CHAPTER 8: THE QUEEN OF THE BOARD
Two years later.
The skyline of the city glittered outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of my corner office. I stood behind a massive oak desk, reviewing the quarterly profits for the holding company. We were up twenty percent.
The intercom buzzed. "Ms. Parker," my assistant's voice came through. "Your 3:00 p.m. meeting is here. And... there is a woman downstairs at the reception desk asking for you. She says she's your sister."
I didn't stop reading the financial report in my hands. "Did she have an appointment?" I asked smoothly.
"No, Ma'am. She says she needs a job. She looks pretty desperate."
I looked out at the city my father had helped build. I thought about the tears I had cried when I found out the truth. I thought about the pain of being used as an investment.
But pain is an excellent teacher. It burns away the weak parts of you, leaving only the iron behind.
"Call security," I instructed my assistant, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "Have her escorted off the premises. And make sure her name is permanently added to the building's blacklist."
"Right away, Ma'am."
I set the report down and picked up my coffee. The house was mine. The company was mine. The future was mine.
May you like
My father was right. Kindness isn't weakness. But forgiveness? Forgiveness is a luxury reserved for those who actually deserve it.
Everyone else gets exactly what they earned.
