While she waited for her staff to arrive to help her set up, Daniella looked at the contract from the Manhattan hotel owner who wanted her to provide artwork to complement their new color scheme in the next few months. This was the opportunity she’d been waiting for to expand her business. With this contract in hand, she would be able to go to the bank and show she would have money coming in, which meant she could lease the Manhattan space she’d had her eye on. Last she’d checked, no one had taken over the lease, but it would only be a matter of time. Even in a down market, prime properties there didn’t last long.
She sat back in the chair. Why didn’t she feel more satisfaction at this accomplishment? There was a time when the idea of having a New York office had made her tingle from head to toe. While getting this contract was a victory for sure, the excitement she expected hadn’t manifested. Maybe because she didn’t have the space yet.
The front door bell rang, but she ignored it. It wasn’t unusual for prints to be delivered on the weekend, but she wasn’t expecting any today. When the person at the front leaned on the buzzer for a long time, though, she could no longer ignore the sound and left her office to walk up front.
Roland stood outside. She quickly opened the door to him, taking in the distress on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Lines of strain bracketed his mouth. “I lost my position at BoldMine.”
Her eyes widened. “What? You’re the chief technology officer. Your work is invaluable, and they need you.”
She repeated what he’d told her in the past. He’d been with the start-up company from the beginning, working closely with the two brothers who made up the other chief officers. The injection of cash from their new private investor would help the company enhance the features of its inventory software and increase its business development partnerships with key players in the manufacturing industry. This was the chance he’d been waiting for.
“Apparently, they don’t need me,” he said bitterly. “The investor purchased a majority stake in our firm, and the next thing I knew, I was removed as CTO. I received my marching papers last night.” He thrust a dismissal letter at her.
“Only you?” Daniella took the correspondence, feeling terrible for him. Just a week ago at The Savory Date, she’d warned him about celebrating too soon, but he certainly wouldn’t appreciate hearing “I told you so.” To be honest, this was worse than anything she’d imagined.
“Just me,” Roland confirmed in the same acidic-sounding voice.
Daniella scanned the paper and right away recognized the name of the company that had made the investment.
“Oh no.” Her stomach plummeted as nausea buffeted her insides, and she almost dropped the sheet. Even if she hadn’t recognized the company name, the bold signature at the bottom would have given her all the information she needed. She couldn’t stop staring at the words.
Roland stated the obvious. “Your husband’s venture capitalist firm bought a majority stake in our company and had me dismissed.”
Her gaze met Roland’s. “I’m so sorry.”
“I can’t see you anymore, Daniella. I’m done.” She’d never seen Roland angry, yet from his tone he clearly blamed her for the current turn of events. But he had contacted her, not the other way around.
“Roland, I swear to you, if I’d known—”
He held up his hand. “Save it. If I’d known this would be the result of being seen with you, I would have never gotten involved. I’ve lost everything. Everything I’ve worked for over the past seven years.”
She couldn’t imagine the anguish he must be experiencing after expecting to see all his hard work pay off, only to be blindsided by this unexpected disaster. “I’m sorry.” She sounded like a broken record, but she didn’t know what else to say.
“So am I,” he said, his face contorted into a bitter scowl. “I’m going to give Cyrus what he wanted in the first place. I won’t be contacting you again, and please don’t contact me.”
She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, detaining him. “Wait, there must be something I can do, some way I can help you.”
“You really want to help me?” he asked. “Get me my goddamn business back.”
Daniella watched as he left. Numb, she clutched the letter in her hand. She had to see Cyrus, and she had to make him stop.