Page 198 of Fierce Storm
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Of course.”
“I—” My phone buzzes loudly across my glass desk, pulling me from my thoughts. “Sorry, one minute. This could be an update from the Storm game. It should be halftime by now.”Another thing to add to my guilt. I should be there. It’s our first goddamn game.
I jog over to my desk and grab my phone, my proposal for Daniel burning a hole in my hand. Now that I’ve made my decision, I want it over and done with.
Daniel nervously taps his foot and I laugh. “You’re not getting fired if that’s what you think. This is a good thing.”
“You couldn’t fire me if you tried.” He chuckles. “I know too much.”
“Very true. Not to mention you’re irreplaceable.”
“Don’t ever forget it.”
“Trust me, I won’t. I’m relying on that for what I want to talk to you about. How would you feel about taking over for me on a permanent basis?”
“A permanent basis?”
“Yes, I want to name you CEO and step back from running the company. Completely.”
“What? You’re joking.”
“I’m really not. You’ve been running it without me ninety percent of the time anyway, so you deserve the title and all that goes with it.”
“I’m. I… Fuck. I have no words. Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been surer about anything.”
“What’s the catch?”
“There isn’t one. I’ll make sure everything the Mikklesons have done is fixed and the company’s back to running smoothly. But while I’ll still remain the owner, I want to take on more of apassive role, closer to that of a silent investor. Other than that, D’Angelo Construction would be yours.”
Daniel stares at me, unmoving, his eyes wide, his mouth parted as he processes what I’m saying. I understand it coming as a shock, because no one thought I’d ever leave this place. And if I’m honest, neither did I. But it feels right.
“Do you need a minute to think?” I ask, as I pick up my phone, making Daniel laugh.
“I need a minute to wake up.”
I head back to the couch and hand over the official offer, before finally checking my alert. Since I expect it to be about the Storm game, I have to read it twice for the words to sink in.
Breaking news: Billionaire and NFL’s youngest team owner, Salvatore D’Angelo, is officially off the market. Cue the tears from all the single ladies out there because sources say it’s the real deal. His new girlfriend, 33-year-old Keeley Reynolds, was seen returning to her media liaison job today with the San Francisco Storm following a broken ankle. We’re yet to see any photos of the two, but there’s a good chance they’ll make their public debut together at the Storm’s charity event next month.
Motherfucker.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen.” I toss Daniel my phone before rushing to my desk and throwing my laptop into my bag. “I have to go.”
“Go? Where?”
“Home. Read the alert.”
His eyes drop to my phone before he curses under his breath. “You never told me she was thirty-three.”
“That’s not the point, Daniel.”
“You’re right, sorry. The timing isn’t great with the Mikkleson threats.”
“It’s not. At all. What the fuck was I thinking? I should have done more, well before it got to this point.”
