He swiveled to face her.
“You look awfully pensive.” She strolled to a chair on the opposite side of his desk and lowered to the edge. “What’s up?”
“There’s an industry event this Saturday. Your brothers and your mother will be there. I’d like to make sure you’ll be there as well. It will be good to have the family out in force.”
And there went her weekend plans with Isaac. Dammit. “Where?”
“Here, in Manhattan. One of those fancy lofts. I’ll email you the information.”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Dominic Banks is receiving the IEA award for his bridge design in China.”
“The Zhujiang Kuàdù bridge?” When her father nodded, Ava smiled. The International Excellence in Architecture award was a real accomplishment. That bridge had been built and constructed while she’d been in school getting her MBA. She hadn’t seen the Banks family in over a decade, but she remembered the father as a friendly man she’d liked. “That’s fantastic. He deserves it. His design was amazing.”
“As the supplier of the steel for the bridge,” he said, “we’re expected to be there to provide a nod from the industry.”
“It’s a great networking opportunity.” She pushed to her feet with a foreign sense of discontent. She usually loved these events. Enjoyed catching up with management from other firms in the industry, meeting and talking to new and interesting people. But the thought of champagne and caviar paled in comparison to that of BBQ and backroads on a bike. “I’ll put it on my schedule.”
She turned to leave with the whimsical thought of asking Isaac to attend with her. In the next second, she laughed at herself. Not only would he hate an event like that, she was sure he didn’t even own a suit, let alone a tux.
“There’s something else.”
Her father’s tone stopped her feet and infused her with dread. But Ava turned back with a patient smile. “Yes?”
“Your mother and I are also going to announce my retirement at the event.”
Ava pressed her hand to the back of the chair. She had mixed feelings about his retirement—regret they were at odds, disappointment she didn’t have a better relationship with her family, relief over the thought of doing her job without his hammer ready to strike. “You are?”
“Yes. And we’ve made decisions about the company’s organization that will be shared at the event as well. I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
Ava’s gut tightened with an uneasy feeling. “Who’s we? You and Mom?”
“And your brothers.”
Anger flared. “You consulted with Andrew and Axel, but not me?”
“This is business, Ava.”
“You can’t possibly defend that statement when I’m just as big a part of that business as they are, and have been my whole life.”
Her father straightened, his expression stern. “Andrew will take over as CEO. Axel will take over as CFO. And we’re making Conrad COO.”
“Conrad?” Confusion and shock gave way to fury. “Conrad O’Brien? The man I just hired to replace Matthew? You’re joking.”
“No, Ava,” he said with annoyance. “I’m not.”
“You may not be joking, but that is a joke of a decision. He may have a Harvard degree, but neither his experience nor his education can begin to compare with mine. How could you even consider—”
“You gave me no choice.” His anger showed in a reddening face and raspy voice. “I was going to give the position to Matthew, but you fired him. Besides, COO isn’t a position for someone making your irrational decisions.”
Ava approached his desk, brimming with hurt and rage. She planted all ten fingers on the mahogany surface and leaned in. “Excuse me?”
“We’re merging sales and support,” he said with a negligent wave of his hand. “I’ll put you in charge of that new umbre
lla.”
“Which would put me in a position to do exactly what I’ve been doing since I fired Matthew and his lovers—the work of four people.”