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“Presley and I are no longer together,” I say, standing. “But I understand that you were looking for any little thing to make your decision easier.”
“I never said you weren’t going to be CEO.”
I blink. Is this some weird ultra-real dream I’m having right now? Am I actually asleep in my hotel bed, letting my mind spin? I resist the urge to pinch myself because that would be way too much of a tell. “Excuse me?”
“I want you to take my place.” There’s no warmth to his voice at all. “The fact is, I know you’ll do a better job than Mike. You’re more adept at business, and you have a better head for numbers. I also think your vision for growing and improving the company is better than dismantling it.”
There has to be a catch. There’s no way in hell he pulled out those photos for dramatic flair. That’snothow he plays.
“What’s the caveat?”
“You can’t have a relationship with Presley Richardson. I’ll need you to sign an agreement that you won’t have any contact with her before we negotiate the terms of you stepping into the CEO role.”
My minds goes blank for a moment. He wants me to sign an agreement about a relationship that has nothing to do with my work? My father takes the papers from a tray on his desk and places them in front of me. The words swim but I catch my name and hers.
“How is this legal?”
“I shouldn’t even need a legal document,” he says. “Your word should be enough, but something tells me it would be wise to get it in writing.”
Wow.
I shouldn’t be thinking twice. Presley and I have already parted ways—she’ll be heading to Paris tonight. I came herehopingfor this exact outcome. I have what I want right in my grasp.
Won’t you miss inspiring young people to achieve their dreams? Isn’t that exactly what your grandfather did when he started his own company? He inspired you. He didn’t want to tie a stone around your neck.
“Why are you doing this?” I shake my head.
“Because if Mike found out you two were together, the betrayal wouldcrushhim. I’m protecting my son.” For a moment, I catch a glimpse of the man I remember from my childhood, the fierce lion who’d strike out against anyone who dared hurt one of his own.
Only he doesn’t see me as one of his own anymore. I lost that privilege when I left for Sydney.
“The reason she fled her own wedding was because Mike thought he could use her to convince you he was mature enough for this job.” I’m not sure it’s worth telling my father any of this—but hedoeslook surprised. “Oh, you didn’t know he took your ‘you need to be more mature’ conversation to mean that he needed a wife? She overheard him, for fuck’s sake. On her wedding day.”
Something shifts in my father’s expression, but he’ll never let me get a good look inside. “Regardless of what happened, it’s not appropriate for you and her to be in a relationship. It will make the company look bad—”
“Ah, sothat’syour concern. Not for Mike’s feelings, but for the company.”
“The financial success of Foster & Co. is forallof our futures.” He stares me down. “But I will not put you in that position if you think you can flaunt Presley in front of him just to prove a point.”
“And what point is that?”
“You’ve always had to win, Sebastian. When I hired Mike onto my executive team, you told me he was only there because of nepotism. Then you left Melbourne and we’ve barely heard from you since. Now you’re back because you want something, so don’t make out like you’ve got the moral high ground.”
His words sting as if he’s slapped me across the face. For so many years I swore I’d be better than him and Mike; I’d do things for the right reasons. To uphold the family legacy. To preserve my grandfather’s spirit.
But by signing on the line now, I’m not doing any of that. I’m simply proving that people matter less than business. That I can turn away from someone I care about simply because it serves my needs.
Presley was right. She deserves a life where her presence isn’t associated with a business deal. Signing would be the easy way for me to have everything, but in the end, I’d be no different from them—putting a company before her feelings.
“This is wrong.” I shake my head.
My grandfather didn’t build a company so it could be dangled over future generations like a carrot, ensuring they’d fall in line. He built it because he loved to build things, because he loved to create. Because he saw opportunity and ran with it. Not because he wanted to create a noose.
“I won’t do it,” I say.
My father’s eyes are like lightning, but his exterior is a frozen lake. “You said there was nothing more between you.”
“There isn’t, because I was too pigheaded to actually give it a chance. I wanted to have it all without committing to anything.”
