A muscle pulses in his cheek. “How much to mitigate?”
“More than the company is worth.”
He leans back in his chair. “My in-house analysts led me to believe it’s manageable.”
“Then I suggest you bank on that being enough to sway your investors, because you won’t get the green light from me.”
Those hard eyes narrow.
It’s a twilight zone in comparison to that one fateful meeting, his demeanor now holding an air of cruelty I once wished to understand. Fortunately, pride killed that curiosity long ago.
“You’re threatening to put me in a bad mood, Ms. Cross,” he warns. “I want this company.”
“We’ve worked together for years,Mr. Cavallo,” I drawl. “And it’s been a long time since you’ve been anything other than hostile.”
He flinches. It’s slight. The barest hint of a direct hit. The hardening of his expression is the only warning I need to brace for what he says next. “I’m sorry if my lack of coddling isn’t to your liking.”
I bristle. “Your attitude isn’t my concern. You pay for my firm’s experience, and the answer is no. I can’t, in good conscience, clear Halverson & Grey for acquisition.”
“Good conscience doesn’t build empires. I pay for CrossPoint’s reputation, not it’s?—”
“You paybecause your investors trust our judgment more than anyone in this city,” I cut in. “And I’m not throwing that away so you can take a risk on the latest company that dared to catch your attention.”
He crosses his arms over his chest. “You know I much prefer to deal with your team.” He swivels his chair to address the Manhattan skyline, completely rewriting history as if he hadn’t once insisted I handle his account on my own. “They’re far more amenable to my demands.”
Oh, fuck him.
As pathetic as insults get, trying to undermine my employees is a rock-bottom move.
I scoff a vindictive laugh. “Well, I’d tell you to deal with them in the future, but unfortunately, with the conclusion of this contract, CrossPoint will be severing ties with the Cavallo Group.”
His chair creaks as he snaps back to face me. “Excuse me?”
“It will be a clean break.” I push to my feet and stand tall. “No press. No noise. Just professional closure.”
His nostrils flare. “You can’t do that.”
“Actually, I can. I’ve been appointed interim CEO, and despite the demands of my change in position, I came here out of professional courtesy to tell you the news face-to-face.”
He straightens, that tightly wound composure of his unraveling just a little before he reins it in. “Bullshit. Philip would never hand over control. He’s too young to retire.”
Philip, aka my father, is far from a spring chicken, especially given the widow-maker heart attack that almost took his life last week. A heart attack that he refuses to fully acknowledge even while recovering at home.
“My father has taken a leave of absence, which is highly likely to become permanent. A succession plan is currently being drawn up.”
Raffael’s eyes narrow in scrutiny.
It isn’t easy to stare him down. Not after promising my father I wouldn’t spill the news to anyone about his health. In return, he gave me his blessing to take over CrossPoint, albeittemporarily. Now I just need to convince him work isn’t worth dying for, especially when his own father died slumped at his office desk.
“And this is your first move?” Raffael sneers. “May I ask why, after decades of partnership, you would dare to throw me and my company under the bus at your first opportunity?”
“Because you’ve shifted direction,” I state simply, even though my pulse roars. This is a bold move and not many would have the balls to make it. But he’s changed. The Cavallo Group has, too. “Some of your recent acquisitions have been darker. The targets too specific. It seems you’re no longer exclusively building wealth, but going on side quests to strategically dismantle someone else’s. And I don’t want CrossPoint being a part of it.”
“That’s a heavy accusation,” he growls.
“It’s a professional assessment. My job is to identify exposure. And today, that exposure happens to be you.”
“I admire your tenacity.” He smiles, the flash of teeth menacing. “It’s cute even. But you’ve still got training wheels?—”