“So, you admit that you paid them,” a board member said. “Why?”
“Because I’m through with Dover,” Everett said, his voice dripping with scorn. “All these years I’ve given to this company and yet you all slavishly go along with whatever Simon wants. I’m useful to this company, too!”
“How useful can you be if you’re hacking into the CEO’s system?” Heather piped up. “If you had a problem you should have faced it like a man. Instead, you threw me under the bus to get away with it.”
“It wasn’t personal,” Everett muttered. “You were collateral damage on my way to the success I deserve.”
“What you deserve?” Heather got up and glared at Everett.
Simon watched her in amazement, completely transfixed by the way she was standing up to one of the most powerful men in the world. A man who had tried to crush her like she was nothing.
“The success you wanted was built on the back of Simon’s hard work,” she went on. “Not to mention, if this was all about you getting your due why did you steal Simon’s ideas?”
Everett swallowed hard and held his hands up. “Now, see here!”
“Answer the question,” Heather said icily.
“Fine.” Everett scowled at her, rage burning in his eyes. “I stole his ideas. I never did have Simon’s raw talent. So, I needed something to start my new company. I don’t know why the hell you’re all staring at me, when half the time Simon shares his ideas for free. For free. Can you imagine?”
“I share my work to benefit humanity,” Simon said. “There are rules, Everett. Rules you have overstepped.”
Everett balled up his hands. “I don’t need to listen to you. I’m starting my own company.”
“So, you’re not working with VLA and Dover’s other rivals to sabotage us?” Heather asked.
“At first I wanted to jump ship and go with VLA. That’s why I got Xander to give them Dover’s insider secrets. If I could butter up the higher-ups at VLA I’d get a much bigger paycheck out of them.” he said. “They value profit over whatever sentimental nonsense Simon keeps trying to peddle. But then I thought... why should I leave one pair of shackles for another pair? I’m going to start my own company in England.”
“With my ideas,” Simon said.
“Oh, for bloody sake, Simon, you have no idea how to sell your work properly,” Everett said dismissively. “All you care about is making people’s lives better.”
“You’re horrible,” Heather breathed.
“I might be horrible, but don’t think for one second your boyfriend isn’t exactly like me,” Everett said to her. “For all his platitudes, Simon is just as ambitious as I am. Just as hungry for success. He wants power just like I do.”
“I’m nothing like you,” Simon shot back. “I don’t flout the rules.”
“That is nonsense and you know it, Simon,” Everett thundered. “You’ve been sleeping with this woman, forcing our legal department to work overtime to clean up your messes. There’s nothing to you. You can act like you’re too good for the press. Too good for the rules. But all you have are your bland platitudes and your ideas. You can try to dress up your relationship with Heather as some kind of love affair, but you’re not capable of emotions that deep. Don’t screw her and pretend she’s anything more than the office whore.”
Everett’s words inspired such a rage in him that Simon didn’t even realize he had moved across the room and gotten into Everett’s face.
Heather pushed her way in front of him and placed her hand on Simon’s chest. “Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “It’s not worth it. Everett isn’t worth going to jail.”
Her touch was pulling him out of the haze of his rage, but that didn’t stop Simon from clenching his fists. If he could beat Everett senseless without upsetting Heather, he’d do it in a heartbeat.
“Even if by some miracle it turns out you’re innocent, you’re through,” Simon warned with a growl. “Nobody talks about Heather like that. Nobody. You’re fired, Everett. Get the hell out.”