She Called Me a Loser, Then I Became Her Boss

Chapter 3: Kneel or Leave

The silence that followed Jeremy's bow was the kind that swallows a room whole.

Over a hundred employees. Not one of them breathing.

Jeremy straightened up, turned to face the line, and let his eyes land on Grant Lawson like a verdict. "Mr. Lawson. This is your new chairman. I'd suggest everyone act accordingly."

Grant had gone the color of old paper. "Secretary Jeremy — are you certain? Because this young man is—"

"Here are the documents." Jeremy produced a sealed folder and placed it directly in Grant's hands. "Walter Greer's signature is on every page. If that's still not enough, you're welcome to call him personally."

Grant's hands trembled as he opened it. His eyes moved across the page once. Twice. His jaw worked like he wanted to say something but his body wouldn't cooperate.

"He's really the chairman?" someone in the back of the line whispered.

"That's Cole Parker—"

"He was just standing outside getting yelled at by Derek—"

Amber's voice cut through the murmuring before she could stop herself. "That's impossible." She stepped forward, arms crossed, chin up — but her voice had a c***k in it. "I knew him in high school. I know exactly where he comes from. There is no way—"

"Then call Mr. Greer," Jeremy said flatly, without even looking at her.

Amber closed her mouth.

Jeremy turned to address the full line. "For anyone still unclear — Cole Parker is the biological grandson of Walter Greer, founder

and owner of Summit Group. If that's a problem for you, clean out your desk today."

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

And then Cole's eyes found Derek.

❖❖❖❖❖

Derek saw it coming and it still didn't help him.

Cole walked toward him slowly — no rush, no performance — and every step made Derek's shoulders creep higher toward his ears.

By the time Cole stopped two feet in front of him, Derek Lawson, department manager, son of the General Manager, the man who'd

called Cole a loser on a public sidewalk less than twenty-four hours ago, was visibly sweating.

Then Derek's knees hit the floor.

Cole hadn't even said a word yet.

"Chairman." Derek's voice cracked. He grabbed Cole's pant leg with both hands. "I was wrong. I was completely out of line

yesterday. Whatever you want — I'll step down from my position, I'll apologize publicly, I'll give Amber back—"

"Give her back?" Cole looked down at him. "She's not luggage, Derek." He stepped back, freeing his leg from Derek's grip. "And

you think I want her back? After she told me I was worthless on a public sidewalk?"

"Cole—" Amber started.

"Chairman," Jeremy said quietly, without looking at her.

She flinched.

Cole's voice dropped, controlled and cold. "You stood in front of this building yesterday and laughed at me. You called security to

throw me out. And everything you are — this position, this title, this attitude — your father built that for you and then you used it to

step on people who had nothing." Cole shook his head. "That's not a mistake. That's a character."

He raised his voice just enough for every person in that line to hear clearly.

"Both of you are fired. Effective right now."

Grant Lawson's head snapped up. "Chairman, please—" His composure broke completely. Twenty years. Twenty years he'd given to

Summit Group, and now he was watching it disintegrate in real time. "My son made a mistake. He's young, he's impulsive — I take

full responsibility—"

"You should take responsibility." Cole looked at him steadily. "Because he learned it somewhere."

Grant went silent.

"Security." Cole turned. "Escort them both out."

The guards hesitated — barely a second, just a flicker of uncertainty — because Grant Lawson had run this building for two decades

and the muscle memory of obeying him ran deep.

Cole noticed. "Is there a problem?"

That was all it took.

They moved.

Derek didn't go quietly. "Get off me — do you have any idea who my father is?!" He thrashed against two guards, face red, voice

bouncing off Summit Tower's glass facade. "You think this is over, Cole? You think this is over?!"

"It's Chairman," one of the guards said, and pushed him through the door.

Grant walked out on his own. Head down, jaw tight, every inch of him radiating a fury he was smart enough not to say out loud.

The glass doors closed behind them.

The crowd of employees exhaled like they'd been holding it for a week.

❖❖❖❖❖

Amber was shaking.

She didn't realize it until Cole turned and looked at her, and she felt her own hands trembling at her sides. She'd watched Derek get

marched out of the building. She'd watched his father — the most powerful man in this company for as long as she'd worked here —

walk out behind him without a word.

And Cole had done it in under five minutes.

"Martin—" She caught herself. "Cole. Listen to me." She took a step toward him. Her voice dropped, went soft in the way she knew

used to work. "I was confused. Derek said all the right things at the right moment, and I got swept up, and I said things to you that I

didn't mean—"

"You meant them."

"I didn't—"

"Amber." He said her name the same way Jeremy had said Chairman — like a period at the end of a sentence. "Don't."

Her lip trembled. "Can you just give me a chance to explain? One conversation. That's all I'm asking."

"We had two years of conversations." He held her gaze for one long moment. "We're done. That part of my life is closed."

He turned away.

She stood there, in the middle of the employee line, in front of every coworker who'd spent the morning asking about her relationship

with Derek Lawson — and had nothing left to say.

❖❖❖❖❖

Marcus Bell looked like a man waiting for a firing squad.

He was standing at the edge of the second row, shoulders curved inward, watching Cole approach with the expression of someone

who had never once been on the winning side of anything.

"Chairman, I—" Marcus started. "I want you to know I had no part in—"

"I know," Cole said.

Marcus blinked. "You — what?"

"I did my research before I walked in here today." Cole kept his voice easy. "I know what this place looked like under Grant

Lawson's management. I know who took the blame when numbers came up short. I know who actually held this operation together."

He paused. "I know it was you."

Marcus looked like someone had pulled a pin out of him. His whole body dropped an inch. "Chairman, I don't — I don't know what

to say—"

"Say yes."

"To what?"

"I'm promoting you to General Manager." Cole said it plainly. "Effective today. You'll have full authority over daily operations.

Whatever Grant kept you from doing — do it."

Marcus Bell, who had spent years being quietly humiliated by a man who saw him as a liability, pressed his mouth together and

looked at the ceiling for a moment like he was trying to hold himself together.

"Thank you," he finally managed. His voice was rough. "You have no idea — Chairman, you have absolutely no idea what this

means—"

"Just do good work," Cole said. "That's all I need."

Marcus nodded. Then nodded again. Cole could see the exact moment the man decided, quietly and completely, that he would walk

through fire for the person standing in front of him.

Cole understood that feeling. He'd been on the other side of it his whole life — the one being overlooked, the one being told he'd

never be enough.

Today, he was the one doing the lifting.

It felt better than revenge.

Almost.

He pulled out his phone as he walked toward the elevator and dialed Jeremy.

"Get me everything on Derek Lawson's department accounts," he said. "Every contract. Every expense report going back two years."

"You think he was skimming?" Jeremy asked.

"I think a man that comfortable stepping on people in public is a lot more comfortable doing it in private." Cole hit the elevator

button. "I want to know what else he took."

The doors opened.

Cole stepped inside, and for the first time since he'd walked into this building, let himself breathe.

Whatever Jeremy found in those files — Cole had a feeling the Lawson family's bad day was only getting started.