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“My plan is for Lee to realize how valuable I am to the company—so valuable that he will want me to be C
EO whether or not I marry his granddaughter. I already had Robert convinced. I can convince your grandfather, too.”
“That’s not going to work. They want the company to stay in the family.”
“That’s where you come in. You need to tell him that you are so devastated by your father’s death that you don’t want anything to do with the company. You don’t want it. You’ll marry someone else that your grandfather wants when you are older but not now. And, no matter what, you want nothing to do with the Felton Corporation. All you want is what you already have—plenty of money to live by.”
I stand up and throw my napkin on the table before I storm off. I’m so tired of listening to what other people tell me I should be doing. Killian doesn’t say a word and he doesn’t stop me from leaving the table.
I wander down the hallways of the largest casino and hotel in the Felton empire. It’s the original one, the one that started it all. This one isn’t my favorite though. My favorite, Crystal Waterfalls, is farther down on the strip. It has a river and a waterfall flowing through it. But Felton Grand has its charms, too. It’s flashy and brings the hustle and bustle of the city inside.
It could work. I know it could. I’m already devastated. I could convince Granddad that I’d lose my mind if I had to step foot inside one of the casinos again. But is that what I want? Is that what my father would have wanted for me? Did he really tell Killian he wanted him to run the company without marrying me? Don’t I want at least some small part of the company for myself?
I try to think about what I want, but all I come up with is what I don’t want. I don’t want to marry Killian. At least, I don’t want to be forced into marrying him, especially now that I know he doesn’t want to marry me either.
I just don’t know what I do want. So, instead, I try to think about what my father would have wanted. Did he ever give any indication that he didn’t want me to marry Killian? Did he ever give me any clue of what he did want me to do?
One memory pushes into my head. The memory used to seem so unimportant, but maybe it means more than I know.
“What does my princess want to be when she grows up?”
I think for a minute as I put another block on top of the one my father placed. “A princess!” I shout.
He laughs. “Of course! You already are a princess. And when you’re old enough, I’ll make sure you have a castle and a whole empire to run, if you want it. But what else do you want to be?”
My five-year-old self thinks harder this time. What else do I want to be, other than a princess? “I know! I want to be a CEOOOO, like you, Daddy!”
He smiles and thinks seriously for a second. “If that’s what you want someday, it’s yours. You can be anything you want, no matter what Granddad or I tell you.”
“Yay! I’m going to be a CEEEAAA, like you!” I squeal.
“Shh,” he says. “You have to keep it a secret though.”
I pretend to lock my mouth with a fake key, like I do whenever anybody else tells me a secret. My father laughs again. He’s always laughing at me, and I love to make him laugh.
“For now though, let’s just say you want to be a princess.”
“Princess Kinsley and King Daddy!”
I’ve never thought about that memory—until now. I don’t even know if my father was serious when he said I could be CEO. And I never thought to ask. I never thought I wanted to run a company. I don’t have the talent, the skills, or the schooling. But maybe it’s what I want—to follow in my father’s footsteps. It’s all I’ve ever wanted—to be just like him.
I make my way back to the table and find that my plate has been taken away. In its place is a piece of chocolate cake and ice cream. Confused, I look up at Killian.
He shrugs. “To make up for not getting you that burger you wanted and for telling you what to do. Don’t all girls love chocolate?”
I smile. Killian really does have some good qualities to him when he’s not being a bossy, arrogant ass. I dig in and melt in my seat as the ice cream melts in my mouth. I forget about everything, except for how good this tastes in my mouth.
“So, you’ll agree to the plan then?” Killian asks, seeming slightly nervous for the first time since I’ve met him.
I take one more bite. Chewing slowly, I savor every last drop in my mouth.
“Maybe,” I say on autopilot.
He smiles, thinking he’s won.
“I mean…no,” I say, realizing my screw-up. “I don’t think your plan will work.”
“Then, what do you propose?”
