The Staircase of Dragon Jerico
Chapter Seven
“WITH AN EMPLOYEE?” Royce bellowed. “You know better than to get it on with an employee!”
“He was convenient, good looking, and well hung. You can’t expect me to do without all the time.”
Shannon didn’t feel bad about sleeping with Bruce. It had been fun. She was pretty sure Royce had spent at least one night this week with that classless beautician. If she was anything with him like she was in the beauty parlor, he’d have had to gag her to get her to stop talking. At least Bruce was an intelligent guy, and not looking to wreck her home.
“I’ve never complained about little affairs—and you haven’t either. But there has always been one rock-solid restriction. Not with anyone in the company! What does it look like when the president’s wife is getting boned by one of his employees? Do you think people won’t find out and talk? Your lover would be passed over even for legitimate promotions, just because it might look like favoritism. It’s that Bruce guy in architecture and planning, isn’t it? The one on the Mackenzie project. I should have known with all the trips to St. Louis. I expected so much better of you!”
“Like me sleeping with a guy you’re trying to cut a deal with? What was getting a commitment from our little consortium in St. Louis worth? Certainly, it was worth sharing your wife,” she fumed.
Not that Royce had to pressure her to sleep with the developer they’d met in St. Louis. But the guy was at least fifty. Gross. If it hadn’t been for her having pulled the deal together in the first place, they wouldn’t be sitting pretty now. Royce could sell anything, but it was Shannon who identified the opportunity that Interlake Land Holding was going to provide. They’d almost been too late to acquire the piece that would be big enough for a golf course.
“I’d be better off without you,” Royce shot at her.
“Don’t even think about it. If you try to divorce me for infidelity, I have enough evidence against you for the same to get the entire pre-nup thrown out. You’ll become the penniless president of JeriCorp.”
“Ha!”
Royce poured himself a glass of bourbon, then put two ice cubes in a second glass and poured for his wife. He handed her the glass. Anyone looking in on their bizarre relationship would believe they hated each other. Divorcing Shannon was unthinkable. He’d broken his own rule when he started dating the young finance person in his company. And it had been worth it. They were a team.
“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” he chuckled.
“A marriage made in hell.” They clinked their glasses together.
“Mostly hell for others,” he said. “It isn’t all that bad.”
“We have our moments,” Shannon laughed, glad to put aside the shouting at each other. Royce could be so dominating, it turned her on. “By the way, you know that bit you were out with this week is only after one thing.”
“That was obvious. Did you know she was out with Preston last weekend? Didn’t take long for that to fizzle.”
“I was a little preoccupied that night. Preston’s smart enough to keep a girl from taking half his empire. Are you?”
“Yes, but I’m also smart enough to use a condom. Preston dropped her off and never called her back.”
“Well, at least you know I’m not sleeping with anyone who wants to replace you.”
“That girl could never take your place. She had some talents, though.”
“Do tell.” Shannon put her glass down and put her arms around her husband’s neck. “Better yet, show me.”
They’d start celebrating New Year’s Eve a couple of nights early. Shannon could feel fireworks coming on.
“I’ve got to tell you, Preston, it will be hard to sell Cloudhaven in the wake of the upcoming layoffs,” Royce said as they met in Preston’s sitting area. They spoke quietly so Mrs. Armstrong couldn’t hear them at the other end of the room.
“It’s the way of our future. It’s not dependent on… on someone else’s profits. Not like Mackenzie. I never much liked that partnership.”
“You designed it,” Royce said.
“The design was good. Mackenzie wasn’t. I think we could foreclose on the property and continue construction under our own name. It’s speculative, but we could have it near completion before we can get anything constructed at the lake.”
“I like that idea. The bank there was friendly until Mackenzie defaulted. We could buy it out for pennies on the dollar. And then get them to fund the completion.”
“That’s thinking. It’s why you sit in the big chair.”
“You sit in the big chair, Preston. Don’t ever think I don’t remember that. I wish you could make these presentations to the board.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll provide the slide deck and narrative for you. You just need to sell it—like always,” Preston said.
“We need to let it rest a while and take the jobs in order. First, the personnel. Second, Mackenzie. Third, Cloudhaven. It’s the only way they’ll understand it.”
“I can be patient.”
Royce took the folder of papers on Cloudhaven with him. He’d need to study this carefully for the next month. He’d run it by Shannon, as well.
He went to his office. It wasn’t as large as Preston’s, but he didn’t live in it, either. Still, it was an opulent corner office overlooking Main Street. He had maximum visibility to employees. His secretary carefully guarded access to his inner sanctum, but he emerged several times a day to walk around the company, stopping to greet employees and ask about their projects, their families, and even the latest sports scores.
That was what Preston didn’t understand. Glad-handing the employees made them think they were important. He looked out over the open office on the fourth floor and contemplated how many people would be gone on Tuesday.
He opened the folder of employment cuts that Preston had given him. There was one adjustment he needed to make and no one needed to know he’d changed it.
The day after New Year’s was turning out to be a very bad day for Bruce. He’d tried to talk to Erin over the weekend, but she told him she never wanted to see or hear from him again. He didn’t blame her. Erin was more loyal than anyone he’d ever met. It was one of the things that attracted him to her, even though he wasn’t in her league when it came to love and loyalty.
He guessed he’d need to be the one to file for divorce. Mostly because he didn’t want to be the one served papers.
When he got to the office Tuesday morning, he was conscious of people looking at him. He couldn’t be imagining the hushed tones in the office or furtive glances as he walked by. How could anyone even know? He didn’t think Shannon was the kind of woman who spread word of her conquests around the office. It would harm her ability to do her job, just like it would hurt him. He sat at his desk, expecting to get started on a normal day. He’d been told to start putting together a plan to recover the Mackenzie project without Mackenzie involved.
First, email. There was a new meeting request, sent out that morning by his boss for a one-on-one. Bruce wasn’t worried about his performance and figured this would be about how to approach continuing the project. He’d managed the design reviews and meetings with Mackenzie perfectly. It wasn’t his fault that the company defaulted. He got his notes and files together and went to meet his boss in the downstairs conference room.
Ellen Barrett was with his boss. He hadn’t seen her since his initial interviews with HR months ago.
“Bruce, have a seat,” his boss said. “There’s no easy way to put this, so I’ll get right to the point. The Mackenzie project put a big hole in our finances when it was canceled. They announced they were filing bankruptcy and closing their doors. We have no choice but to eliminate our expenses for the project as quickly as possible. I’m afraid that means you and your team have been terminated.”
“Terminated? You mean fired?” Bruce asked in disbelief. “But what about taking over the project independently from Mackenzie? I have the folder here with all the numbers in it.”
“I’m afraid so, Bruce,” Ellen said. “We have people with longer service. Last in, first out. The entire company is being affected, not just your team. We’ve cut five percent of our employees, plus several contractors. I know you relocated to Jerico City recently and I want you to know the company is still committed to covering your relo costs, a portion of your housing, and we’re giving you a three-month severance package that includes your health benefits for that period. You should probably be sure you and your wife get doctor, dentist, and optometry appointments taken care of in that period of time.”
“Doctors,” Bruce mumbled. What if Erin was pregnant? This could be even more disastrous than getting divorced.
There was more. He had to sign a letter accepting the benefits. Ellen said something about an employment agency and assistance preparing his resume. And then a security person accompanied him to his desk and watched as he packed the few personal items he had there, collected his ID badge, and escorted him out.
On Wednesday, Bruce waited at the diner until Erin got off work and met her outside. She agreed to sit down and talk at the house when he told her he had important news he needed to share with her. Erin assumed it was about getting a divorce.
Instead, he told her he’d been fired and they had just three months of income to live on. It was shocking news.
“If I had any faith in you, I’d consider it just another rough spot we needed to get control of,” she said. “But what are you going to do now? Is there anything left here in Jerico City for you? We were supposed to have a good life so we could build together for our family. You threw us away before your company threw you away. I gave you everything. I borrowed against my 401k to make a down payment on this house and turned it into a livable home. I made you meals. I gave you sex whenever you wanted. I got a job so I could be a contributor. All for what?”
“I admit it all. I failed, Erin, not you. I’m not asking you to reconsider. I’ll get the papers drawn up. You need to know I got three months’ severance. There’s no way we can keep the house past that.”
Erin heaved a big sigh. She didn’t really want to come back to the house again anyway, though she was afraid she’d need to before her welcome wore out at Dolores’s house.
“I’ll call Livy Olson and get it on the market,” she said. Bruce nodded.
Bruce always thought Erin had a fiery temperament, but the reality was she had high expectations for people and didn’t easily tolerate disappointment. Bruce would ‘do the right thing’ by her and file for divorce. It would be easier for both of them if they just started over. Erin had been a rising exec in a national company when they met. Bruce had been an architect with a small firm in Cleveland. He’d promised Erin they would build the life they dreamed of. And he destroyed it.
“Mr. Sample will see you now,” the secretary at the law office said.
Bruce was conducted into a neat, but not elaborate office. This lawyer specialized in domestic issues, including divorce. Bruce just hoped he didn’t try to take too big a cut as his fee.
“Mr. Silvers, how can I help you today?” the lawyer asked.
“How quickly can I get a divorce?” Bruce asked bluntly.
“Thirty days from filing. Is that what you want? No chance of reconciliation?”
“No,” Bruce said, not committing to what question he was answering. “It shouldn’t be too messy. Equal division of assets. No children. The only major drawback is the house we just bought. She can have it. She owns most of it anyway.”
“Hmm. Your wife is able to afford the house?”
“Probably not. It will go on the market. I can’t afford it now, either. I lost my job. I’ll sign my share over to her.”
“O-kay. Let’s go over the process, the costs, and start the wheels in motion. If after our meeting today, you decide this isn’t the right thing to do, I’ll waive the fees. If we go beyond today, the standard fees will be due. Here’s my rate card.”
Bruce drew a deep breath and nodded. Of course, maybe it would be easier if he drove off a cliff somewhere, but he wasn’t that depressed. Maybe he’d pick up some cute girl on his drive back to Cleveland.
Thursday, Royce walked all five floors of the office, comforting and reassuring employees as he’d done the past two days. He assured them there were no additional layoffs planned and this had been a direct result of their largest client defaulting and declaring bankruptcy. It was vital the employees have faith in his leadership. None of them knew he was just a mouthpiece for Preston. They didn’t know Preston. By the time Royce had added his spin to the layoffs, people were believing the company was on the verge of a new era of profitability.
He walked into Shannon’s office and his wife smiled at him.
“What’s the temperature of the company today?” he asked.
“It spiked late yesterday. Things are settling in to normal today. We already have employees raiding the spaces of those terminated for everything from staplers to more comfortable desk chairs to abandoned plants,” she said.
Shannon was a vital link for Royce in the office. In her role as a financial controller, she had plenty of opportunity to talk to others and assess weaknesses. She’d shown that ability soon after coming to JeriCorp after college. And she applied the same principles to leveraging human capital as she applied to leveraging money. She’d exercised that ability when she decided Royce would be the right one to attach herself to.
She was probably smarter than Royce was, but Royce had the ability to put a good face on anything. Whatever scheme Preston came up with, he could sell. And Shannon was valuable to him for providing the insights and information from lower in the company.
“I’m still a little pissed that you cut Bruce. Was that necessary?” she asked.
“Not my call, you know. Preston signed off on all the cuts,” Royce said. Actually, it had been his call when he came into the office the previous Friday and edited the list before handing it off to HR. “It’s for the better, though. No word of your dalliance escaped. No one’s the wiser.”
“It wasn’t that big a deal, honey,” Shannon said. “When do you think Preston will be ready to move on that resort project? I need to talk to our consortium and reassure them it’s happening. We’ve been holding that piece of property for two years.”
“He’ll move on it this spring. He wants to lay out the street grid as soon as the snow clears.”
“I sure hope it pays.”
“It will, honey. Sweet talk those St. Louis boys and keep them in line. We’ll be set for life.”
Yes, Royce could overlook Shannon’s infidelities, just as she overlooked his. Hers were often more profitable. Together they were unstoppable.
“The special today is a hot roast beef sandwich with gravy and mashed potatoes,” Erin said when she’d seated Preston that day. “May I assume you’d like to try it?”
“Yes, thank you,” Preston said. Something was off. “Are you okay, Maizie?”
“I thought we were set for life,” she sniffed. “But my husband proved he couldn’t be trusted. He cheated on me and we’re getting a divorce. Happy New Year.”
“I-I am so s-s-sorry, Maizie,” he said. He didn’t usually stutter in the diner, but emotion turned him into a wreck.
“Oh, Jerry, I don’t mean to burden you with my problems. You look kind of down yourself.”
“I had to make some difficult business decisions this week. I’m sure some people were hurt by them.”
“You’re so sensitive. You need to take care of yourself. People recover from our kind of problems all the time. We will, too.”
“Are you going to stay in Jerico City?” Preston asked. It would be terrible if her divorce caused her to move away.
“I think so. I’m meeting with the real estate agent this weekend to list the house because I can’t afford it on what I make here. I’ve got an appointment Monday with an employment agency and plan to start papering the town with my resume. When I moved here, I didn’t think I’d need a higher paying job, but the idea of children is off the table now. I’ll be a working girl again.”
“A working girl?” Preston had little social interaction, but the term brought a very specific image to mind. He hoped he misunderstood.
“A girl who goes to work at 8:00 and goes home at 5:00,” she laughed. “Let me get your order in, or you’ll be late getting back from lunch.”
Erin busied herself getting his lunch and waiting on her other tables. Preston focused on his food. He wondered if there was any way he could help her without revealing who he was. He could scarcely offer her a job after having just fired thirty people.
“I didn’t expect to see this house on the market again so soon,” Livy said Saturday morning when she met with Erin.
“I didn’t expect to be single again,” Erin said as she sat at the table with the real estate agent.
“Oh, dear! Will we have difficulty getting a clear title?”
“My husband filed the divorce Wednesday and left town on Friday. He gave me a quit-claim deed for the house.”
“You know the quit-claim deed doesn’t excuse him from his liability to the bank for the mortgage,” Livy said.
“I have three months of mortgage payments guaranteed before I have to go into default. It was part of his severance package.”
“Oh dear. Lost his job, too? I guess that pretty clearly defines our timeframe for getting this sold. Will you be looking for work?”
“I’m getting ready to paper the town with my resume. It seems there are quite a few people suddenly out of work after the holidays. The agency told me it could be a long process, though they thought my resume was good if they can find a position commensurate with my experience.”
“Yes, everyone has heard about the cutbacks at JeriCorp and seem to believe they signal a downturn to the economy. Other businesses are following their lead. Let’s start the listing at ten percent above what you paid for the house. That might be too much to ask, but we can adjust downward if necessary.”
“I’ll keep it ready to show at any time,” Erin said. When Bruce left town on Friday, Erin decided she needed to move back into the house and out of Dolores’s home. It was hard to be in the house alone, but she disciplined herself to accept what happened and get on with her life.
“Good. You will be living here, then. We should take down the holiday decorations and make the house as market ready as possible. Let me give you a hand.”
Erin signed the contract and Livy stayed to help her put away the Christmas decorations. Erin was thankful for the help, but even more for the company, as she was near tears with every ornament she packed.
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