On the day of the board meeting, Joanna strolled into the conference room like she owned the building. She walked past me with her chin held high, radiating smug satisfaction, and sat directly beside Jesse.
"I've resigned from the hospital," she announced, her voice dripping sweetness. "Mr. Gilbert recommended me for a seat on the board. We'll be colleagues from now on."
The voting commenced. I passed with unanimous support; my ten years of work spoke for themselves.
Joanna barely scraped by. Only Jesse's faction voted for her.
She didn't seem to care about the numbers. She only cared about the victory. She leaned toward me, dropping her voice so only I could hear. "It took you ten years to get a seat at this table. I did it in two weeks. I think we both know who the real winner is."
At the head of the table, Patrick's face was a storm cloud. The board wasn't a playground for stray pets, yet here was Jesse, forcing his mistress into the inner circle.
Even worse, the Fox family was the very architect of the crisis that nearly bankrupted the Gilberts a decade ago.
Jesse wasn't old, but he was acting like a senile fool.