Glass Ceilings Read online

  Verity nodded, her face grim. ‘I hope so.’

  They kept walking.

  ‘We’re just lucky the dive company wants to keep this low-key as well, Guy, and who can blame them? It shouldn’t be possible for defective equipment to be within the reach of ... troubled ... members of the public.’

  ‘’An I’m certain they’ll make sure it ain’t, after this.’

  ‘I’m still so shaken by it all. I’m furious with her, and astounded she could contemplate doing what she did. But at the same time I can’t help thinking of Jim, and the damage to his reputation if this got out.’

  Guy gave a frowning nod. ‘Yeah, well Jim’s going to have to take that wife of his in hand.’

  ‘You know, I still can’t comprehend that all this actually happened, even though I know it did. I was there, I saw it happen, but I feel like I’ve just woken from a bad dream. It’s so hard to accept that she could want to hurt me so badly.’

  ‘You and Royce, honey,’ he reminded her gently.

  ‘Oh yes, Royce. What would he have been, collateral damage? I thought she had a bit of a “thing” for him?’

  ‘Well now, I don’t think she meant to harm him, reckon he just got caught up in her spiteful web. She couldn’t have known he’d swap scuba gear with you.’ Guy rubbed his chin and said thoughtfully, ‘And I’m not convinced she was consciously trying to kill you, either.’

  They both winced at the stark words.

  Guy went on, ‘She couldn’t guarantee you’d be stuck down there with the empty tank, ya could’a easily surfaced when the air ran out. No, I think she was just lashin’ out at you. And thinking that by givin’ you a scare she’d also be gettin’ back at him.’

  ‘But how would having a go at me get back at Royce?’

  ‘Well, as they say, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and it’s often the other woman who cops the worst of the fury.’ He looked at her meaningfully. ‘And in Kerry’s eyes, you’re the other woman.’ At the sight of Verity’s bewildered face, Guy gave a chuckle and ushered her towards the boardroom.

  ‘C’mon now, put it outta ya mind, we’ve got other fish to fry.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  Verity stared at her reflection in the mirror. After all that had happened that morning, all she’d had to deal with in such a short space of time, she now had to get her head around performing at the meeting. And not simply performing, she had to excel. Sighing, she checked her hair and makeup once more before leaving the ladies’ room, to make her way to the boardroom. Her next big test was about to start.

  Guy had joined the growing assembly of delegates outside the boardroom, and was standing chatting with the chairman, Travis Hunter. Both men looked over and nodded at Verity as she went past, and she dipped her head at them.

  Pushing open the boardroom door, she hesitated briefly on the threshold, sternly admonishing herself to leave all distractions there until after the meeting. Then she stepped inside.

  The room was in readiness, awaiting only inhabitants. Its impressive size and layout conveyed an imposing formality, which didn’t help settle her nerves, but Verity took comfort from seeing all was ready and waiting for the meeting to commence. She walked to the presenter’s table and ran a critical eye over the audiovisual equipment, which she’d need to function perfectly for her presentation. Satisfied all was in order, she stood at the polished timber lectern and took a minute to familiarise herself with the room from that vantage point.

  Jugs of iced water and bowls of mints had been set out on the tables, and the translucent fabric blinds on the full length windows were raised to let in some air and natural light, giving the room a fresh, open feel. A lush garden of thick shrubs, delicate ferns, and occasional stone figures in graceful poses, was visible through the windows, giving a sense of quiet privacy.

  Verity glanced at her watch. She had time for a cup of tea before the meeting opened, so she headed to the refreshments table. From the stack laid out on the linen tablecloth, she took a fine white porcelain cup and saucer. She paused to sniff the blooms on a generous bunch of yellow and white roses in a tall vase on the table, just as the function coordinator materialised, carrying a tray.

  The smartly-dressed young woman had been hovering, anxious to cater for any other of her high profile client’s needs. Setting the tray on the table, and placing a steaming teapot beside a matching creamer and sugar bowl, she proceeded to wrap the teapot in what appeared, comfortingly, to be a home-made tea cosy.

  ‘Thank you, you read my mind.’ Verity smiled her appreciation.

  ‘You’re welcome, Madam.’ With that, the coordinator disappeared again.

  Verity poured the hot amber liquid into her cup and helped herself to milk. As she stood stirring her tea, the boardroom door was thrust open again. This time Royce strode in, followed closely by Guy. As soon as he saw Verity, Royce headed towards her, only to be waylaid by Guy’s hand on his arm.

  ‘Been meaning to ask how you’re feelin’ now, Royce?’

  Royce barely glanced at him before answering offhandedly, ‘Fine ... thanks.’

  Guy chuckled. It took more than that to dissuade a seasoned campaigner like himself. ‘Quite recovered from your ordeal then?’

  ‘Yes, I’m fine,’ Royce repeated, with a trace of irritability in his deep voice. ‘Look, Guy, would you excuse me for a moment?’ He made to move away, but Guy gripped his arm more firmly and led him off to the side.

  ‘Now, I know ya wanna speak to the young lady over there, and rather badly by the look of ya,’ he grinned, ‘but she’s got a lot on her mind right now. She might appreciate a little bit of space, to get her thoughts in order before the meeting. Know what I mean, son?’

  Royce stood straighter and stared into Guy’s face, taking in the friendly concern and traces of amusement he saw there. Was there no hiding anything from this bloke? He frowned and sighed resignedly, ‘Yes, you’re right, Guy. I shouldn’t bother Verity while she’s preparing for the meeting. I’ll catch up with her later.’

  ‘Atta boy. And if it ain’t work ya wanna talk to her about,’ and Guy winked, ‘you’re sure to have every chance for a chat at the dinner tonight. Now that should be a swish affair.’ At Royce’s solemn face, Guy dug him playfully in the ribs, adding, ‘I hear there’s crayfish on the menu,’ and both men gave wry chuckles.

  The remaining delegates filed into the room, and Travis made his way to the lectern.

  Guy whispered conspiratorially to Royce, ‘Y’know, there might be one or two surprises in store at this meeting.’

  Royce looked disconcerted and murmured dryly, ‘Think I’ve had my fair share of surprises for one day.’

  He and Guy made their way over to a table towards the front, where Brenda and Verity joined them. Verity took a seat between Brenda and Guy, and directly opposite Royce. He studied her closely as, carefully keeping her eyes downcast, she arranged the meeting papers in front of her. Although he saw only calm concentration on her face, he wondered if she was feeling more anxious than she looked.

  Once again, he found himself mentally congratulating Verity on her grace and poise. Her smart midnight-blue suit was both professional and very attractive, particularly as the fitted skirt revealed an eye-catching length of slim, silk-stockinged leg. When she glanced up and her eyes swept the room, he admired the naturalness of her makeup, but noticed faint shadows under her eyes—evidence the morning had taken its toll. Royce gave a troubled frown.

  When Travis called the meeting to order and proclaimed it open, Verity felt her nerves tighten and her insides quiver. She applied the techniques she’d learned to help control nervous tension, but found it difficult to concentrate. She could feel Royce’s eyes on her. His gaze was like a cattle prod, zapping her wherever it fell.

  Glancing across at him with what she hoped was a casual expression, she pointedly arched one eyebrow and he looked away, as she’d hoped he would, but not before she saw the warmth and encouragement in his eyes. That took her
by surprise, but she pushed it from her mind when, shortly afterwards, she was called to make her presentation.

  Her time had come. A rush of nervousness swelled like a rising tide inside her, accompanied by an overwhelming desire to run. She recognised it as the old ‘fight or flight’ reflex, and took a deep breath to compose herself. Brenda gave her an encouraging nod and Verity rose to her feet, carefully gathering her papers as she did so, and made her way with dignity to the lectern.

  As Verity launched into her presentation, Royce felt a stirring of what he suspected was pride. And who wouldn’t be proud of her elegance, self-assurance, and composure under pressure? When he glanced discreetly around the room at the other delegates, he saw that they too were focusing on her with increasing interest. Her soft yet compelling voice carried an air of confidence and authority, and the combination of visual aids and spoken delivery kept her listeners interested. He suddenly realised she’d moved onto the subject of his project, so he made an effort to focus on what she was saying.

  No one in the audience could tell how hard Verity was working to maintain the polished performance. She was mustering every atom of energy to control her physical, emotional, and psychological presence in front of her peers, as she related items they wanted—and some they didn’t want—to hear.

  ‘I draw your attention to the proposal for the extensions to the Bayer process currently utilised at the RCL refinery. A report outlining the proposal was distributed to you all earlier this week, and is included in appendix five of the meeting papers.’ Aware that many wouldn’t have read it beforehand, Verity gave the delegates time to flip through their papers and locate the document.

  While she waited, her eyes flicked towards Royce and she found him looking intently at her, his expression undefinable. She hastily dropped her eyes to her notes, cleared her throat, and began outlining the proposal’s main points. She continued smoothly into an analysis of the project’s risks, costs and expected benefits, and then concluded with details of modifications necessary to accommodate the new process at the refinery.

  ‘... and so, after careful consideration of all aspects of this proposal, I can now declare that the project has my full support.’ Papers rustled throughout the room and Verity paused to allow the noise to die down again, before stating resolutely, ‘I hereby seek board approval to commence the necessary capital works, and request that a vote be held at close of business, to allow time for proper consideration of this proposal in light of my endorsement.’

  There was a low murmur and some head-nodding from the delegates, and once again pages fluttered in preparation for the next agenda item. Verity moved onto it promptly.

  ‘The next section of my report deals with workforce planning, and it is my ... sad ... duty to advise that both executive assistant, Kerry Stowe, and human resources manager, John Reardon, have tendered their resignations.’ A ripple went through the crowd but Verity ignored it. ‘As these positions are crucial to effective operations, applications will be called as a matter of urgency. I will advise on the status of recruitment in my official communiqués.’

  Verity glanced cautiously in Peter Connell’s direction, and watched his expression change from one of self-satisfied scorn, to surprise, and then to reluctant respect. She swallowed a smile and proceeded with the rest of her report, without noticing the gamut of emotions that had also been crossing Royce’s countenance. Guy was more observant though, and gave a slow smile at the mixture of gratitude, admiration, and thinly veiled affection he saw traversing Royce’s features.

  But, as Verity continued speaking, Royce’s expression grew serious again. He could hear Ella’s voice in his head, but couldn’t grasp what she was saying. Her words were growing softer and increasingly hard to hear, as though she was throwing them over her shoulder while walking away. But before they were gone completely, he finally made them out.

  ‘It’s time.’

  Later, as the meeting drew to a close, Royce waited, outwardly relaxed but inwardly anxious, for the final verdict on his project. Finally, Travis called for the casting of votes by each director. With rising tension and trying not to hold his breath, Royce watched as the delegates voted to decide the future of his brainchild. To his relief and satisfaction, the vote was overwhelmingly in favour. Elated, he turned towards Verity, who had resumed her seat, and found her looking at him with a proud smile in her eyes. He beamed at her and she found herself grinning openly in return, sharing a moment of private pleasure at their joint success.

  Travis remained standing at the lectern. He waited for the buzz surrounding the vote to die down, before declaring there was to be a special announcement. This caused another ripple among the delegates. There’d been no mention of this on the meeting agenda. Everyone listened, intrigued, as Travis spoke glowingly of his association with RCL’s board of directors. He went on to announce that his term as chairman was up and he would be vacating the position, effective next meeting. This wasn't a news flash, the company grapevine was alive and well, but the question uppermost on everyone’s mind was, who would be Travis’ replacement?

  They didn’t have to wait long to find out.

  ‘I’ve been carefully considering the question of my replacement, and am happy to say that the decision about who to nominate as my successor has been one of the easiest of my career. In fact,’ he added dryly, ‘the hardest part was keeping him from applying for other positions before I had the chance to nominate him for this one.’

  This met with a rumble of laughter, but Verity and Royce remained poker-faced, ears pricked, while Brenda and Guy looked on benevolently.

  Travis carried on, ‘The person I’m proposing to replace me as chairman of the RCL board was recently unsuccessful in applying for another executive position. This was because he’d already been identified in the board’s succession planning, and because we were fortunate enough to have another, very deserving applicant.’ Travis’ gaze fell on Royce, and moved across to Verity. ‘I’m sure you’ll agree that Verity Parker has proven herself a more than capable CEO, who will no doubt mirror others in having an upwardly mobile career.’

  Verity quickly shut her mouth, which had been dangerously close to gaping, and held herself straight and steady. Everyone clapped loudly and Travis had to raise his voice to be heard.

  ‘I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate Verity on an excellent performance, during what could be described as somewhat difficult times. I know we have exciting years ahead with RCL’s management secure in her capable hands.’

  Verity blushed and felt her chest swelling with pride at the glowing praise, but half her mind was on Royce and what she now knew was in his future. She felt his eyes on her again, and turned to see a proud smile spreading across his face. But was he smiling about her success, or his own?

  ‘Well, I won’t keep you hanging in suspense,’ Travis said. ‘For those of you who haven’t already guessed, I have great pleasure in nominating Royce James to take on the supernumerary role of chairman of the board of RCL Alumina, for a period of three years and no doubt beyond.’

  All eyes were on Royce, who sat looking steadily at Travis, while cries of ‘I second the nomination,’ and ‘Here, here,’ resounded throughout the room. Travis nodded to acknowledge the almost unanimous approval, and declared the meeting closed.

  Royce rose to join the stream of delegates exiting the room, and found Verity by his side.

  ‘I’m so pleased for you Royce, congratulations.’

  He heard the sincere pleasure in her voice, and saw it glowing from her eyes. She reached out to shake his hand, and he grasped hers firmly.

  Immediately, a little shudder ran through her. It felt as though the warmth of his grip was flowing up her arm like some sort of energy. Her brow puckered for an instant, and she pulled her hand away more abruptly than she’d intended.

  Royce felt the exchange of heat too, and noticed her reaction when they touched. He took a step closer, before remembering where they were. H
e smiled warmly at her and murmured his thanks. ‘And Verity, I—’ But before he could say more, a mob surrounded him, clapping him on his broad shoulders and bellowing their congratulations. When he looked around for her again, Verity had disappeared into the crowd.

  The next time he caught sight of her was at pre-dinner cocktails over an hour later, but whenever he tried to get close enough to talk to her, he found himself, or her, waylaid by someone else.

  He swore under his breath.

  Every time I think I have her, she slips away from me.

  Standing in a group, only half listening to their chatter, and holding a full glass that was fast becoming room temperature, his admiring eyes followed Verity as she worked the room. Her evening wear made her look delicate and alluring. The fine straps of her scarlet cocktail dress whispered over her lightly tanned shoulders, and crossed their way down her bare, smooth back to her waist, from where the skirt fell gently to the floor, finishing in a small, shining train. The lustrous satin hugged her upper body and skimmed over her slim hips on its way to the floor. Her hair was pinned loosely in a sparkling clasp, with soft strands waving around her face and neck whenever she moved.

  Royce’s eyes remained fixed on her as she made her way through the crowd. It was an effort to look away, and when he did, he noticed others also watching her.

  Like moths to a flame....

  With an irritated exhalation, he turned his attention to the drinks waiter, and distractedly replaced his luke-warm drink with a chilled champagne cocktail. This was a celebration, after all. But he held the glass without taking a sip of its contents, until it too grew warm in his hand.

  Annoyed by the way his eyes kept searching the room for glimpses of scarlet, he went over to join the delegates circling the buffet table. With less enthusiasm than the fine spread deserved, Royce looked over the gleaming silver platters of finger food, without really focusing on the delicious array.

  ‘Mmm,’ the woman beside him purred, reminding him of Kerry, ‘how does one choose between oysters in their shells with smoked salmon and chive garnish, crudités with green mayonnaise, and smoked trout pâté on pumpernickel rounds?’