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“You.”
“Explain.”
“I have let this become emotional, which is always a mistake,” I admit, the truth of those words cutting like so many things right now. “I let myself believe that meant you had as well, but that’s not you. This is about money to you, not me and a pair of handcuffs.”
He studies me a few beats, and then releases me, sliding the folder closer to me. I sign the document. “Now what?”
“Sit.”
“I don’t want to sit.”
“Sit, Carrie,” he orders and while his voice is soft, it’s absolute.
“Carrie?” I challenge. “Not Samantha?”
“I’ll save Samantha for when we’re alone.”
“I’ll save asshole for you when we’re alone.”
“I can live with that,” he says. “Sit.”
I sit and he gets right to the point. “Tomorrow morning, the board will name me the new acting CEO. I don’t want or need this job, but it’s mine for now. I’ll name you second in charge with the understanding that I’m evaluating you to replace me when I step aside.”
Evaluating me to take the job that was always supposed to be mine, but I don’t say that. “Which will be when?” I ask instead.
“As far as the board is concerned, I represent the majority stockholders. When I decide it’s safe to step aside and hand you the keys, they’ll accept that decision.”
“They have to agree.”
“They’ll push back tomorrow because you’re your father’s daughter. They’ll stop pushing back when the numbers say they should.”
“They’ll think it’s all you.”
“If I let them, but I won’t. I have a company to run and it’s not this one.”
“In other words, I have to trust you, a man I cuffed and left in a hotel room for being a bastard.” I don’t give him time to reply. “Will I attend this meeting?”
“No,” he says. “They want a closed-door management discussion, but it’ll be recorded. You can listen to it, but so can others. In other words, we have to deal with this here, in this office, today.”
I cut my gaze and swallow the knot in my throat before looking at him. “What are you going to say?”
“I’m going to tell them your father retired and I stepped in to help take the company to a new level, something you support and endorse. My role is temporary.”
“They will figure out what really happened.”
“That is what really happened. Ultimately, your father voluntarily retired. You are the future of the company.”
“Why would your investors accept this option?”
“I told you—”
“You promised them double returns.”
“Yes.” He studies me. “I need to know you see the real picture. Where did it all go wrong?”
I want to shout at him that he’s what went wrong, but that’s me getting emotional again. “The Summerton and Waterbrook projects,” I say. “But Waterbrook sealed our death.”
“What was your role in those projects?”
