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Picking up the phone, he dialed. “Max, Gabrielle wants to have lunch with you.”
She squawked in protest and got to her feet.
“Great,” he continued. “I’ll let her know.
“He’s on his way.” Nathan replaced the phone.
Hoping this would be the last time he’d see Gabrielle at Case Consolidated Holdings, Nathan flashed her a broad grin. Maybe Max would send her packing, the way he had sent the last dozen packing, with a full stomach and a firm, noncommittal goodbye. Gabrielle had been bragging of late that she’d succeeded in enticing the elusive Max Case from his bachelor ways. Nathan almost felt sorry for her.
The next morning, a heated discussion was taking place in Sebastian’s big corner office.
“I’ve looked at Smythe’s numbers. It seems like a pretty solid deal,” Sebastian said, as cool and unflappable as Max was hot and animated. “Which means we’re not going to be able to do the deal with Montgomery Oil.”
Nathan tapped his pen on his yellow legal pad to keep his temper from flaring again. “I put in a call to a buddy of mine in Chicago in investment banking. He’s got the inside scoop on Smythe. The guy is not going to sell.”
“And we’re just supposed to believe your buddy?” Max demanded.
Nathan shrugged. “It doesn’t change the fact that if Smythe does sell, we won’t have nearly the potential for profit as we would if we did the deal with Montgomery.” His temper slipped. “And if you two would stop acting like a couple of old women, you might understand the value in taking a little risk.”
“Don’t lecture us about taking risks,” Max shot back. “You’re nothing but a hotshot who wouldn’t be here if Dad—”
Max had always doled out his criticism with boisterous, taunting directness. Sebastian chose a quieter, deadlier approach.
“I’m sure Nathan understands his position in this company.”
Yeah, Nathan understood his position all right. He was an outsider. It didn’t matter that he bore their last name. His mother had been Brandon Case’s mistress. He wasn’t their “legitimate” brother, and they resented that they’d been forced to share their father with him. And now their company.
“Don’t give up on the deal with Montgomery,” Nathan said, letting the subtle and not so subtle jabs slide off him. He would get nowhere if he continued to agitate his brothers. “I told you I have a couple things to iron out in order to get things finalized. Give me a few more weeks. You owe me that.”
“Forget it, Nat,” Max said. “You took your shot and lost.”
I didn’t lose. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ve seen the numbers. The technology is poised to explode, and if we get in on the ground floor, we’ll make a killing.” He leaned forward. “Look, I get that you’re angry that Dad didn’t consult you when he brought me on board. You want me gone, but that’s not going to happen. So you might as well quit playing games.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sebastian exchanged a look with Max.
“Ever since we were kids you two have ganged up against me. I get why. I was the illegitimate one. The proof that your father had cheated on your mother. Well, that was a long time ago. My mother’s been dead twenty years. Don’t you two think it’s time you let it go?”
Both his brothers looked surprised by his vehemence. They turned to each other and another of those nonverbal exchanges passed between them. Nathan hated how their closeness shut him out. It renewed his determination to take control of the company away from them.
“What do we really know about this technology you want to invest in?” Max grumbled, his body language and expression broadcasting his skepticism. “We’re out of our depth here.”
Nathan stared at his brother. “I’m not.”
“Well, excuse me if I’m having trouble taking your word on this.”
Sebastian silenced his younger brother with a sharp gesture. “Nathan has given us solid numbers on this, Max. Until this thing came up with Smythe, we agreed to give him a chance to approach Montgomery about their joint venture. Silas hasn’t made a decision. I think we should at least give Nathan until the middle of February. If he’s right about Lucas, we can afford to wait.”
“I never thought you’d be up for this kind of risk, Sebastian,” Max said, his eyes narrowing. “That sort of gambling is better left to the experts.” A great deal of sarcasm went into the last word.
Nathan sidestepped the urge to react to his brother’s taunt, but it rankled. He didn’t have an MBA or their business credentials, but he’d made a hell of a lot of money on his ability to research up-and-coming companies and glimpse their potential.
