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Blinking away her tears, Everleigh smoothed her face into the mask of a skilled businesswoman. Adrian’s admiration ratcheted up a notch.
“Why do you want to purchase Fox Vineyards?”
“Cabrera Wine is growing quickly. We maintain multiple vineyards in Spain, three in France and two in Sweden. We have yet to break into the United States market.”
Her lips thinned. “I see.”
The current of growing irritation in her voice could not be missed.
“Is a business not allowed to grow and expand?” he asked.
“Of course it is. But why purchase Fox? I love it, but it’s small. You clearly have the money necessary to buy your own land and build a much bigger winery.”
“We do. Billions of it.”
Her cheeks reddened again, but this time a deeper color that spread down her neck and toward the valley of her breasts. How could anger look so sexy?
“The question stands, Mr. Cabrera. Why purchase Fox?”
“Your vineyards produce some of the finest grapes for Riesling and Pinot Noir. Your port has won numerous accolades. Why would I waste time and resources replicating what is already a well-established operation almost guaranteed to grow with the right investment?”
“Operation?”Her fingers curled in his grasp. “Fox Vineyards is more than just an ‘operation.’ It’s a family.”
“A family?” he repeated. “Miss Bradford, that’s a quaint notion. But holding on to a winery that’s dying in its current format because it has a ‘family’ atmosphere is not good business. That’s why Fox is failing.”
“Fox is not failing!” Everleigh snapped.
Several dancers turned to look at them.
Adrian leaned down, putting his lips almost to her ear. “Unless you want to become the talk of the party, I suggest you lower your voice.”
She stiffened in his arms and focused on some point over his shoulder. They swayed to the music for a good thirty seconds before she spoke again.
“Fox is not failing,” she repeated, her voice a monotone. “We’ve had some struggles, but struggle does not equal failure.”
“You haven’t released a new wine in six months. Your father told me that at least half of your equipment needs to be replaced and that profits have dwindled. Your winery has an excellent reputation, but it cannot exist on good recommendations when it’s hemorrhaging funds.”
“I can fix it,” she insisted.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why your father has decided to sell instead of pass control of the winery to you. That’s a conversation you’ll have to have with him.”
The blood drained from Everleigh’s face. “What did you say?”
“Your father contacted me six weeks ago. He asked if I wanted to buy Fox Vineyards.”
Betrayal sucked the energy from Everleigh’s limbs. Had Adrian not been cradling her in a dancer’s embrace she might very well have collapsed onto the floor.
How could her dad have done this? He knew what Fox meant to her—knew that she wanted to take over. At least before she’d thought Adrian had pressured him, backed him into a corner somehow. But for him to have contacted Adrian...
“Miss Bradford?”
Adrian’s voice echoed in her mind as if he were at the end of a long tunnel. She’d known Fox wasn’t doing great, but could it truly be in such dire straits?
Even as she looked up at Adrian, hoping to see some glint of artifice in his eyes, she saw nothing but truth and concern. It made a horrible kind of sense. Her dad’s increased worries about the company’s finances... His scheduling meetings for when she was busy with another project... His refusal to tell her why he had decided to sell...
Each puzzle piece that fell into place felt like a shot to the heart.
“It seems I owe you another apology, Mr. Cabrera,” she managed to force out. “When my father said he had no choice but to sell, and refused to tell me more, I assumed you had pressured him into selling.” The music stopped and she stepped out of his arms. She needed to get out of here.Now.“Thank you for the information, and the dance. Enjoy the rest of your party.”
