Beloved Enemy. Terri Reed
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a good idea. Barbara was very loyal to Juliet’s father. Probably not someone she could rely on as an ally. “I was thinking maybe his itinerary would be on his desk. Do you know when my father is expected back from Europe?”
Barbara’s nostrils flared slightly as displeasure entered her ebony eyes. “No. Your father has not kept a very reliable schedule ever since he took up with that woman.”
Interesting. So, Barbara didn’t think very highly of Juliet’s father’s newest girlfriend. Juliet wondered if she’d liked any of the women who’d come parading through Ronald’s life. “I’ve only met Alannah twice. She seems a bit…flamboyant for Father.”
Barbara’s lip curled. “More like money hungry.”
Great. One more problem for her and her sisters to face. “Should we be worried?”
Barbara waved off the concern. “Oh, please. Ronald’s just indulging in a little midlife philandering. He’ll come around eventually.”
“I’ll pray that he does,” Juliet murmured, hating that her father was so cavalier with his soul. Didn’t he realize the mess he was making of everyone’s lives with his womanizing? She wondered if Barbara had a personal interest in Ronald Blanchard. And Juliet didn’t know what to feel about that.
“Come, let me show you where you’ll be working,” Barbara said and headed down the hall away from Ronald’s office.
Juliet followed along, peering in the other offices as she went. She waved when she recognized several of the long-term employees, mainly the ones in the sales department who had attended various functions over the years at Blanchard Manor.
Barbara stopped at a small office with a tiny, square window up high on the plain beige wall. There was a bare desk, a filing cabinet and a couple of shelves.
“Here you go,” Barbara announced.
Juliet frowned. She’d have thought the marketing director’s office would at least have a view. She stepped inside and put her purse on the desk. “So, when do I meet the staff and find out what we’re currently working on?”
“There will be a staff meeting in ten minutes in the conference room. You’ll see everyone then.” Barbara gave her an indulgent smile. “Take a few minutes to settle in and look around. I’m sure you’re anxious to meet your new boss.”
Juliet cocked her head to one side. “I won’t be reporting directly to my father?”
“Oh, mercy, no. Your father has little to do with the day-to-day operations anymore. Especially now that he’s off gallivanting with that woman.”
“Right.” Of course there’d be someone else in charge while her father was away. Leo used to be that person, but now that he was gone…Juliet could only hope she’d get along with the person in charge.
“We’ll see you in ten minutes,” Barbara stated before disappearing out of the office.
Juliet sat at the desk and looked through the drawers. All the basic supplies. Bored, she drummed her fingers on the wooden top. She wished she had paper and a charcoal pencil so she could sketch. Instead she tried to think of ways she could get into her father’s office.
Finally, she left her little space with pen and spiral notebook in hand and headed down the hall to the conference room she’d passed on her way to her office. A few early birds were already seated at the table.
Juliet joined them, introduced herself and asked what department each worked in and for how long. Soon others began to file in and the room filled. The seats were all taken and a few people stood along the walls.
Barbara strode to the front of the room. She welcomed everyone. “We have another new employee joining us today. Juliet, would you please stand?”
Aware of everyone’s attention, Juliet rose with a smile. She wondered who else had recently joined the company.
“This is Juliet Blanchard, Ronald’s youngest daughter. She is coming on board in the marketing department. She recently graduated from Vermont State University with a degree in design and a minor in marketing. Please, welcome Juliet.”
Finding it odd that Barbara didn’t state exactly what Juliet’s position in the marketing department would be, she fought back a wave of unease. The clapping and voices raised in greeting distracted her from Barbara’s omission.
As Juliet sank back into her seat, the honey-blond-haired woman seated beside her leaned over to whisper her welcome.
“Hi, I’m Annie Miller. I was in the same high school class as the twins.”
Juliet shook the woman’s hand and whispered back, “Nice to meet you.”
“How are your sisters?”
“Good. Rissa has a play being produced on Broadway and Portia’s arts store is thriving. They were—”
“Ladies, do you mind?”
Juliet started at the deep, familiar voice. Her gaze flew to the man who moved to stand at the head of the long conference table.
She blinked, sure she was seeing things.
But no, what she saw was real.
Brandon De Witte, looking roguishly handsome in a traditional navy business suit, was staring at her with an amused glint in his brown eyes and a secret smile on his full lips.
Stunned, all Juliet could do was stare back. Apparently her hope of seeing him again one day had come true.
But at Blanchard Fabrics?
After she’d kissed him? Definitely a shocker, not to mention the potential for embarrassment.
A lump of sinking dread hit the bottom of her stomach as something even more threatening came into focus. Brandon De Witte’s only interest was in companies that were struggling.
Was her father’s company in trouble?
Brandon watched the color drain from Juliet’s lovely face and wondered for a second if she’d pass out from shock.
He could only imagine her reaction if she knew that ruining her father’s company was his plan. An eye for an eye and all that.
He shifted his attention to the rest of the group, said what he needed to say and then dismissed them.
“Would the marketing team please stay for a moment?” he asked as the staff began to leave.
Juliet stayed in her chair, her big green eyes watching him closely. When the four marketing department members were seated around the table, he brought out the new marketing campaign that Ronald Blanchard had approved before going off to Europe.
“Wait a second.” Juliet held up a staying hand. “Where did you get this?”
“Your father,” he replied smoothly and then continued on. The campaign was simple, yet he knew it would be effective in propelling Blanchard Fabrics forward in the changing marketplace and would help raise the company’s lagging profit margin.
Brandon had come up with the idea as a way to leverage a position in the company. But he and his uncle planned to take over the company before the campaign was implemented. Brandon had heard through the business grapevine that Ronald Blanchard’s right-hand man was leaving the company, as well as the marketing director. He’d quickly abandoned his earlier plan of ingratiating himself with the Blanchards through Juliet. Instead he’d opted for the better way to bring down the company by infiltrating the inner workings.
Ronald had been impressed with his credentials and quickly hired Brandon to step into the marketing director’s position. And now that Ronald was out for a while, he’d basically left Brandon in charge. How much easier could taking down the Blanchards be?
He glanced at Juliet, who stared at him with suspicion. When he heard that Juliet would be working under his direction and that her father wanted him to