“Five years passed before I saw him again…”
Katherine closed her eyes, her memory taking her back in time. She remembered those days like it was yesterday. When Joseph and she had finally figured everything out, he’d told her the whole story, from beginning to end…
His grandfather had made a mess of things. Royally! Joseph sat back as the jet circled the Seattle airport.
He was coming home.
His mind should’ve certainly been on his family’s corporation, who’d be elected to C.E.O. It couldn’t be his horrible uncle. When his father had called him, telling him everything his grandfather had built was about to be destroyed, Joseph knew that there was no question he’d come home.
He loved his father. He adored his grandfather – may he rest in peace. He hated his uncle. The man had venom running through his veins, and he had to be stopped…
Joseph didn’t know if he could save the corporation, but he’d fight to the death for what his grandfather had built and what his father had worked hard to maintain.
The loss of his grandfather sent the stocks plummeting, people running scared since they didn’t know which Anderson would take over.
Joseph’s father, Milton, was a kind man, a caring person, but he wasn’t the type of man who wanted to head a corporation. He didn’t have the shark inside that was needed.
Joseph, however, did.
Since his grandfather’s death, only a month ago, his uncle Neilson had been gunning for the C.E.O spot. He wanted one thing, and that was to beat out his brother, Milton, Joseph’s father.
The two were twins, but about as different as any twins could be. Inside and out. Milton was kind and tried to help everyone, where Neilson was greedy and thought of no other than himself. He was the epitome of evil, and he absolutely couldn’t get his greedy hands on the corporation.
Too many jobs would be lost. Too much damage left in his wake, and he wouldn’t care. He may care, but only to laugh as he squashed the little people beneath his ten-thousand dollar loafers.
The light flashed on for him to fasten his seatbelt, so he quickly did as he looked out his window at the gloomy Seattle evening. His lips tilted up at the corners.
Katherine.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her, even after five years. He’d been head over heels in love with her. No one before – and certainly no one after – had come close to Katherine. She’d stomped all over him, and then walked away without a second thought.
He was determined to get her out of his system. He had to see her again. His lips tilted up more. She was working for the corporation, a member of the board. She held one of the votes on who would take over as CEO. His little innocent Katherine had changed greatly since the first time he’d met her.
Of course, she hadn’t really been the innocent little thing he’d thought she was during that first dance. She’d taken his breath away for two months. Her innocence - intoxicating. How he’d wanted to take her, claim her – possess her. But he’d waited…
His stomach knotted as the jet started making its final descent into the Seattle Airport. He wasn’t waiting any longer.
“Can I take that for you,” the flight attendant asked, irritating him.
He wordlessly handed her the glass. She gave him a wink before she turned to walk to the front of the aircraft with his empty cup.
She’d flirted with him the entire flight, making it more than clear he could take her home for the night. He sighed in frustration. As usual, he just wasn’t interested.
As the jet touched down, then began its taxi to the gate, Joseph’s anticipation grew.
Soon he’d see Katherine. Soon, she’d be in his arms. Then, he’d finally purge her from his system...
“How many times do we have to go over this? Neilson has been practically running this company for the past ten years. Benjamin was a great man. He started the corporation, but he’s been sick a long time. Milton just isn’t capable of keeping us on top.”
Katherine felt a pounding headache coming on. She hated these meetings. She hated the politics involved. All she wanted was a hot shower and ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. She knew one of those things could happen, not the other.
She never managed to get more than five hours a night before her phone was ringing with one emergency after the other. Life had been chaotic since Benjamin’s death. She feared it would only get worse before the event was over.
“The worst thing we can do is make a rushed decision. This situation needs to be handled delicately. The investors are already scared – if we rush into anything, the corporation could come tumbling down around us,” Katherine scolded.
One of the other board members sent a glare her way. He was from the old-boys club, where he didn’t think women should sit on the board of directors. She’d always despised him. Her dream hadn’t been to sit in endless meetings, but life had turned out that way. If she could deal with it, he certainly could.
She hadn’t wanted to work for Joseph’s family, but during her time with him, she’d formed a real bond with his father, Milton. When Joseph left, Milton had practically begged her to take a job at the main offices. It hadn’t taken her long to earn her stripes, so to speak, and quickly rise to the top.
She smiled fondly, remembering Benjamin. He’d been a good man. At least she’d had the last five years with him. She despised Neilson. She found him the slimiest of snakes, but she had to keep that opinion to herself. After all, her job was to remain objective, not to take sides. The only side she could be on, was the side that benefited the corporation in the most positive way.
“On the other hand, we don’t want to take too long and make the investors think we’re incompetent. They need to know we can make a decision,” he countered.
“They’ll have more faith if we do a thorough job,” she countered.
They argued back and forth for a while longer before the meeting broke up, agreeing to reconvene in three days. They each had their own investigating to do.
Katherine walked to her office and sank into her chair, her head falling forward. It had been another long day and that shower was sounding better with each passing hour.
Her thoughts turned to Joseph, as they often did. She knew there was a chance he’d come home during the negotiations, and she needed to be prepared.
Five years, it’s been five years. You can do this, she told herself.