Chapter 213
“Grandfather,” Logan said into the phone. It was the end of the day. Hazel had left, as well as most of the office. This gave Logan the privacy he needed for this conversation. “Even knowing these new facts as I’ve described them, you intend to continue the company on this path?”
“We don’t cater to idle gossip, Logan,” Grandfather’s annoyed voice came through the speaker of the phone. “Let the clients think what they want for now. When our profits raise our share value, they will fall in line. We are the best option available to them. Money talks, don’t forget.” Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.
“I haven’t forgotten,” Logan said. He was starting to regret this phone call entirely. Why did he think any of this new information would matter to Grandfather?
Oh, right. Hazel.
One of the many frustrations in Logan’s life.
Why was she being so damned difficult about accepting the traditional role of his wife? She didn’t need to push herself so hard, to the point where she actually passed out in front of him.
God, how his heart had stopped in that moment.
If anything happened to her, Logan didn’t know if he’d recover. Why couldn’t she understand that he just wanted to protect her?
“The employees at this company have come to think more of themselves than they should,” Grandfather continued. “Our actions, above anything else, help remind them of their place. Break them here, and this will resolve any future disruptions.”
“They seem… unhappy,” Logan said, remembering Hazel’s frown, as well as her passion.
She called him heartless and soulless.
Ridiculous, of course. Though he couldn’t turn a blind eye to the displeasure of his employees. He could see, same as Hazel could, that the new policies were creating unrest.
“Their happiness is not our concern,” Grandfather said. “We create their livelihoods. It’s only with our grace that they have any homes to go back to. They should be so grateful that when we need to call on them for more, they are happy to deliver.”
“Unfortunately,” Logan said. “That doesn’t seem to match with reality. They only see how much we are pushing them. They are working hard. I’ve had one employee that had been working so hard she forgot to eat and passed out right in my office.”
Logan wouldn’t name Hazel in front of his grandfather. Even the mention of her seemed to set off Grandfather’s fury.
“It is hardly our concern if they cannot properly care for themselves. We aren’t their babysitters.”
Hazel had called Logan heartless, but never had he said anything as heartless as what his grandfather did
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Logan’s care for Hazel itched inside of him, making him want to speak back to his grandfather and stand up to his employees. But, his grandfather was a man of extreme influence and power. One wrong move and, grandson or not, Logan could find himself back at the bottom of his career path with no way forward.
“Now. I have a dinner appointment. I trust I won’t be receiving any more of these frivolous phone calls? Your job as CEO is to shield me from these baseless concerns, not bring them to my doorstep,” Grandfather said. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Sir,” Logan said on reflex. When he thought to say anything more, he realized his grandfather had already hung up the phone.
Grumbling, Logan hung up the phone.
Well, he tried. Hazel should appreciate that.
Why was she so damned stubborn about everything? She should just accept that this was the new way of things here. The sooner she could do that, the sooner she and Logan could return to what they were before.
He couldn’t wait for that.
Maybe time was what she needed. Surely tomorrow, after she had time to think about his offer and his words, she would be softer. Likely, she would walk right into his office with her resignation letter, a smile on her lips.