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“Alright, one bottle of Ace coming up. Do you want the big one?” I ask, referring to the thirty liter bottle that supposedly costs a couple hundred thousand.
“A normal sized bottle will be fine,” he replies in a snide tone. “You must think you’re pretty smart beating me three times in a row.”
“Actually, I’m smart enough to know that it was pure luck. The only one with any advantage whatsoever is the house. I’ll be back with that champagne.”
“Then you and I need to have a little talk, Trey.” He lowers his head and raises an eyebrow.
Great, this should be interesting. On the way up to the bar my phone rings, I glance down to see that it’s Tyler. I debate with myself for a few seconds and click to send it to voicemail. Within two minutes it rings again, it’s him again. I’ll give him a call when we leave the casino.
Chapter 3
Mandy
As soon as Trey orders the champagne, Liv wastes no time pulling me aside. The intense look on her face has me prepared for one of her infamous rants. Instead, she is intent on giving me the dish on what Tommy is about to tell Trey.
“Tommy is going to be the new CEO of Addison Media,” she whispers a bit too loudly.
“It’s already been decided?” I’m more than a little shocked by how quickly a decision has been made.
“Yes. He met with the board this morning and he starts Monday.” She glows. “They gave him like a gazillion shares of stock.”
“Wow, a gazillion? That’s a lot.” I smirk and dismiss her comment. “Are you two an item now?”
“Oh yeah, we’re crazy about each other.” She straightens her posture and lifts her nose just enough to look down on me. “He’s way more successful than Trey will ever be.”
“Honestly, I don’t think Trey has much to worry about,” I reply, wanting to cut the conversation short.
“Except for the fact that Tommy will be controlling all of his stock.” She sneers.
“So, the CEO controls all of the stock in the trust?” I assume.
“Yeah, Trey and Tyler don’t have any voting rights for the next five years.” She giggles with childish delight.
“Well, in the long run they will control the company. In the meantime, Tommy’s interests are aligned with theirs. They all will profit from the company doing well, especially if he has a gazillion stock options,” I tell her bluntly.
Liv’s eyes immediately glaze over due to the rationality of my comments. “Oh look, there’s the bottle of Ace.”
She moves past me and heads directly to the gold colored bottle like a moth fluttering towards a light bulb. I stand back and watch as she interacts with Trey and Tommy. It’s as if she has no feelings whatsoever, only concerned with getting the first glass from the bottle. My God… she is the definition of a gold digger. I find myself no longer feeling sorry for her as she fawns over Tommy in an obvious attempt to irritate Trey.
Trey
After getting the girls settled at a table, Tommy and I excuse ourselves and head out of the casino. Once we are out of earshot, he begins to explain the deal that he hammered out with the board of directors. Basically, if he is able to take Addison Media to the next level over the next five years he will make as much money as either Tyler or me. He now stands in front of me expecting some sort of retaliation or at least a little retribution.
“That makes sense,” I reply, to his obvious dismay. “If you increase the value of the company, you deserve to profit from it.”
“It doesn’t bother you that Victor left me in control of your stock as well?” He squares up, facing me directly with his hands on his hips.
“That provision was put in Dad’s will when we were teenagers, so he didn’t exactly do it for you. I’m sure you will do what’s in the best interest of the company and it’s shareholders.” I see a beautiful young woman out of the corner of my eye, approaching on the sidewalk. Out of nothing but courtesy, I turn and give her a smile.
“Your dad was right. You don’t give a shit about anything!” Tommy barks, startling her as she passes by.
“I care about a lot of things, but Addison Media has never really been one of them,” I clarify. “Dad obviously picked you because he thought you were the right one to run the company. Who am I to second guess him?” I shrug.
“You were his first choice.” His eyes lock intensely with mine. “You do know that right?”
“Yes, I am aware, but I didn’t think I was the right one to run it,” I confess.
