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“You’re going to sit there and disrespect me in my face?”
“You disrespectedyourselfby showing up here unannounced,” I explained. “Because you clearly don’t have anything better to do. You know… I thoughtmaybethis was about protecting Nalani. Now that, I could’ve respected. I wouldn’t have moved, but I could understand you coming here to plead for me not to corrupt your daughter. Man to man, that would’ve showed me there was some molecule, just amodicumof dignity about you. But… no.” I shook my head. “You’re here to beg for a fuckingjob?”
“Nalani is a grown woman; she can make her own decisions.”
“Can she?” I scoffed. “’Cause I could swear she’s navigatingyouridiotic judgement, trying to right a sinking ship younevershould’ve been at the helm of.”
“You keep speaking as if you know me,young man.”
I grinned. “Oh, are you… putting me in my place?” I chuckled.
“Someone needs to.”
“Itwon’tbe you. It won’teverbe you,” I informed, sitting forward to prop my clasped hands on the desk. “See… I’m speaking as if I know you, because Ido… or do you think my father never told me about his coward ass ‘friend’ who married into the competition’s family because it was the only avenue he had to claw his way into making a name for himself?”
I fought the urge to smirk as William’s light brown skin flushed. Hedidn’tthink my father had talked about it.
“Did it hurt when you realized the Joyce family wasn’t even interested in becoming some mega corporation?” I asked. “Did you evenloveLarena Joyce or was she just a means to an end for you?”
“That’s rich, considering the offer you made Nalani.”
“The difference is that she knows exactly what she’s getting into,” I countered. “She signed a contract detailingexactlywhat this is and isn’t because I don’t have to trick her.”
“You bought the building!”
“I’ve bought ahundredbuildings in the last decade, Mr. Stark. And need I remind you; I didn’t have to seek you out, you practically put it in my lap. Because you are a fucking imbecile.” I chuckled, shaking my head. “And the worst part is, you don’t even see it, do you?!”
“You smug little motherfucker!” he barked, lunging out of his seat.
Behind him, Henry stepped forward, but I held up a hand, urging him to stay where he was as I met William’s gaze, eyes brimming with rage.
I stayed exactly where I was.
“Is there something you need to get off your chest, Mr. Stark?” I asked. “If so, please feel free to speak up about it.”
Chest heaving, William glanced over his shoulder at Henry, but I shook my head.
“Henry understands this is a conversation between me and you. Man to man,” I said.
“Man tolittle boy,” he snapped. “If your damn daddy was alive, you’d be somewhere doing grunt work.”
“But he isn’t.” I shrugged. “So here the fuck we are, now what?”
“You think you’re so smart. I’m not surprised, your daddy had the same malfunction; thought he was five steps ahead of everybody.”
“Not everybody,William,” I said, dropping any pretext of respect. “Just you. Is that what all this is about? You’re mad that even in death, he isstillahead of you? He had more money, a better business, a wife who actually wanted him, so there’s noquestionabout the lineage ofhisson.”
William’s eyebrows shot up in clear surprise and I grinned.
“Don’t tell me youneverwondered about Soren… I mean, I’ve seen the pictures, Nalani looks just like her mother, nothing strange there. But yourson… who does he look like, Billy?”
Chuckling, I stepped back, easily dodging William’s grasp as hediddive over the desk that time. I didn’t have to do any more than that. Henry had him hemmed up before he could make another move, unperturbed by the older man’s cursing and squirming.
“Get him out of here,” I said, taking my seat again. “In case I don’t see you before then, Merry Christmas, father-in-law!”
That set him off even worse, but I didn’t hear much more of it.
The commotion had drawn Shiloh’s attention, and she was at the door, holding it open for Henry to drag William Stark from my office.
