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I nod, fighting the urge to press the button for another floor to buy us more time.
Archer steps in front of me, blocking Tyson completely from my view. He puts his hands on either side of my face, cupping my cheeks and leaning forward until he’s the only thing I can see.
“No matter what happens today, we’ve still got each other. You got that?”
I nod, taking one final deep breath to completely pull myself together. We’ve worked tirelessly to make sure this plan will go through. I think part of the reason I’m so nervous is because I know that we have what we need. We have a majority vote of the shareholders and board by a landslide with both Moore and Bishop Hotels.
The part that has me nervous is going against my dad. I’ve never done it intentionally—even Blake was something I never thought my dad would find out about. Both Tyson and Archer are in the same position I am. We’re all going against our fathers in hopes for a better future; it’s just really terrifying when you’ve spent your entire life trying to make someone proud of you to then do something like this.
“My assistant is waiting downstairs for your dad to arrive,” Archer explains, stepping out from in front of me so he can speak with both Tyson and me. “I’ve given him strict orders to let me know the moment Spencer steps into the security line.”
“And your father?” Tyson asks, tucking hishands into his pockets. We’re ten floors away from where the meeting will take place.
“He’ll be in the conference room in ten minutes. There, he’ll find people from both hotels—and our plan will begin.”
My fingers pull at the skirt I’d picked out for today. Now that I’m in it, I wish I would’ve picked a pantsuit or something different, but it’s too late. I’d paired the black skirt with a black blazer and a pearl headband, hoping to appear businesslike so I’d be taken seriously.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I mutter, rocking my head back and forth as I catch my reflection in the gold glass elevator doors. This is the first time I’ve ever visited the Moore Hotels headquarters, and I must admit, it’s incredibly nice. All I could think about was how classic and sleek everything looked as we were walking through the security line.
I adjust the strap of my bag on my shoulder. Inside, I’ve got vision board concepts for future projects—just in case either my dad or Archer’s dad surprises us by being on board with the plan. I don’t think they will be, but I could still show the board members and shareholders my visions in the meeting if I need to. I like to be prepared, and it felt weird to show up to the meeting empty-handed.
The elevator doors open with ading—making my stomach lurch.
It’s really happening. Archer squeezes my hand, softly guiding me out of the elevator.
“Here’s to a better future for both our families,” he notes.
All I do is nod, my throat too tight with nerves to say anything else.
—
“What is this?” Archer’s dad yells, his face turning red with rage. His eyes scan over the biggest table I’ve ever seen as he tries to meet the eyes of the many people seated around it.
My dad leans forward, glaring at Archer’s dad from the opposite side of the room. “You thought you’d get away with taking over Bishop Hotels?”
Archer sits at the head of the table, his arms crossed over his middle like none of this is bothering him at all. That makes one of us. My foot anxiously taps underneath the table, but I try to hide it. There are over thirty people seated in this room, and I don’t want any of them to know how nervous I am.
“My father’s plan all along was to do a hostile takeover of Bishop Hotels. You fell right into his trap, Spencer,” Archer says, keeping his voice completely level. “You really should’ve had more safeguards in place.”
My dad looks over at me with fire in his eyes. “Maybe I would’ve had time to do that if my daughter hadn’t made me react so quickly.”
I blink, trying not to show that his words were a blow to my feelings. I swallow past the lump in my throat, taking a page from Archer’s book and not showing any kind of reaction to the harsh words.
Archer’s fingers tap against the table. I think even the people on the other side of the room are able to hear his loud sigh of disapproval. “Spencer, those safeguards should’ve been in place the moment you created a dynasty. Don’t blame your daughter because you don’t know how to efficiently run a company. It’s tacky—and doesn’t look good to anyone here with us.”
It’s my dad’s turn to get red in the face. He sits back in his chair loudly, crossing his arms over his chest as he stares at the members of his board seated around him. “No one on my team would’ve voted me out anyway.” He looks between Archer and Archer’s dad. “It was a stupid idea.”
Archer’s dad smirks, completely unaware ofwhat Archer will be dropping on him at any moment. He leans forward, his arm pointing to the members of my dad’s board that are sitting around us. “Actually, they all trusted my son—an outsider and your enemy—to run things better than you. I bet that hurts, doesn’t it?”
My dad’s cheeks puff out as his eyes rip to the people Archer’s dad speaks about. All of them stare at the table, completely ignoring his attempts to get their attention.
Archer clears his throat. “Actually, Dad,” he says slowly. I focus on him, trying to read his body language to see how he’s doing. I never expected him to go against his dad like this—especially for me and my family. If he’s nervous about it, he doesn’t give any indication. He seems calm and collected as he meets the eyes of those around the table before finishing his conversation.
“I didn’t bring everyone in here today just to air out the fact you were planning a hostile takeover of Bishop Hotels. To cut to the chase—I’m proposing a vote today to replace the CEO of not only Bishop Hotels but Moore Hotels as well.” Archer does an amazing job at keeping his voice completely level. His shoulders are pushed back like there’s not an ounce of nerves running through his body.
The air is silent for a moment as Archer’s dad, Timothy, lets his son’s words sink in. I know the moment they do for both our fathers because they react at the same time.
Archer’s dad pushes his chair back in rage, his face getting more red by the second. Dad slaps the glass table, his eyes focusing on Archer in disbelief.
