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“I’m aware of that.”
“Then you know you need my approval to take over.”
“I’m not looking for your approval. This isn’t the life I want. I will never run this company,” I said, turning for the door.
“Then they’ll vote in Jerry Wright.”
I stopped in my tracks, my eyes squeezed shut as I tried to calm myself down. Jerry was someone I hated more than my father, and he knew it. Jerry used his daughter against me. We had dated for over two years and I fell hard for her. But everything about our relationship was a lie. She played me, scheming with her father to get me into the position of CEO. They thought I would take over one day and he would eventually rule over the company through her. But I never wanted to work for the company, and when she found out, the hatred flew from her mouth like a dragon breathing fire.
She never loved me. There was never a single thing about me that she liked. She was more interested in my brother, but he made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t interested in her. I never understood why until she broke off our engagement. It became clear to me that my brother knew all along what her intentions were. He just hadn’t informed me. We never talked about it, and I never found out why he didn’t tell me what her real plans were.
But Jerry was still gunning for that top spot, and if he got it, he would destroy my family. I didn’t care about the business, but no matter how much I disliked my father, I still didn’t want to see him or my mother ruined.
Slowly, I turned to my father, my nostrils flaring in anger. “There’s no guarantee he’ll be voted in.”
“He’s been working against me for years, and you know it. I thought for sure I had this taken care of with your brother, but…”
I nodded, understanding that now everything was ruined. I ran my hand across the stubble on my face and sighed. Was I really willing to sacrifice my life and happiness for my father who never gave a shit about me? I was never good enough for him. I was the rebel of the family that he couldn’t control, and if I decided to step into his shoes, he would own me. My life would be forfeit to a man that didn’t give a damn about my happiness.
A knock at the door had me turning.
“Dear, John Wallace is at the door,” my mother said urgently.
I swallowed hard and did the one thing I swore to myself I would never do. I caved. “I’ve got this,” I croaked out. I adjusted my suit and put on the face I had been trained to maintain in all business relations. Then I walked out of my father’s study and prepared for the inevitable…my marriage to his daughter.
