Addison didn’t notice the puffy faces or reddened eyes of her employees as she walked the hallways of Kane Holdings. She didn’t hear the sniffles or the whispers, and while there were many who wished to offer condolences, none dared to approach. The wound of Addison’s loss was far too gaping for that.

She stepped into the room and looked around. There were two conference areas at Kane. The larger being modern and containing the biggest flat-screen television available, it was used for video conferencing and brainstorming sessions and easily could hold twenty or thirty people if chairs were brought in, but the smaller one – this one – was what most referred to as the old board room. It was rarely used now, but given its age and that of the men who made up the board, it made sense. The room smelled of leather, polish, and cigar smoke, the latter clinging to the jackets of the men surrounding the table, and like the furniture, they were old and polished, too. Wearing ties announcing their university in colors and sporting lapel pins for their causes, all but one had skin the color of a ghost.

Reece Somersby had been on the board as long as Addison could remember, but unlike his colleagues, who preferred to spend their time at clubs smoking cigars and drinking brandy, Reece loved the outdoors, and it showed. His skin was dark and leathery from years spent on sailboats and golf courses, and the paunch worn by all the others was non-existent on the man. Trim and fit, he was out of place at the table in more ways than one for he was a friend...and the rest had become enemies.

When Addison took over the company, Reece couldn’t have been more thrilled, and at first, the others had felt the same way. Like Xavier, Addison was taking the company upward, and the dividends proved it, so there were no complaints until Firth and her father had replaced some of the board with those more like-minded to a greedier end game. Whispered promises about bank accounts overflowing if the company was sold outright had caused several of the other board members to lean toward the left. After all, they weren’t getting any younger and being rich was worthless if you were dead.

Out of the corner of her eye, Addison noticed someone approaching, and she offered a weak smile when she saw Reece walking toward her.

His face mirrored Addison’s, but as heavy as his heart was at her loss, the remainder of the burden was due to the meeting he had been forced to call.

“I’m sorry about this, but they insisted. Apparently, Calvert and Gladstone are going on holiday, and couldn’t give a good goddamn about what you’re going through.”