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“I offered to pay a shit ton of money, and when that didn’t work, I agreed to put in the contract that we would expand their division of the company by ten percent in the first year.”
He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “Wow. So, you think they’ll sign?”
“I’m hopeful. If I can’t get your father to buy the company, all this extra work was for nothing.”
“You’re talking about taking one of the largest media companies and probably doubling your profits in the first years. You call that nothing?”
“What good would it be to add more to my plate?”
“The old man is still gonna be a problem.”
I smirked at him. “Trust me, if this deal goes through, I’ll be adding a few stipulations to the contract. This deal would be more than lucrative for him.”
“He may not want it,” Fletch said hesitantly. “At his age…”
“Your old man is a shark. He doesn’t know how to quit. This deal would be very hard for him to pass up. Not to mention, I think I know a way to sway him in my favor.”
“What’s that?”
“The one thing he wants,” I grinned. “All of our shares.”
“And you think your family is just going to hand that over? Not when they find out how much this deal will bring in for them.”
“I’m not going to give them an option. They’ve controlled my life long enough. If I can make this deal happen, they’ll have more money than they know what to do with.”
“I hope it works for you,” he sighed. “I don’t suppose now is a good time to talk business.”
“Why not? I’m in the mood to spend more money.”
“I never said I was here for money.” The knowing look on my face said it all. “Alright, I am here for money, but I promise you won’t mind spending it.”
* * *
“Rose!”I called out when I walked into the apartment. Mrs. Bryant came around the corner, pissed as hell.
“She’s not here, and those damn workers tore up my kitchen. She didn’t even ask me about how I’d like it designed, and I’m the one that works in there!”
“She is the lady of the house.”
“This is not a house,” she argued. “It’s a damn construction zone. And both of you are gone all the time.”
I interrupted her, not wanting to argue about this tonight. I was tired and ready to sit down and relax. “Mrs. Bryant, let’s talk about this another time. I’m not in the mood for this tonight.”
I could tell she was angry, but she nodded and left me alone. Standing in the foyer of the apartment, all I felt was how cold it felt in here. It was the dead of winter, and even with the newly renovated living room with the fireplace, there was no warmth in here. I set down my briefcase and hung up my coat. Walking into the living room, I looked around for any signs of Rose. Even with redecorating the place how she wanted, she never spent any time here. I walked over to the bar and poured myself a whiskey, then sat on the couch in front of the fire.
I stared into the flames, wondering how I allowed my life to shift so far from where I thought I was headed. It all boiled down to my brother’s funeral. I could always stand up to my father, always ignore his wishes, but that day, I allowed too many things to cloud my judgment. That was the beginning of the best time of my life and the end.
My phone rang and I wanted to ignore it, but that was never really something I was allowed as the CEO. And I was glad I didn’t ignore it when I saw who was calling. Anderson Ford, owner of Constance Media was on the line.
“This is James Langston.”
“James, it’s Anderson Ford.”
“Mr. James, it’s kind of late. What can I help you with?”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that, but I thought now would be a good time to meet and hammer out a few final details. I’m inclined to go through with the deal, but I have some stipulations, and I think you’ll readily agree.”
I glanced at my watch and rubbed my tired eyes. “I’ll need to call in a few people. They’ve all gone home for the night.”
