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A lightning bolt seared up my spine as I heard him downstairs, talking in a low voice. William laughed at me as I stopped on the staircase.
“Keep going, doll. Or I’ll keep squeezing your ass.”
Doll?
A ruthless pinch made me start forward. I ignored William’s deep laughs as I descended the staircase. We passed the marble foyer and entered a living room, which contained a white grand piano and a gold painting ceiling; we crossed over and entered the next room, which was a dark-brown study. I haltedat the threshold, but William continued inside.
Domenico Pardini, CEO of Pardini Worldwide, sat behind a mahogany desk with a phone to his ear. William stopped in front of the desk and crossed his arms, waiting for his father to get off the phone.
The Pardini patriarch was a thin reed of a man, with a wiry mustache and angry, dark eyes. He still wore a business suit and looked terrifying because his face was devoid of any joy. He stood up from the desk, revealing a lean, skinny waist.
“Goodbye.”
Will’s father hung up the phone and glared at his son.
“You are not supposed to be here, William.”
I knew what he meant. We came back early from the campaign because William felt he had to return to Chicago. I was hoping to slink out of the room, unnoticed.
“Thanks, Dad. Hello to you, too.”
“Who is that?”
At that unfortunate moment, Mr. Pardini acknowledged my presence. I stepped into the room, my legs trembling.
William looked surprised to see me standing all the way in the back. He waved me over. “This is Natalie. She’s the graphic designer for the campaign.”
Will, I’m going to kill you.
Mr. Pardini was looking for something polite to say. “I see. And—er—you brought her here because?”
“I’m also dating her.”
I wanted to die. Please someone just shoot me. Mr. Pardini opened his mouth angrily, but William interrupted.
“Dad, I’m here because I found out you’re in a lawsuit with Luke. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mr. Pardini stepped around the desk. For a moment, I thought he would hit his son. “It was none of your concern. I wanted you to focus on the campaign which you’ve decided to just drop.”
“Is it true? Are you trying to stiff him out of his shares?”
Mr. Pardini’s hot glare flashed in my direction and I took a step backward. He didn’t want me there. He grabbed the half-empty glass of amber liquid on his desk and took a small sip.
“Yes, it’s true. Giacomo and I were planning to do this with all of you. It’s time to break up the empire.”
A heavy silence followed his words, with only the sounds of Domenico sipping his drink and my pounding heart filling my head.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Lots of family members want out. They want their money, now. Breaking up the empire was something Giacomo, and I had been talking about for years. It’s time and both of us realized that our sons were incapable of managing an empire.”
“You will butcher the empire our family has spent generations building?”
“I have no choice. Did you think Luke was the only lawsuit I’m dealing with?” Will gaped at him as he walked across and studied a painting. “Most of the family’s money is in corporations owned by trusts. I will sell all the companies we own and liquidate Pardini holdings.”
“Dad, you can’t—”
“I am the sole trustee for the family. There's nothing I can't do. I am selling Luke’s shares and I am giving him an appropriate amount for the deals he has made for the company. Everyone else will get the same treatment.”
