Alpha Billionaire Series
Love to Hate You Chapter 3

CHARLIE

Early the next morning, right before my alarm is set to chime, my phone rings and wakes me up instead. I jump up, startled for a moment, wondering who in the world would be calling me just before 5am.

Calls this early never bode well, I think, and reach for my trilling phone. I glance down at the caller ID and see the name Mark Jenner. He's a board member at TB Tech and I have no idea what he could possibly want at this hour. "Mark?" I say, voice thick with sleep.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, Charlie," Mark says. "I have bad news."

I sit up straighter, clutching the sheet to my chest, and dread fills me. "What is it?"

"Thomas had a heart attack. He passed away a few hours ago at the hospital."

For a moment, I have no words. I am utterly stunned. "Oh, my God," I finally manage to whisper.

"The board is having an emergency meeting in a couple of hours, and I just want to prepare you: we're going to name you Interim President until everything is handled according to Thomas' wishes."

Interim President.Even though it makes sense, my heart quickens. That's a huge responsibility and, even though it's what I've always wanted, it's happening far sooner than I'd ever imagined.

"Whatever you need," I say, voice confident. "I will make sure everything remains in order and keeps functioning smoothly."

"We knew you would, Charlie. See you at the office," he says and hangs up.

Moving the phone away from my ear and dropping it on my comforter, I'm not sure what to do or think. It's like I'm suspended in disbelief, unable to believe Mark's call was nothing more than a bad dream. Poor Thomas.

A wave of sadness passes through me as it hits me that my boss, my mentor and my friend is dead. I'll never see him again. Countless times, I would walk into his big corner office and ask for advice, help with a problem or sometimes just need his reassurance on a current project or upcoming presentation. Other times, I'd perch on the corner of his desk and just talk with him about nothing in particular. I would ask how his day was going and secretly chuckle inside when his face would scrunch up in a frown. It was a running joke between us, and the funny part is he would always get mad. The man could turn into one cantankerous SOB fast.

"Charlie," he'd say. "Why are you just sitting there and asking me how my day is? Nobody cares and you're wasting time."

"But, Thomas, I care about you as more than just my boss."

He'd shake his salt and pepper head and scoff. "You're so full of shit you stick. You just love to yank my chain, Charlie."

I'd laugh. "Oh, c'mon. Spill it. How's your day going?"

"It's going, going, gone thanks to your wasting my time," he'd grumble. "Now I'm going to be here til ten o'clock tonight instead of nine o'clock thanks to your yammering."

I'm going to miss his grumpiness because despite all of the crabbiness he could exhibit, I feel like I was one of the lucky few who saw past that. Underneath the gruff exterior, Thomas Beckett was a man who appreciated a hard worker above all else. He may not have always told you if he thought you did a good job, but I could read it on his face.

I knew he hadn't been feeling well the last few days and I encouraged him to take better care of himself. But Thomas Beckett lived to work, and he only did what he wanted. He was one of those men who didn't listen to anyone who tried to tell him to take it easy. I'm not surprised the stress finally caught up with him, but that doesn't make it any easier to accept.

Even though Thomas had been a surly, old bear of a man, I always believed he loved me in his own way. He advised me and took me under his wing like a father and, since he didn't have a good relationship with his kids, I almost felt a little like a stepdaughter to him.

Now, TB Tech is in my hands and it's up to me to keep things running smoothly.

"We're going to name you Interim President until everything is handled according to Thomas' wishes."

Mark Jenner's words echo in my head, and I understand that I'm in a temporary position and the final decision of who will run TB Tech will be made known when Thomas' last will and testament is read. But honestly, I can't imagine anyone else but me being President of his company. No one else is more qualified or has proven himself or herself like I have. I've given everything to TB Tech, and I know it intimately- what works, what doesn't, the clients, the potential clients, the employees. Hell, I even have a relationship with the maintenance man who changes the lightbulbs and the plumber who has to come up and occasionally fix the sink or one of the toilets.

I make it my business to know anyone and everyone who works here. No matter what their position may be, big or small, it's important, and I like them knowing they're a vital cog in the machine that is TB Tech.

TB Tech is my life and Thomas knew that. He understood that I would bleed for that company so naming anyone else President would be a huge mistake. It would also be a slap in my face.

I can't help but think about the picture laying upside down on his desk that I saw the other evening. With four sons and a daughter, Thomas could potentially leave his billion-dollar company to any or all of them. The thought makes my blood run cold.

He wouldn't do that, though, I try to convince myself. He treated me more like a daughter than any of his real children. They never spoke due to various falling outs they had over the years.

Except for Nash,a little voice reminds me. He was always a little different because he tried to follow in his father's footsteps.

Up until two years ago, Nash was the only one who could tolerate Thomas and he'd worked here until my getting promoted made him throw a temper tantrum and storm out.

What if...

Oh, God. What if Thomas leaves TB Tech to Nash? I'd be tossed to the curb so fast my head would spin. Nash Beckett would take the greatest joy in booting my ass out of his company. We've never gotten along, and he always thought he was better than me in every way.

The thought makes me nauseous, and I need to get to the office right away. Normally, today would've been a workout morning for me at the gym on the first floor of the building, but not now. I have far too many other things to deal with and worry lines crease my brow. Don't go conjuring up the worst-case scenario, Charlie.

I have to believe that my job at TB Tech is secure- whether I am President or Vice-President. The board likes me, and I get along well with all of them; Thomas treated me like an equal and mentored me; and all of the employees and I have a good relationship. I genuinely like everyone and hope that they would say the same about me in return.

Then why am I suddenly so uneasy?

I guess because I'm wondering if blood is thicker than water.

Despite Thomas' strained relationship with his kids, they were still his family. The only family he had after his wife Melinda died almost ten years ago. I don't know a lot about her, but I have a feeling that she was the glue that had held them together. I have no idea what happened exactly, but I know that not long after her death, everything fell apart.

That's what the rumor mill says, anyway. Whether it's true or not, who knows?

From the little snippets I've heard here and there, I don't even think the kids get along with each other. If the siblings are anything like their oldest, pain in the b**t brother Nash, I can see why no one speaks to anyone else. He's enough to drive a saint crazy. As I head into the bathroom to take a quick shower, a part of me wonders how he's doing even though I don't really care. I'm just a little curious. I know he started his own company, but I don't know too much about it. Thomas mentioned it once when he made a snarky comment about Nash leaving the mansion and choosing instead to live in the guesthouse. I made the connection that his new venture was on a much smaller scale than the behemoth that is TB Tech.

I suppose there's nothing wrong with wanting to downsize, but that certainly isn't for me. The bigger, the better. I want it all. The pie in the sky. Some people settle for less and they're perfectly fine with that decision. Me? Not so much.

I was always under the impression that Nash wanted big things, too, but his ego got the best of him. He could've been running TB Tech right alongside his father, but he couldn't handle it. To be honest, I'm glad because that opened the door for me. His childish behavior presented me with a golden opportunity, and I stepped right into the role of Thomas' right hand man.

Or, in this case, right hand woman.

A part of me feels like I might be heading down the same path as Thomas if I'm not careful. But that doesn't mean I'm going to ease up. I realize that I work far too hard, but it's just who I am and what I love to do. Success means everything to me. Besides, I tell myself, I exercise at least three times a week and watch what I eat.

The stress of my job is extremely high, though. I give it my all-blood, sweat and tears. It's why I have no close friends. I don't make the time to develop relationships and I know that sounds sad but I'd rather be at the office, coming up with a genius presentation for a potential client than sitting at the bar, gossiping about nonsense.

I want to affect the world, not talk about the latest TikTok video that went viral.

Of course, that doesn't mean I don't wake up sometimes at night and feel lonely. But who doesn't? I lost my parents years ago and they were the only ones I ever had a real relationship with. After they died in a car accident, I was sad and a little lost for a while. I ended up throwing myself into my career and I haven't looked back since.

I suppose it's just as well. I'm terrible at relationships and sabotage them before they ever really begin. I despise the dating game; I'd rather kill myself than attempt internet match sites and I don't believe in love at first sight or any of that lovey-dovey nonsense. Relationships are hard and take time, commitment and lots of work. I channel all of that into my career instead. Screw men. I have a vibrator and it gets the job done quicker and better than any man I've ever gone to bed with.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm lacking an X chromosome or something. I don't imagine a future with a big wedding, a husband and babies. Instead, I see myself sitting in the corner office at TB Tech and running the weekly boardroom meeting. I'm not changing diapers, I'm changing lives.

I've always had big plans and knew that I was destined to be a power player in the business world. And now at 34, I am exactly where I want to be. At the top of the corporate ladder working for a company that I truly love. I'm devoted to TB Tech, and I know Thomas was aware of it, too.

Turning off the water, I grab a towel and step out of the steamy shower. I get ready as quickly as I can and less than an hour later, my hair and makeup are done and I'm slipping on a pair of high heels. As usual, I'm wearing a suit and I chose my black pin-striped pantsuit. Today is going to be an important day and I want to look the part of a cool, calm professional when I face the board and accept the position as Interim President.

Today is my day to take over and make sure Thomas Beckett's company is taken care of in every possible way, maintaining his legacy and hard work.

I've never been more ready because when it comes to challenges, I live for them.