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Realizing I wasn’t going to get to my work done, I pulled out the information I had about McAdams Enterprises. I paid Beth and Ben a pretty penny for his share of the club, but it was clear from the reports I was looking at that it wouldn’t cover the debts the company was being strangled by. I was more bothered than I probably had a right to be that neither of them came to me for help. Yes, I betrayed Ben by sleeping with his sister, assuming he knew about that now. And yes, I hurt Beth by leaving the way I did six years ago. But I was a friend and business partner to Ben. Why hadn’t all the good times and success we had offset my few mistakes? I guess the answer was I’d hurt them more than I thought. But still, their hurt and their pride were destroying their father’s legacy, because I was sure I could help. In fact, with Raven Industries behind them, they could build their father’s company beyond what it had been at its heyday.
My ruminations were interrupted when Alex knocked on my door and poked her head in. “Hey, Ash. Your dad is in today and has called a meeting.”
I sighed, wondering what strange new rule or mandate he’d come up with during his business travels abroad. I followed her to the conference room. It was strange not to see Chase in my father’s chair this time. He’d been running things while my father was out of town, and while I wouldn’t admit this to him, he’d been doing a good job. Not only was he on top of the company, which was a surprise since he’d enacted a new work/life balance deal and spent more time at home with his pregnant wife, but also, he kept all us Raven boys in line. Well, Hunter and I toed the line pretty well. Kade was a lost cause.
I sat next to my immature brother, Kade. Across from me sat Hunter, looking calmer and more relaxed than I’d ever seen him since he returned from Iraq. Grace was a Godsend for sure. Chase sat next to him near my father. My father looked like the king of the world in his expensive suit, perfectly coiffed silver hair, and steel-gray eyes.
“I see you boys have kept the ship afloat. And I understand Raven Industries is getting its own foundation,” my father looked over at Chase and Hunter.
“It will be a good tax write-off,” Chase said. “Plus, it will improve our image.”
“Does our image need improving?”
I rolled my eyes.
“We’re seen as a bunch of rich entitled celebutantes who don’t care about regular folk. This will prove otherwise, and people will feel good about going to a Raven owned business because they’ll be helping others,” Chase explained.
“And it keeps the new additions to the family busy spending our money,” Kade said.
“Chase is right,” my father said ignoring Kade.
“Of course, he is,” Kade said under his breath. I couldn’t blame him. Chase always was the wonder boy. The chosen one.
“But I want to see the plans for this foundation before we start forking over money willy nilly.”
“Of course,” Chase replied.
“You’re pretty quiet over there, Hunter.”
“It’s your company, you can do what you want. You’d be a fool to miss this opportunity and input from Sara and Grace, but that’s not for me to say.”
I snorted.
“Very well.” My father handed us all folders. Opening it up, I saw it was information about his acquisitions in Bucharest, Romania.
“Are we going to start selling kitschy vampire crap now?” Kade asked as he looked through the papers.
“At one time, Bucharest was considered the Paris of Eastern Europe. Since the fall of Ceau?escu, it’s become a great country to visit. It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Alex?”
“Yes,” Alex said. She’d traveled with my father as he worked to expand his empire. She kept her post at the edge of the room. I think she sat there so as not to be noticed, but to my mind, she was always lurking. She was like my father’s henchman. A pretty young henchman, which I supposed was why she was so effective.
“Chase, the hotel has a French and art nouveau feel, but it needs work to get it to our standards. I’d like to keep that old-world charm of France.”
“Perhaps you could let me review and offer my own thoughts,” Chase said. His voice was pleasant enough but there was no mistaking his annoyance at my father inserting himself into Chase’s expertise. “I can fly out—”
“You have a baby coming,” Hunter said. I wondered about his overprotectiveness toward Sara until I learned that he’d blamed himself for her abduction and loss of her first baby right after she and Chase got married.
“I can do it in a day. She’s got that baby shower weekend coming up and I’m supposed to be gone anyway.”
