Furious.   I’ve never seen him so upset.   In an hour, he plans to hold a press
conference.”
    “I knew that one was coming.   Naturally, one had to come—and in
this case, the sooner the better.   When I first got here, I asked Tank to make sure that it was held in the
lobby, not outside.”
    “I’ve since talked with him.   Everything is