Bachelor CEO. Michele Dunaway
and the person I’ve hired to fill the position is here with us tonight.”
Walter touched Miranda’s arm in a show of support. She needed it. Even though she wasn’t looking at Chase, she could sense him watching her, and her skin heated.
“I’d like to introduce Miranda Craig as the new second vice president of McDaniel Manufacturing,” Leroy continued, and somehow she stood and briefly waved to the crowd.
Only after she sat down did she dare glance at Chase. His grandfather continued to talk, but the speech faded into a background hum as Chase and Miranda’s eyes connected.
With effort, she managed not to avert her head. She hated what she read on his face. His initial shock had turned into anger and the tight expression guaranteed payback. Since Leroy hadn’t told Chase anything about Miranda, he clearly thought she’d been coy and flirtatious. He thought she’d played him.
In a sense, maybe she had. She knew what many others in the room did not. Chase was going on forced sabbatical. She was the one who was going to take over his job. She was his grandfather’s choice for the next CEO should Chase fail to return.
As she watched, Chase lifted his glass to her in a mock salute. A feeling of foreboding settled over her. He wasn’t offering her good wishes. Miranda wasn’t that naive. Gone was the passion, replaced with something much deadlier. Chase wasn’t conceding an inch.
This was war.
Chapter Four
Chase had never thought of himself as the type of person who would be able to commit murder. But as he stared at Miranda, he wanted nothing more than to wring her pretty little neck until she begged for mercy or at least apologized.
He’d kissed her! He’d flirted with the enemy.
He took a deep breath, calming himself as Cecilia approached. “You okay?”
“Of course,” Chase replied through gritted teeth. How could he not have seen this? Easy. McDaniel had thousands of employees and there were always jobs open. Never in a million years would Chase have expected his grandfather to create a second vice president position or to bring in an outsider to fill that niche.
His sister touched his cheek, and Chase unclenched his jaw and forced a fake smile to his face.
“That’s better,” she said. She knew him far too well. “Gotta keep up appearances.”
“Yeah.” Chase gave a nod of acknowledgment to a passerby. He lifted his glass and saluted another.
After his one beer, he’d been drinking water most of the evening. He hadn’t wanted anything dulling his senses.
“Here they come,” Cecilia whispered, as Leroy led Miranda through the crowd.
Chase clenched his fists and tried to keep his smile from slipping.
“Chase,” Leroy said in greeting a few moments later. “I know you met Miranda earlier. There isn’t anyone more competent or more suited to this position than her. She’ll start Tuesday. I expect you to show her the ropes.”
Chase would like to show her a noose. Sure, most people would love to be in his position. As soon as Miranda took over, he’d be free to enjoy a life of leisure. He could collect his salary and, for one year, do whatever he wanted. How awesome was that? Trouble was, he already had six weeks vacation time annually, and hardly ever took any. He loved McDaniel and he loved his job. The last thing he wanted was some upstart replacement coming in and messing with his company—no matter how gorgeous she was.
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