Alpha Billionaire Series

NASH

I'm sitting at the highly polished, elegant, walnut conference room table and listening with only half an ear as my father, the illustrious Thomas Beckett, CEO and President of TB Technology, drones on and on.

Iwish he'd just get to the point and delve into what we're all waiting to hear- who did he choose to promote to Vice- President? Me, his oldest son, or her? Even though I've been avoiding eye contact with her for the past hour, my eyes inevitably drift over to slyly observe the cool blonde who sits directly across from me.

Charlotte “Charlie” Langley.

If she didn't have such a huge stick up her ass, I might've found her attractive. With shoulder-length, honey-gold hair and keen aquamarine eyes, she has so much potential, but she shuts down any s* appeal she possesses with her high-strung, uptight, pretentious attitude.

Charlie is nicknamed “The Ball-Crusher” for a very good reason and luckily, I've been able to keep my jewels out of her trap. So far, anyway. To a certain extent, I get it. She's a woman in a man's world, trying to be heard and make her way to the top, blah, blah, blah. Too bad she has to be such a complete and utter bitch while doing it.

I hate her part of me wants to lunge across the table, grab the lapels of her smart suit jacket and throttle her. I'd love nothing more than to get this damn promotion and kick her a*s to the curb. See ya, babe. Go work for one of our competitor and make their lives miserable instead of mine.

Charlie is the Head of Marketing and I'm the Head of Finance and we're both up for the position of Vice-President. Being the owner's son, you'd think I'd have it in the bag. Far from it, though. My father is a prick, and our relationship is contentious. He's old school, 'm new school. Hell, up until a year ago, the women in the office were all required to wear nylons and skirts No pants. After a lot of convincing, and with the men onboard, we were finally able to convince ol’ Thomas to change the antiquated dress code.

Vm still working on trying to establish Casual Fridays. I have a pretty good feeling that as long as my old man’s in charge, it's not going to happen.

That's one of the reasons I want to get this promotion. I have so many ideas and it's time to bring TB Tech into the future. It has lingered in the past long enough like a lumbering dinosaur on the verge of extinction.

Charlie, on the other hand, embraces tradition. It's a key point that she and my father agree upon and, of course, she still wears the panty hose with skirts and wouldn't dare show up in a pantsuit. Especially not today when my father is on the verge of promoting one of us in front of the entire board.

A part of me suddenly wonders if she’s full of shit and just manipulating Thomas into giving her the promotion by agreeing with everything he says and does to the point where it's ad nauseam. Truthfully, she’s full of ideas, some of them even good and my dad plucked her from a rival firm because of her forward-thinking. She's tough, resilient and fast-paced just like the city we live in- New York City, the greatest metropolis in the world.

Truthfully, there's nothing about Charlie Langley that's old-fashioned except her panty hose.

A sinking feeling fills my gut. Have I been played? Did Charlie give me just enough rope to hang myself? Ah, for fuck’s sake. I look down at the cold coffee in my mug and feel it regurgitating up the back of my throat.

“Now, onto what I think you've all been waiting to hear,’ Thomas says, looking down the length of the table.

I'siton his left side, Charlie sits on his right, and we both glance up at once. C'mon, Dad. For once, don't let me down. My hands clench into fists of anticipation beneath the table.

“Choosing a new Vice-President hasn't been an easy decision and I have two excellent candidates who could both excel in the position,” Thomas says. “However, after careful consideration, I feel that one person aligns more with my thinking and embraces my belief in maintaining tradition while also moving forward.”

My heart plummets. He chose her over me. The thought fills my head and my stomach cramps up.

“Everyone please congratulate our new VP- Charlotte Langley.”

Sonofabitch.l can't fucking believe this. My own father just betrayed me in front of everyone and the cut is so deep that I don't think it's ever going to heal.

As the board members congratulate her, my head snaps up, gaze clashing with hers. It's weird because for a brief moment something that looks like regret passes through those blue eyes, but then she smiles. That ice-cold, bitchy smile that I despise. 'm not sure if she’s waiting for me to congratulate her or what, but it ain't gonna happen.

Not in a million, trillion, bazillion goddamn years.

Instead, I turn into the world’s poorest sport and stand up hard and fast, my chair nearly tipping over. I am done. Without a word, I storm out of the conference room, slamming the door so hard behind me that the whole room rattles.

I march down to my office, past the row of assistants working at their desks, and they all freeze, following me with wide eyes Fuck this goddamn place,! think, and head straight to my desk. I yank drawers open and begin to empty any personal items out. There isn't much that I want to keep, I realize. Just a power bar and my laptop. As I shove them both in my briefcase, my gaze lands on the framed photo of my father with me, my three brothers and little sister. I pick it up and stare at their faces. Bunch of assholes, I think, and hurl the picture across the room. It slams into the opposite wall and the glass shatters.

I don't need this stupid company or any of the grief it brings me on a daily basis. Rogue ideas begin to float through my hea about starting my own company and my ultimate goal will be to make it bigger and better than T8 Tech. I'll steal all of my father's clients and watch this place implode. Sweet revenge.

“Calm down, Nash."

My father stands in the doorway and all I can do is glare daggers at him.

“You fucking blindsided me in front of everyone," I say.

“You're being dramatic. This is business and you're making it personal’

“I'm your fucking son! How can you say it's not personal?”

Thomas steps into my office. “I suppose I could've told you first but what's the difference? Why should I coddle you? Because we're related? That's hardly fair and I don't treat you any differently because you're my son.’

“You don’t have to tell me that," I say, voice bitter. If anything, I think he makes everything harder on me because I'm his son I work ten times harder than the other assholes sitting back in that conference room. Except for Charlie. I can admit that she works her ass off just as much as I do.

“50, you expect a free pass? A handout because you happened to be born a Beckett?”

Kind of,l think. “No, of course not. But I do expect you to acknowledge all of the hard work I do and reward me with VP. I deserve it”

“Do you believe you've worked more than Charlie?”

I clench my jaw and my nostrils flare. “This isn't about her”

“Of course, it is. You're jealous.”

“Jealous?” I scoff, “Of what?”

“Do you really want me to tell you?"© NôvelDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

“Charlie Langley is a cunt who has you wrapped around her little finger," I hiss. The moment the words leave my mouth, I realize how hateful and full of resentment they sound. I also see Charlie moving up behind my father.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Of course, her timing is impeccable and there's no doubt in my mind that she just heard me call her the Cword.

“You apologize and congratulate Ms. Langley right now, son,’ Thomas says, voice steely.

But I've gone too far and there's no stopping me now. Grabbing my briefcase, I figure I may as well go for broke. “Congratulations, Ms. Langley," I say, voice dripping with sarcasm. *I hope you have fun dealing with this cantankerous old bastard. As for me, I'm going to leave this backwards shithole and start my own company. And I plan to bury you, Dad.”

I push past them and hear Charlie mumble what sounds like “I'm sorry,” but I can't be sure.

Atleast not until I hear my father say, “Never apologize for beating your competition.”

Blood boiling, I storm out of TB Tech and vow never to look back.