Page 116 of The Work Wife

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“Okay, it was more than a mistake, it was a colossal lapse in judgment and he was wrong. But he was still your father, and he still built his company knowing one day you would run it. It’s your destiny.”

“You sound like a movie right now.”

“It doesn’t make it any less true.”

“She’s going to be devastated.” Although after the way she’d treated Jamie, he wasn’t feeling all that sympathetic.

“She will survive. And she will move on.”

“Maybe.” He frowned and sat down. “I have four days to give Benji an answer on whether or not I’ll take over the company. My uncle is retiring. It’s time to either step up or step away forever.”

“This is a huge decision. You should have come to me to talk it out,” she scolded. “I would have helped.”

How could he tell her she couldn’t help him? That she was the only thing making the decision so difficult? “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”

“All right, but what is this about you making me your beneficiary? Why would you do that?”

She’d moved on to the next difficult subject. His money. “You’re the most important person in my life, and I promised your father I would take care of you.”

He’d taken the air out of her sails with that answer. How could she be angry? “How much is the rent for this place?”

Well, maybe she could be angry after all. He shrugged and let his head fall back against the leather sofa, not wanting to answer. “I don’t rent.”

“You own this apartment?” she said in shock.

He let his head flop to one side and then the other in an effort to answer without actually answering. It didn’t work. “The whole building,” he confessed.

She gasped in surprise. “Exactly how much money are we talking here? How much are you worth?”

“I’d make more if I collected my full salary at Archer instead of just the base and interest from my shares of stock. But the last time I met with my adviser regarding the rental income, it was like four-point-seven million.”

She choked and he patted her on the back to help.

“You’re a millionaire?” She swallowed and shook her head before correcting herself. “A multimillionaire?”

“Yes. Relax. Four-point-seven million dollars isn’t what it used to be.”

“It’s more than what I have. Much, much more.” She sat for a moment, obviously thinking things over. “It’s no wonder your mother reacted the way she did. Any normal person would think I was a gold digger too.”

“I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“Do you care what I think?” she asked.

He leaned over and kissed her temple. “Yeah, I do. It’s why I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want it to be weird between us. Are you freaking out?”

“I am, but I’ll be okay. I think you need to stop hiding at Blain and Douglas and take care of your family’s business.”

“My family’s business is in New York, and you are here.”

She seemed touched, but she didn’t give up. He knew he was putting off the inevitable.

“If you’re not going to step up, they need to know so they can make some decisions. It’s only right.”

He nodded. She was right. He knew she was right. It wasn’t anything his mother hadn’t told him before.

“I guess it’s time I make a decision. I think I’d like to try it. See if I can do it. I want to know for sure.” It had been a nagging thought for months, and the only thing that kept him from going for it was the woman sitting next to him. Back then she hadn’t even been his wife, but she was his partner and he didn’t want to strike out on his own and realize he’d made a mistake after it was too late.