“I did. At a diner near Flushing. Named Mama Sam’s. We made the best chicken fried steak in the county.”
Cécile laughed derisively. “Is that so?”
Sven wanted to bash his head on the bookshelves. He had dreaded this moment. He wanted to delay the meeting of these two women for as long as possible. Cécile was one of the reasons Seymour went to his early grave.
Cécile wanted to take over Dune Industry ever since she joined the company. She opposed the fact that her father’s name wasn’t included in the company name in the first place. Jacque Mason might have contributed money in founding Dune Industry, but it was Seymour Dune who made it big. The company has used eighty percent of his technology to be one of the world’s economic titans.
Her path was wide open when Sven stepped down and started his own firm. Having her father as one of the founders wasn’t enough for her. She wanted a solid ownership. She convinced her father to sell his shares to a group of private investors, and then influenced the board of directors to go public. Each year, Seymour Dune’s influence was crushed further into the corner. When Seymour became gravely ill, she thought she’d won the battle. But she didn’t anticipate that Seymour would appoint his niece as his successor.
Sven feared the worst. Cécile’s vendetta was now directed against Annalise.#p#分页标题#e#
“Isn’t he something?” Cécile waved at Sven. “Say, Annalise, as a waitress I bet you make mean cup of Joe. I haven’t had some since morning. Would you be a doll and make me some?”
“Sure. I saw the coffee machine in the kitchenette. How do you take it?” Annalise got up from her chair.
“With cream and two sugars, darling.”
“Annalise, stay where you are.” Sven turned to Cécile sharply. “If you want coffee, go ask your own secretary to make it. Anna is not your gofer.”
“But I don’t mind at all,” said Annalise cheerily.
“I mind.” Sven’s voice was louder than he intended. It made Annalise startle.
Cécile exhaled her breath theatrically. “Sven is always taking things seriously. Can’t you see I was joking? Anyway, Anna dear, I’ve got to run. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’d like to take you out for lunch one of these days. This company is run by chauvinistic males. We girls should stick together.”
“That would be lovely,” said Annalise. “I look forward to it.”
“Charming.” Cécile threw a flirty smile at Sven. “Later.”
Sven followed her to the door and locked it. Out of nowhere, a headache throbbed in his skull. “Anna,” he said hoarsely, “we must establish a rule in here: Do not let Cécile order you around. Never. You are the chairman of the company. Cécile is an acting CEO. You are her boss.”
“Okay.”
“Secondly, avoid her at all costs. Don’t trust anything she says. Consult me first if you have to make a decision.”
“Understood. May I ask why?”
“She’s trouble. She’s wanted your job for the longest time.”
“Why not just let her?”
Sven went speechless for a moment.
“Look at her.” Annalise pointed at a sheet of paper. “Cécile Mason, Md. PhD. Half the board of directors has medical degrees, doctorates or PhD titles. Even you have a medical degree and a PhD title. I barely graduated high school. I’m not qualified for this job. If Cécile is more than qualified, why don’t we let her?”
“Because that would be against your uncle’s wishes.”
Annalise went somber. “Uncle Seymour was surely being unreasonable. I feel like he’s using me.”
“Look, your uncle only wanted what’s best for you. In return, he wanted you to preserve his legacy.”
“What if I fail? This is the second time someone asked me to do so much. My mom asked me to take care of Robby, and if it weren’t for you, I would have lost him.”
“Anna.” Sven walked toward her and pulled her into his arms. “I won’t let you. You have me, remember?”
“I have you now. What about a year later? Will you be still making decisions for me then?”
A year from now Sven wanted her busy with motherhood. “We’ll burn that bridge when the time comes, all right?”
Four
Annalise tried to memorize Sven’s latest notes, but for some reason she couldn’t. She sat alone in Sven’s study with a stack of books to read and a tray of refreshments courtesy of Sebastian. For the past few days, Sven had been busy with his own work, and their tutoring had been put on hold. She went to Dune Industry by herself in the morning and spent the whole day perusing documents Sven wanted her to read. After work she drove to visit Robby and returned home by early evening. She ate dinner alone before shuttering herself in Sven’s mancave to study. Most of the stuff she tried to comprehend still didn’t make sense to her, though at least now she understood some medical jargon.