The Build Up (84)

“Good, now can we go? I have a flight to Milan to catch,” quipped Marco, who was already back in his dark shades and typing away on his phone.

Ari and I looked at each other and smiled. Paulo approached us, shaking both of our hands. “Excellent, you two. I knew it! My secret weapon! I was right, no?”

I looked over at Ari and then Paulo. “Indeed, you were.”

Mr. Robinson approached as the Serranos and their team were leaving the boardroom. “Porter, we’d like to have a word with you. Ms. James, if you’ll excuse us.”

Ari nodded, gathered her notes, and quickly exited along with the rest of the associates. Before she left, Ari turned and gave me a thumbs-up. The first sign of warmth from Ari I’d had in a week. I smiled.

I swallowed, closing my eyes to take in a deep breath. This is it. This is the moment. Riddle, Robinson, and Harrison. Riddle motioned for me to take a seat and I did, with Robinson sitting directly in front of me.

Robinson smoothed out his tie. “You and Ms. James seem to have a good working relationship.”

I nodded. “We do. She’s amazing. Not sure I could have pulled this off without her.”

Riddle nodded. “Yes. She’s seemed to be a positive influence on you. Design wise, that is.”

“Yeah, she’s been great to work with. Ari, I mean, Ms. James was integral, really.”

Maybe I was laying it on a little thick, but I wanted them to know that Ari had more than done her fair share with this stadium project. If it was credit that Ari wanted, I wanted to make sure she got it.

Riddle and Robinson quieted and stared at me. Riddle uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. The temperature in the room suddenly changed. Was this not the promotion? I stared between the two men until Robinson leaned across the table.

“And how well do you know Ms. James, Mr. Harrison?” he asked, his tone curiously suspicious.

I scrunched my forehead and leaned back. “I know her well. It’s been nearly four intense months of working together. And...”

I hesitated. Although my partnership was on the line, I had no idea where Ari and I stood. Up until a week ago, I would have been ready to disclose our relationship.

“And” I continued, “we’ve begun seeing each other’s...vision and design aesthetic.” I swallowed the last words.

Robinson shook his head while Riddle scratched his temple. I waited a few seconds before responding. “As a potential partner, I can be impartial when it comes to new projects or clients. Although Ari and I have a close working relationship, I’d show no favoritism at all.”

Robinson huffed under his breath, his disdain apparent and stinking up what was a joyous boardroom like three-day-old shit. What was going on?

Riddle frowned. “Porter, I hate to ask but is anything else going on between you and Ms. James?”

A wave of coldness hit me like a ton of bricks. “No. Why?”

Riddle gestured wildly with his arms. “Porter, I’m glad to hear it’s just work between the two of you. I’m going to be honest. I hate to disclose such matters, but Ms. James left Leland due to her close working relationship with a colleague. It seems like she has a pattern of getting involved with coworkers, and when things go south, she begins harassing them and defaming their character, making outlandish claims about their work ethic. Glad to hear that Ms. James is keeping it above board.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. “Mr. Riddle, Ari has told me all about what happened. It was awful. Seems like the only person harmed in the situation was Ari. Surely, you’re not taking their word for it. Have you talked to Ari? Heard her side of things?”

Robinson scoffed, “Porter, are you questioning the honesty and integrity of a firm like Leland, Stokes, and Brandies? Those were serious allegations she slung toward a promising young architect.”

Promising? I felt sick at the thought of Maurice characterized as anything beyond a lowlife. “No, but even a firm like LBS can get it wrong. You and I both know this industry can be savage. People do anything to get to the top. Ari was just an example of the many people who’ve been used and hurt in this industry because of someone else’s ambitions.”

Riddle folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t get it, son.”

Robinson nodded in agreement. “Yes. While we certainly think Ari has elevated your work and that she’s a talented architect, we can see now that your friendship has clouded your judgment. And if you want to make partner, you don’t need that distraction.”

Distraction? The words swirled around my head until it registered: They were going to fire her. They had used her to get the stadium project and now, they were going to let her go.

I leaned across the table, anger flaring my nostrils. “Ari isn’t distracting me, sirs.”

“Do you want to make partner or not, Porter? That’s the real question,” countered Robinson.

I looked between the two men, bewildered. “Of course, I do. I also don’t want the firm to lose a good architect like Ari either. I mean, why did you hire her in the first place? Do you want her to sue you all?” I was hoping the threat of a lawsuit would take some of the wind out of their sails. My mind raced; I could call Todd. Even if he couldn’t take this case, Todd knew plenty of high-powered attorneys that would be biting at the chance to get a large settlement due to wrongful termination. Ari could beat this.