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“Son,” Archer’s dad speaks, his voice low in warning. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Archer looks away from his dad for a moment and focuses on me. He gives me a small smile, one that makes my heart pick up speed because I’m hopelessly in love with him. “I’m doing what’s right—for everyone.”
CHAPTER 51
ARCHER
“Tell me what’s happening here,”Dad demands, his voice so harsh that spit flies out of his mouth from his tone. “Right now.”
I focus on him, feeling the eyes of every single person in this room on me. “The moment you told me you wanted to take Bishop Hotels out from underneath the Bishops, I knew you’d gone too far. You weren’t making decisions that were best for Moore Hotels any longer. You were blinded by greed and revenge, and neither one of those are things that have any business in the decision-making of running a company, Dad.”
My father shakes his head, staring at no one but me. I can count on my hand the number of times I’ve disappointed my dad in my life, but nothing compares to the way he looks at me right now. I’ve let him down in the biggest way—I’ve betrayed him. And I’m not even sorry for it. He should’ve seen it coming. “Unlike Spencer, my board would never vote me out. You know that.”
I lean back, folding my hands behind my head as I look at the people seated around the table. “You sure about that?” I ask him.
On cue, one of the Moore Hotels shareholders stands up. I’ve always liked Mario. He’s a smart man, and has always agreed with me in meetings where my dad and I disagreed. So that’s why I can’t help but smirk when Mario clears his throat. “I’d liketo motion to vote for an immediate removal of Timothy Moore from his CEO position.”
My dad makes a choking sound as multiple shareholders stand up and vote for my father’s removal.
“Son…” Dad fumes, his angry eyes meeting mine. “What have you done?”
“Nothing you didn’t force me to do,” I answer, looking over to Tyson.
Tyson clears his throat, sitting up in his chair and looking at his dad. “You’ve also lost sight of what’s best for Bishop Hotels, Dad. You’ve been too swept up in keeping up with Moore Hotels instead of focusing on how to make ours better. Because of that…”
His words trail off as one of the men from Spencer’s board stands up. “I’d like to propose a vote to remove Spencer Bishop from the CEO position at Bishop Hotels.”
The only two people who look shocked are Spencer and my dad. Their eyes meet for one moment, and I wonder if either one of them realizes that none of this would be happening if they weren’t holding on to grudges that were decades old.
“You can’t do this,” Spencer argues, his eyes becoming slits as he stares at his son.
Tyson swallows. He keeps his head high and his shoulders pushed back, but I can see the slight bounce to his knee that shows that no matter what front he’s putting on, he’s nervous.
If I didn’t have Winnie, I’d be right there with him. It’s crazy how meeting the love of your life can change everything you thought you were. Never would I have imagined I’d deliberately defy my father and overthrow him, but I meant it when I said he’s the one who put me in this position to begin with.
“What’s your plan here? Each of you overtakes the companies you were raised to earn just because you managed to talk to some board members? Neither of you are ready for it,” Spencer spits. He clutches the edge of the table, his fingers turning white with the intensity of the grip.
I lean even further back, enjoying the show both of these grown men are putting on. It only solidifies that neither one of them is in the right headspace to run a company successfully.
“Tell me, Spencer, did you earn Bishop Hotels? Or was it handed down to you?” I ask, raising my eyebrows as I wait for him to answer.
Someone down the table coughs in an attempt to hide their sudden laugh. Winnie shifts in her seat next to mine. She crosses and then recrosses her legs. I want to reach out and take her hand in mine, but I know right now isn’t the time for PDA.
“I earned it.” He seethes, an angry shudder running through his body.
I purse my lips, giving him a dismissive shrug. “Odd. I swore I remember your father only handing it down to you because he was on his deathbed.”
His body jolts, and for a moment, I question if he’s going to round the table and hit me with a right hook. I’d love to see him try. It wouldn’t fare well for him, I know that for a fact.
My dad breaks the tension—or feeds into it even more depending on how you look at it. “Fine. Put it to a vote. The both of you.” He angrily looks at every single one of his board members who hold his fate in their hands. “Just because it’s put to a vote doesn’t mean either of you have the majority. If the two of you are put in charge, you’ll tank both companies within the next year.”
“Merging into Bishop-Moore Hotels is the best thing we could do forbothcompanies. We’ll prosper and dominate the market. It’s something you both should’ve done a long time ago,” I counter. “It was with that idea alone that we convinced every person sitting here today to sway.”
Winnie’s dad stands up, pushing his chair out from behind him as he leans over the table. “Before anyone votes, you should have a clearer picture of who you’re voting for.” The moment his eyes land on Winnie, my defenses go up.
“You should know why I had to go to theMoores for help to begin with. They’re selling you lies—and they all begin with my daughter.”
I sit up, grabbing the armrests of the chair as I watch him cautiously. “Spencer,” I warn, trying to prevent him from starting down a road he really shouldn’t travel.
