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I waited a moment longer before getting up and slowly peeking into the lobby. The very empty lobby.
Where had they gone? And why?
Sadie stepped up to Monica’s desk, a stack of files in her hands. I chewed on my cheek, debating what to do. Sadie was the nicest one in the office and Aiden seemed to like her.
I stepped out and her head barely shifted, her eyes meeting mine. Whatever expression she saw on my face made her look fully at me, then she smiled softly.
“Dani,” she said. I felt Monica’s eyes on me, but I ignored her.
“Can you help me?” I asked, and she smiled broader. Her fingers tapped on Monica’s desk before she pushed herself off and stalked toward me.
“Is this about his father?” she asked, low enough for only me to hear. I nodded, and her smile reappeared, more wolfish than before. “Then yes. Whatever you need.”
24
AIDEN
My hands shook as I set them on the table, the shiny surface reflecting my scowling face. My father and Jon were laughing about something, but there was a roaring in my ears I couldn’t get past.
The amount of money he’d offered to invest nearly gave me a heart attack. It would be the most money my company had ever seen.
My mouth tasted like ash. I didn’t want to accept his investment. I wanted to tell him to go fuck himself with that money, but his words had struck me deep.
“He clearly doesn’t care about you or your job if he’s not willing to make his company a lot of money.”
This wasn’t about me. It was about my employees. They put their trust in me, and if I didn’t accept this from him, I wouldn’t be a good boss. I wouldn’t be a good person.
A knock on the door made my heart leap, and for a moment, I hoped it would be Danica. I needed her, just like she’d said, but I couldn’t let her see this. I felt ashamed, a failure. I didn’t want her to see me taking this fucking blood money.
Slowly, my head lifted as the door opened. David stepped into the boardroom, his eyes flicking between Jon and my father, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. I stood on weak knees, my hands still braced on the table.
“Thank you for coming,” I said, my voice coming out raspy and choked. He looked at me, and I knew he could see it–the defeat on my face.
“Of course,” he said. He moved to the chair at my right and slowly sank into it as he laid his folders on the table. Our eyes met again as I sat back down.
He knew I didn’t want to take money from my father. It had been a discussion we’d had when the company first started. He knew where I came from, who my family was, and he’d asked why I didn’t just ask them for the investment. If I did, I’d be set. No, I’d told him exactly what I’d told my father earlier–my family died the day I walked out the door. I wanted nothing to do with them. I knew David was wondering what had changed. Five million dollars had changed.
“Let’s get this over with,” my father said. He leaned back in his chair, looking smug. I couldn’t speak. My throat was tight, my stomach twisted. I felt sick.
He didn’t look at me, only at David, as if this was his company., as if my opinion didn’t matter. I guess it didn’t, did it? Not when he was practically buying this company from me.
“I had my lawyers draw up a contract for us in advance,” he said, glancing at Jon. He hurried to pull the stack of papers from his briefcase. I probably should’ve called my lawyers for this, too. My mind wasn’t working, though.
“We’ll go over it and be in contact with you soon,” David said, his voice flat. It was enough to shake me out of this daze and I turned my attention to my father.
“I need to call Keith,” I said mindlessly. No one looked at me. My father waved dismissively.
“No need,” he said. “I’m not trying to fuck anyone over.” He laughed, his belly shaking with it. I clenched my jaw at the mocking sound. “You can trust me, can’t you, son?”
My eyes met his, my nose flaring. “No.” His brows lifted, a smirk curving his lips. David cleared his throat and Jon snickered, covering it with a cough.
“It just says I’ll get fifty percent of the company,” he said, his gaze holding mine. “Fifty percent seems fair to me.” My body trembled.
I couldn’t do this.
I couldn’t fucking do this.
“Thirty percent,” David said, and my father slowly slid his eyes to him. “We’ll take a smaller investment if need be, but not fifty percent.”
