Bet On It: An Age Gap Billionaire Office Romance(55)

All this sounded very different from what had been in the report, and the thought that I was wrong about Analyn was making me sick. If that was the case, I was going to have to re-look at how performance reports were done.

"So, what's the issue with Analyn now?"

"She's been withdrawn, like she’s avoiding us. Initially, I wondered if it was related to something personal. I think one of her team members indicated that she was having some issue with her roommate or something.”

I nodded, knowing she was grappling with telling her roommate that her fiancé was a douchebag.

“Then, when I realized it was around her performance review, I thought her withdrawal was her hunkering down and wanting to make sure she corrected any of the issues we’d suggested she might work on."

That made sense. "You mean, except if her performance review said she was supposed to be listening to her team, avoiding them isn’t the answer."

Clive nodded, but his face continued to be scrunched up in confusion. "True, but that really wasn't the biggest issue. I'm not quite sure why that came through on her performance report. As I said, she and her team seem to work well together. Or they did. And I suppose they still do. It's not that they don't communicate at all, it's that it's primarily done through email since the review. I haven't talked to her yet because I wanted to check with you on how her performance evaluation had gone. I wanted to get a sense of how she might have interpreted our feedback that had her withdrawing from us."

I sat back, not knowing what to think. "As I said, the report I received indicated that she was dismissive and ignoring her team. If she were fixing that, continuing to ignore them doesn't seem to be the right answer."

Clive stared at me, and it seemed to me that we were talking about two different people even though we weren't.

Finally, I asked, "Are you happy with Analyn's work?"

His head bobbed up and down. "Yes, of course. She's innovative and enthusiastic. Or she was. Like I said, I was planning to talk with her today about her recent change. I don't know. Maybe she's got something personal going on at home and that's what's happening. But I knew her performance review was recently, and I wanted to check with you. Are you happy with her work?"

"You're a better judge about whether or not Analyn is good at her job.”

Clive stood. "I'll have a talk with her and explain my input on her performance review. I want to encourage her to get back involved with the team. I have been a little worried that she feels like we betrayed her in some way. It’s another reason I feel like the review system should include department managers meeting with their staff."

He had a point.

"Thank you for your time."

I nodded and watched him as he left, wondering what the hell had happened. How had the performance review been so misinterpreted by me? I was getting ready to pull it up on the computer to read it again when Catherine buzzed.

"Analyn Watts is insisting on seeing you even though I have told her that you don't have time on your schedule."

As far as I knew, I didn't have anything specific on my schedule today. Catherine was just doing what she did best, gatekeeping. And up until I met with Clive, I might have let her send Analyn away. But something was off.

"Let her in."

I reminded myself that I needed to keep this discussion professional. I couldn't ask her about her relationship with Bo even though it consumed me day and night. I had to finally remove the social media apps for my phone because I was tired of seeing the two of them making goo-goo eyes at each other. I was even nearly to the point of accepting the fact that the two of them might be perfect for each other. They were closer in age, while I was so much older than her. Better yet, he wasn’t her boss.

Analyn entered, her expression not revealing anything.

I held a hand out toward the chair in front of my desk. "Ms. Watts. Have a seat."

She walked up to the chair but remained standing. "I won't be here for long."

It was only then that I realized she looked a little pale, maybe even agitated. Like something had spooked her.

I sat down at my desk. "How can I help you?"

"After telling my roommate that her fiancé was a scumball, I ended up leaving my condo."

My eyes narrowed as I wondered why she was telling me a personal story. Especially since she was the one who had always been so adamant about keeping things professional.

"As I reached my car, a stranger confronted me. He told me he had a message for you."

I tensed. "What was it?"

"He said that Paradise Limited is considering a hostile takeover if you don't capitulate to their demands."

"Mother fucker." I said it under my breath, but there was no doubt that Analyn heard. I looked up at her. “Why are they telling you this?" I didn't really expect her to know. My question was more rhetorical. Why were Gino and his men targeting her?

"He prefaced his warning by saying he had a message for my boss, the one I was fucking."

I shot up from the desk. "He said that?" I wasn't sure what pissed me off more, that someone had approached her or that he would actually say those words to her. And how did they know about my relationship with Analyn? Had they staked out my home and made a guess when she showed up barely dressed the other night? Or had they seen us, maybe at the hockey game?