How to Resist Prince Charming(65)

After Davenport blew out of the meeting room, looking sick to his stomach, Braxton buried his face in his hands.

When he felt his father’s stare, he glanced up. “So, you would’ve fired him, huh?”

Spencer shrugged. “Doesn’t matter what I would’ve done. This is totally your decision, son. It’s your company now.”

Laughing harshly, Braxton closed his eyes and tapped a fist against his forehead. “But you think I made the wrong decision?” he pressed.

“Not necessarily. Tom’s been a loyal employee for twenty-five years. He has a lot of history with Farris. Firing someone like him would cost us a hefty price. But if it were me he’d lied to, and taking into account the fact I’ve worked with him longer than you have, I would’ve felt more betrayed by his behavior just now. Actually, I feel betrayed enough as it is. That he would do something like this to my son; I’d just like to go out there and...”

When he surged to his feet, fists balled, Braxton did as well. “Dad!”

But Spencer merely began to pace the room. “It’s probably a good thing you had to deal with this, now that I think of it. You can view this from an unbiased standpoint. You were able to keep a level head today, Braxton. I’m proud of you. You handled your employee in a professional, impartial manner.”

When Braxton snorted and shook his head, his dad finally paused to ask, “Why didn’t you fire him?”

Braxton closed his eyes and sighed. “Because I’m in love with his daughter.”





CHAPTER 23




Lenna dreaded approaching Farris Industries, but it was the second Tuesday of the month. She couldn’t not meet Tom for their basketball session or he’d wonder why. Since he didn’t know about her and Braxton—and she didn’t care what Braxton thought, her father didn’t know—then she couldn’t explain to him why she didn’t want to go anywhere near the cheating jerk’s company.

It’d been less than two days and she missed Braxton. If she wasn’t at work, she was at home, crying. Sometimes, she even cried at work.

Greg had called her into his office, concerned, but she couldn’t tell him what a snake his best friend was. She couldn’t talk about it with anyone.

Appearing confident as she breezed through the front door, Lenna kept out an eagle eye out for Braxton as she strode purposely toward her father’s office. But she encountered Ben Hendricks before she reached her destination.

He fell to a surprised halt. “L-Lenna? What’re you doing here?”

“I’m meeting Dad for lunch,” she said, frowning in confusion over the question. Ben knew all about their matches. “Like I do every second Tuesday of the month.”

The older man blinked. “But d-don’t you know?”

She frowned. “Know what?” The first shiver of alarm raced up her spine.

Ben licked his lips and darted his eyes down the hall before saying, “Tom...well, Tom was suspended yesterday.”

Her heart plopped into the base of her stomach. “What? Why?”

Ben’s face turned a bright, flushing red, and suddenly she knew. She’d dumped Braxton, and he’d gone after her father. She could tell Ben knew why too by the way he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“Excuse me,” she growled, brushing by him to storm down the hall.

She went straight to the executive office. As she approached the double oak doors that led into Braxton’s inner sanctum, she barely glanced at the secretary guarding the entrance. The seventy-year-old woman with styled gray hair was on the phone, but she quickly put her hand over the receiver as Lenna charged closer.

“Hello,” she said with a pleasant smile. “May I help—”

“Is Mr. Farris in?” Lenna asked, never breaking stride as she headed determinedly toward those two doors.

“Yes, but...Wait!”

The secretary hopped to her feet, but she wasn’t even around her desk by the time Lenna shoved opened a door.

Braxton sat at his desk with a pen stuck in his mouth as he simultaneously typed on his computer and studied a sheet of paper in front of him. He glanced up when she entered, and the pen dropped unnoticed from his teeth.

“Len—”

“You bastard,” she hissed, fisting her hands.

Braxton popped to his feet. Glancing behind her, he boomed, “Tasha, shut the door.”

Lenna didn’t notice the secretary’s hasty retreat or the sound of the handle clicking behind her. She advanced toward Braxton as he leaped out from behind his desk.

He was so beautiful and distinguished-looking here in his office, a fresh wave of agony washed through her. This man had made her fall for him and then he’d deceived her. To top that off, he’d gone after her father.

Her father.

Letting the fury inside her take over, Lenna wound back her arm and jacked him in the face.

“How could you do this to him?” She screamed as pain exploded in her hand. “What is wrong with you?” She cradled her aching knuckles to her chest as Braxton shook his head, dazed, and dabbed at his nose, then checked his fingers for blood. “Don’t you have a soul? Your company is all he’s ever known.”

“Lenna, please don’t,” he mumbled, and shook his head again. “I don’t want to fight with you. What happened yesterday between Tom and me was business. It had nothing to do with you.”