Chapter 75
Ruined
Carter’s POV
My heart was breaking and I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know what to do. I know I messed up but I am trying to make it up to her.
Why couldn’t she see that? Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t they? Why did I have to suffer to get mine?
I sniffled and poured myself another shot of tequila. I wonder what she’s doing now. Probably lying in his arms and staring at him the way she used to look at me? I knew I shouldn’t be torturing myself like this but
how could I not?
The one woman I ever loved was slipping away from my grip and I didn’t know what to do. I buried my face in my desk.
I came here to work, hoping that it would distract me from how pathetic I was but it only made things worse. Seeing the countless emails from investors dropping out and the rapid fall in our stock markets, I knew I was on a very thin line.
I was cooked if I didn’t figure out something before the end of the week. That is if I had that much time.
But here I was in my office, trying to drink away the pain I brought on myself. My life was so much easier when Veronica was here. I didn’t have to worry about anything but I threw that away and trampled on her love. Now I was paying the price.
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The phone rang, drawing my attention from my misery. I didn’t want to answer it but I didn’t have a choice. It was why I came to the office after
all.
“Yes?”
“Sir. Mr Stanford is here to see you,” my secretary informed me. Stanford was one of the major investors in my company. If he was here. I couldn’t even imagine what he was here for.
If he withdrew from the company then we were going to go into serious. financial crisis and my grandfather would never forgive me.
“Are you there, sir?” She asked.
“Yeah, yeah, let him in.” I hung up and began clearing up my desk. I didn’t want him to walk in here and see me drowning in alcohol.
That would serve as a bigger sign for him to leave. Minutes after putting away the alcohol, the door opened and Mr Stanford walked in with hist usual intimidating persona and professionalism.
Right from the days of my father, I had known this man to be a very strategic business man. He didn’t make investments in anything that wasn’t going to bring him at least thrice the profit.
“Mr. Grayson,” Mr. Stanford greeted, his voice sharp and commanding as he took a seat across from me without waiting for an invitation. Hist piercing blue eyes scanned the office, lingering momentarily on the empty glass I had tried to stash away.
Fuck! Why didn’t I put that somewhere more concealing?
“Mr. Stanford,” I said, forcing a smile and extending my hand, hoping to take his attention away from it. He shook it briefly, his grip firm and not
Chapter 75
so friendly.
“I’ll cut to the chase,” he began, leaning back in his chair with an air of authority. “Your company’s recent performance has been…
underwhelming, to say the least. And that is putting it mildly.”
I swallowed hard, my palms sweating. Good to know it was exactly what I feared. “I understand, sir. We’ve had some setbacks, but I assure you we’re working to turn things around.”
Stanford raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Working? The stock prices are plummeting, major clients are jumping ship, and I hear whispers of instability in your leadership. Does that sound like a company ‘working‘ to you, Mr. Dawson?”
His words hit like a punch to the gut, but I kept my composure. Barely, if I might add. This man intimidated me.
“I admit, there have been challenges, but I have a solid plan to stabilize the company. I just need time to execute it,” I tried to convince him because it was the only thing I could do in this situation.
Stanford’s expression hardened. “Time is a luxury you don’t have. Investors like me don’t sit around waiting while the ship sinks. We’re here to make money, not watch someone flounder.
I clenched my fists under the desk, anger and desperation mixing in my chest. I was very aware of what was happening but he didn’t have to rub it in my face.
“With respect, Mr. Stanford, pulling out now would hurt not just me, but every employee who depends on this company. I’m asking for patience. Give me a month, and I’ll prove to you that we can recover.”
He studied me for a long moment, then sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t
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invest in promises, Grayson. I invest in results. I’m giving you two weeks. Two weeks to show me something tangible. If I don’t see progress by then, I’ll withdraw my support.”
Two weeks? That was barely any time to fix the mess I was in, but it was better than nothing. I nodded, trying to sound confident. “Understood. I won’t let you down.”
Stanford stood, adjusting his suit. “See that you don’t. Because if you do, you’ll find out how quickly your so–called empire can crumble.”
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving me alone with the crushing weight of his ultimatum. I sank back into my chair, running a hand through my hair. Two weeks.
It felt more like a death sentence than grace. How the fuck was I going to fix this in two days?
It was bad enough that I was completely in the black list of the Peyton. Firms but Meghan just had to pull that stunt and now, no one wanted anything to do with me or the company. I was on the verge of ruin.
I glanced at the photograph of Veronica. I still kept on my desk, my heart aching anew. She had always been my voice of reason, the one who saw solutions where I saw problems. But she was gone now, and I had to face this storm alone.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
How the hell did I manage to ruin my life like this? I reached for the drawer and pulled out the bottle of alcohol I tugged away.
I didn’t bother to use the shot glass. I just gulped it as much as I could, ignoring the way it burned my tongue.
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I slammed the bottle on the table and buried my hands in my hair.
“Fuck!!!” I yelled.
The door opened suddenly and I saw the last person I needed to see.
“You?!”
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Chapter 76
