Chapter 19
For two days, Evan and Jessica hid out in the hotel. Evan only went home to get some things, like toiletries and clothes. His doorman tried to find out where he was staying, but Evan kept mum. He was determined to find a new doorman.
They celebrated Christmas in the room. Evan brought Jessica a small tree that lit up when they plugged it in. They made love by its light many times. He also bought her clothes and shoes, and found her an obstetrician. He worried that the cops might be on their trail, but he was fairly sure that his mother had been bluffing. She was manipulative, but she would not do such a thing to him, or so he hoped.
On the third day, it was time to open up the office again. Evan went in with his head held high, not flinching at all from embarrassment because of the drama at his mother’s. His employees stared at him as he walked in. Then they began to flood him with the gifts he had not opened.
“Congrats,” Isaac told him.
Evan smiled as he opened Isaac’s present. “Actually, Isaac, I would like to see you in my office in a minute,” Evan told him.
Isaac looked terrified. Then he straightened his tie. “Sure thing.”
After Evan opened all of his presents and thanked everyone in the office with hugs, he went into his office with Isaac and shut the door. “Isaac,” he began, “I really want to thank you for your service with this company.”
“Sir, sorry to interrupt, but I just don’t understand.”
“You don’t understand what?”
“What did I do wrong? I have a very important place in this company as the head of development. I manage my team well and I get the job done. I would like to remain here, so please tell me what I’ve done wrong and I will work to fix it.”
Evan smiled. His respect for Isaac increased. Isaac wasn’t as timid as he looked. Clearly his job meant a lot to him, as well. “Well, that’s the thing. You haven’t done anything wrong. You have done so much right, in fact, that I want to offer you a significant promotion.”
Isaac’s jaw fell. Then his face suffused with joy. “Really, sir? Wow! You had me scared there for a minute.”
“I’m not going to beat around the bush. I have never been cut out for this position.”
“You have done great, sir. You turned this workplace around. I mean, it wasn’t bad under your father, but you made it wonderful to work here. You kept his best policies and made them better. You’ve kept this company a Fortune 500 and…”
“I agree. I did some things correctly. But generally, I have not taken control as I should. I let my mother run things. And that just shows how I don’t need or want this job.” He removed the key card hanging around his neck. “This company, this corporate life, is not for me. Today I am writing my letter of resignation and turning in at the board meeting tonight. My mother will be there, and she will have a cow. Don’t let her get to you. You will be there at my side at the meeting as I make you a board member. And I want you to fill my shoes after I exit this position.”
Isaac simply sat there, his hands trembling in surprise. “Really?” he finally managed.
Evan nodded. “I am moving onto public service. That’s what I really want to do. So please, this position is yours if you want.”
The grin spread across Isaac’s face slowly.
At the board meeting that night, Evan arrived early and perched eagerly at the top of the table. When his mother entered, the second to arrive escorted by another worker since her key card had been revoked, she glanced at him before assuming a frosty expression and sitting far away from him.
When everyone had arrived and Isaac had taken his seat beside Evan, Evan began his exit speech. Everyone stared in shock. Then his mother slammed her fist down.
“This company is a family company! It must be run by a Davis,” she declared. “I won’t see you throw away everything your father and I worked to give you by handing it over to… to…that.” She waved hatefully at Isaac.
Evan just smiled coolly. “Mother, this is my company. I am handing it over to someone who is far more qualified than any Davis. In addition, he has license to rename and rebrand the company if he so chooses. Now how he chooses to treat you, is up to him. He may give you some of your privileges back, or an actual job here. Or he may cut you out of the company.”
“I will cut you out of the will!” she screamed.
Evan shrugged. “I have enough money to support Jessica, me, and the baby.”
Linda’s face turned pale. “The baby? Do you mean that Jessica is…?”
“Yes. We are expecting. I plan to propose to her later and we will resume the project we started on together. Of course, this time, it will be completed. And she will live with me without any interference from you. No planting earrings in our room and no calling the cops on that poor woman. You have done enough, Mother, and I am done.” He turned to face the rest of the board members. “Isaac has accepted this position, so I will spend the next few weeks making a clean exit. Understand that I value all of you and so does Isaac. He has assured me that he will be keeping this place the same and you will not have to worry about losing benefits or your jobs. I will make sure that everything is as smooth and seamless as possible.” He laid his letter of resignation on the table and walked out.
He just wanted to get home to Jessica.
He could hear his mother throwing things and yelling. Security guards appeared at the door, then hesitated, unsure what to do. Evan told them to ask Isaac for direction. Then he left the building, and it felt as if a million pounds had been lifted off of his chest.
At the hotel room, Jessica was singing to her stomach as classical music played. Evan took a seat next to her. “How did it go?” she asked softly. Now she was becoming a mother, so gentle and obviously in love with her baby. It touched Evan to watch it, as he felt his own love blossom in his chest.
“It went surprisingly well.”
His phone started to go off. It was Linda. He ignored it. “She was upset, obviously. Not happy that we’re having a baby. But there is nothing that she can do.”
Jessica smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself. For getting what you want. But now what are you going to do?”
“I want to set up a foundation. I want to use our old plans and actually build that house for children.”
Jessica beamed. “It was a great idea that I had, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it really was. And it will help so many people. We made a lot of progress, so it would be a shame to lose it.”
“Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “Let’s do this.”