No Ordinary Love (A Modern Vintage Romance #5)

31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Lucas

I sat at my desk, facing Kath.

Gene was seated next to her, his lawyer face revealing nothing, but I knew he was dreading this as much as I was.

Kath looked like a deer caught in the headlights—her eyes filled with disbelief at how it had turned out, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her designer blazer. I'd seen her confident, collected, even ruthless, but now? Now, she was just scared. And that made this all the more necessary.

She avoided looking at Gene and sat staring straight into my eyes. She could guess why the company's general counsel was in the room.

"Kath, we're going to have to let you go; you understand that, right?" I kept my voice cold and professional.

She opened her mouth, probably to try to talk her way out of it, but I held up a hand to stop her. I wasn't in the mood for excuses or justifications, not after what had just gone down in the boardroom.

"Your actions today were not only unprofessional but a direct threat to the stability of this company. You conspired with Hugh to undermine my leadership and take control of LPC. You were party to him blackmailing Michael; pressuring me to marry you."

"Lucas," she finally managed to speak, her voice shaking, "I was doing what I thought was best for the company. We were—"

"You mean what's best for my company?" I cut in, my voice hardening.

Her eyes welled with tears, and for a moment, she looked like she might break down entirely. But she straightened her shoulders, trying to regain some semblance of control. "Lucas, you can't just fire me. I'll sue you."

I leaned forward, planting my hands on the desk, locking my eyes with hers. "Does she have any grounds to sue, Gene?"

"No," Gene replied succinctly.

"I love you," she lashed out. "I did this because I love you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Bullshit."

She licked her lips. "I…I didn't know how else to keep you. Can't you see that we're meant to be together?"

"The fact that you bring in the personal during a professional relationship makes what I'm doing here even more important." I refused to be baited by her into discussing us .

"But…you left her for me and—"

"Stop," I cut in. "You've let our past personal relationship cloud your professional decisions."

Kath shook her head. "What are you afraid of, Lucas? That I'll hurt you again? I won't. I promise. I was stupid and—"

"I talked to Mercer." I delivered that blow softly.

She blinked and put a hand to her mouth, choking out her protest. She knew that I knew what had happened, what she'd done, who she was.

"Gene, please work with HR to process Kath's termination immediately. Make sure she's escorted out by security. I want this done by the book."

Gene nodded, his face giving nothing away. "Will do, Lucas."

Kath's eyes widened in shock as the gravity of her situation fully settled in. The shock was, in seconds, replaced by anger. "So, I made a mistake. Everyone does. You think you can just replace me? I'm a great CFO, and you have no right to terminate me."

"Actually, he does," Gene replied smoothly. "We can go through your contract, and I can answer all your questions. You're welcome to take everything to your lawyer and we can touch base again."

"Thanks, Gene," I said with a finality, indicating this meeting was over.

Kath leaned forward, her hands outstretched as if she could somehow reach across the divide between us. "Lucas, I didn't mean for it to go this far. I never wanted to hurt you."

I gave her my best corporate smile. "Thank you for your years of service, Kath. I wish you the best in the future."

Kath hesitated as if she might say more, but Gene rose, making it clear this conversation was over. "Kath," he said, his tone formal but not unkind, "I'll escort you to HR."

Kath stood up slowly and walked without her usual verve with Gene following her.

The door clicked shut after them, and the silence that followed was deafening. I let out a long breath, running a hand through my hair as I tried to shake off the residual tension.

I got up and began to pack, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. I was going home to my fiancée, and it was fucking awesome.