Chapter 36: Rude Awakening

Maryanne tries to act naturally under the intensity of Daniel’s inspection. He is acting polite, and yet his eyes are constantly roaming Maryanne. Not in a creepy way, but as if he is noticing that she does not quite belong in the glittering dress that Max had bought her. “You have worked with Max for a while,” she finally asks.
Daniel nods, watching as Riley ignores the both of them and sits on one of the chairs, twirling around in circles. “Yes. I have been working with him for close to seven years now.”
“That’s a lot of time together.”
He folds his arms, “I hope to be able to spend another seven with him as well. To see Max grow as a CEO and a leader throughout the years has really been an honor.”
Maryanne isn’t sure what else to say, so she only nods and peers around the room.
Daniel’s voice beings to shift, a tightness forming in the back of his throat, “I do have to say, though, that the last few months Max has been quite off his game.”
Swallowing her unease, Maryanne refuses to look up at him. There is a prickling in the back of her neck, sensing the tension. “What do you mean?”
“He has been distracted as of late.” Daniel moves around the room, looking out the large window, at the office and the workers still here. After a moment he turns back.
Maryanne remains silent, feeling the gaze of the older man on her.
“I am not trying to blame you dear,” he tries to shrug off the pressure falling in the room.
Although his words say otherwise, Maryanne knows that he does not speak the truth.
“Max is a very talented young man. He has accomplished a lot in his years with the company. He has grown this corporation exponentially and even expanded it internationally. In the last few months, though, we have lost a handful of deals to possible partnerships because Max has lacked the motivation to show up at the meetings. We may potentially lose this deal as well, if Max doesn’t act quickly. He spends most of his time at home, when he would usually be in his office pouring over contracts. As you can see, ever since he moved you all into the new house, the company has started to decline.”
“You say you are not blaming me, but it seems as though you are.” Irritation builds in Maryanne’s chest. She is unable to even make eye contact with the CFO. She instead stares at his chin.
“I do not mean to put pressure on your shoulders, but I am just stating the obvious. Max is spending more and more time at home with you and Riley. I am glad he is playing family, but it is hindering his work here. It is only a matter of time before his competition decides that they will want to squeeze him out.”
Maryanne understands the concern, but she knows Max and there is no way that he would surrender. “Max has you and the entire company to back him up. It will be very difficult to bring him down.”
“It is not completely impossible either. If the employees begin to become disgruntled that their CEO is refusing to come in when they themselves must show up or else run the risk of getting fired, they won’t want to stay with the company.” Moving next to Riley and patting her on the head, he smiles.
Fighting the urge to push him away from the little girl, Maryanne bites out, “That is not my fault. I do not force Max to stay at home by any means. He is more than welcome to come to work every day and even stay in the city overnight if need be. I have no way of tying him down.”
Daniel cocks his brow at Maryanne, “Really? I seem to remember this exact situation happening once before.”
“What? Although she does not know exactly why, her entire body freezes, her throat closing.
“Five years ago Max started taking trips out of the city almost on a daily basis. He rarely came into the office on time and we started losing business.”
Maryanne knows that he is hinting at the time that she was seeing Max before. They only went on a few dates, barely spent any time together. Is it really possible that he could’ve lost so much work by simply being late a few days?
“Max is allowed to have a personal life. Believe me, I don’t want to impede on his happiness, but this company is his life’s work. He needs to be smart about who he spends time with and what is in the best interest of the company.”
Holding down her quivering breath, Maryanne says, “I am not even seeing him right now.” She hopes her words are full of the confidence that she does not feel.
Daniel almost rolls his eyes, but instead just huffs, “Whether or not that is the truth, it is how the situation is perceived. Max needs to surround himself with individuals that help to propel his career further. The tabloids love to get any scoop on him that they can. It would be better for them to write about him being with women that work within the industry, or even women well-known in the community. Not, I am sorry to say, women from small towns that no one has heard of.”
Riley hops down from the chair she has been on and pushes it against the wall before climbing back on and peering out the window. Maryanne watches her so that she can keep herself calm. “Like I said, Max and I aren’t together. Even if we were, he wouldn’t see the relationship as a burden.”
“He would not, and that is the problem. He needs someone to look out for his best interest.”
Maryanne clenches her jaw, holding her emotions in check. She can’t let herself go in front of Daniel.
Max suddenly peeks his head around the corner of the door and makes eye contact with her, “Maryanne, are you ready to go?”
“Yeah,” she lowers her shoulders and moves to grab Riley’s hand.
Max pauses in the doorway, his head cocking to the side as he looks down at her, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, perfectly fine.” Maryanne tries to muster up a smile as she heads toward Max. He hesitates for a second before moving out of the meeting room. Maryanne leads Riley after him.
Daniel moves closer to Maryanne, his voice but a whisper as she passes him, “Max has a lot of opportunities in life. I don’t want him falling behind because someone is holding him back.”