“As I said,” Aud said coolly, “I don’t
presume to know Mr. Winfield’s plans.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Derian muttered. “Look,
just get Donatella out of there for now. Let Emily run things until Henrietta
is through the postoperative period, and then—”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Derian stiffened. “Why not?”
“Derian, you haven’t cared to be involved in
any of the business matters your entire life. I’m glad that you’re here, and I
know that Henrietta needs you, but this is not your concern.”
Anger welled in Derian’s chest, even as she
knew Aud had a point. She had no right to make demands. And she had no one to
blame for that except herself.
“Look,” Aud said, sounding tired, “I
understand your concerns. Emily May might not even be at the agency in a few
more months, and until we get a reasonable transition team in place, Donatella
is your father’s choice.”
“Wait a minute, back up. What do you mean,
Emily might not be there?”
“Martin wants to downsize, and Emily isn’t
even a permanent resident. Even if her visa is renewed, and right now, that’s
up in the air, the board is not going to approve her taking over as head of the
agency. Besides, she’s not family, and you know how things work.”
“And Donatella is?”
“Donatella at least has your father’s
blessing.”
“And we all know how much that counts for.”
“Derian—”
“Never mind, Aud. I don’t know why I forgot
whose side you’re on. I seem to keep making that mistake.”
“Dammit! If you’d bothered to be here once in
a while—”
“You’re right,” Derian said. “But I’m here
now.”
She disconnected, dropped the phone into her
pocket, and walked back into the hospital. Maybe the smartest thing to do was
stay out of the way, let Martin do what he wanted to do for years—turn the
agency into a moneymaking enterprise or kill it altogether. She’d opted out of
that battlefront years ago. Ran from it, if she was being honest. Once
Henrietta was on the road to recovery, she could get back to her life. She
slowly climbed the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the
stairwell. Back to her life. She couldn’t think of a single thing about it that
she missed.