Nanny

47

Adam

Kate stormed out of the office and slammed the door. The sound echoed through the room. Braxton shook his head and sighed.

"Are you happy?" I asked.

"I'm not happy about any of this. But it's the right way forward. She'll understand in time."

"You're making a mistake," I insisted. "Sure, you have the most to lose in all this. But Kate's a victim too. Hell, she was bombarded with those photos while she was in the park. And instead of being sympathetic, you fired her!"

"It's a hiatus," he began.

"That's not the point. You should have been comforting her! Given her time to process everything!"

Braxton scoffed. "If there's one thing I've learned in all my years, it's to never allow emotion to affect your decisions during a time of crisis."

I wanted to scream at him, but he continued droning on like he was right.

"I'm in an impossible position. Hell, ten minutes ago I was literally in the middle of a meeting with Trey from the board, where he was warning me about the possibility. Obviously I don't want to lose Kate, but I can't lose my company."

Mathias picked up the photos from the table and began looking at them again. His teeth were clenched in an angry snarl.

"You were harsh," I insisted to Braxton.

"Harsh? Harsh? Of course I was fucking harsh! If the board removes me, then I can't focus on increasing charitable donations. Whoever takes my place will go back to avoiding charity like the plague, and only focusing on squeezing every cent out of the market for their clients."

Braxton jabbed a finger into his own chest.

"I built this company from the ground up. Aside from the twins, it's everything to me. I can't lose it now, not because of an affair."

"Kate is more than an affair," I replied bitterly. "She's everything we thought Leslie was, and more. We have a future with her, Braxton! The four of us can make this work! I never thought that would be possible, that it was a one in a billion chance, but here it is. How can you blow it all up like it's meaningless?"

"I didn't blow it up," he said simply. "The New York Daily News did. And the decision I've made is easy, because it's right. If you took a step back, you would realize that."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Days ago, even hours ago, I thought Braxton was madly in love with Kate. But now that there was an emergency, he was tossing her to the side like yesterday's garbage.

Braxton nodded as if the matter was concluded, then picked up the phone. "Nelson. Have the car prepared, and then go to the penthouse to help Miss Renfroe pack. I want her out of this building today, before the vultures take any more photos of her. No, you didn't do anything wrong at the park today. It's not your fault. Once she's packed, I want you to ride back to Connecticut with her. To make sure she's okay."

"I can go with her," I said weakly.

Braxton hung up the phone. "I need you working on the New York Daily News. Figure out what else they have, and if they worked with other freelance photographers. If we're going to buy out their story, we need to find out if there are any other publications sniffing around. There's no point buying this story if three more papers take their place tomorrow." He softened for a moment. "Trust me, this is the best for everyone. Including Kate."

"What is she supposed to do now?" I asked. "Sit around doing nothing?"

"She'll be compensated for the remainder of her contract, plus a sizable bonus. Beyond that, I have some friends I can call. Strings I can pull to get her set up long-term. She'll be fine."