Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40311 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
I’m not going to lie. My heart sped up like the Road Runner getting to bolt. Was this going to be it? Was he going to give up his throne? Was I finally going to become emperor?
Things looked promising at first.
“I’m getting old,” Henry said, eyes faraway. He rapped his fingers on the table top. “I want to have a legacy, something more than just money. Something that outlives my brief time here on this world.”
Okay. Cool. I can get behind that.
“What do you want, Dad?”
There were lots of thing he could do. Raise money for charities. Work at his foundation. Spend more time with my mom. There were many worthy causes, and Lincoln Conglomerate would operate just fine without him.
But my father’s thoughts were far away. He tapped his fingers on the table some more, thinking.
“What is it Pops? What’s going on?”
Finally, Henry sighed and took a long drink while changing the subject.
“How are things going with Maggie? You put that ring on her finger yet?”
It was like the old man knew exactly what to say to knock me off course. Not that it took that much of an educated guess. Other than work, Maggie was my life. Fake fiancée or not, that girl was deep under my skin and I didn’t want her to go anywhere.
Yeah, she’d stolen my heart. Against all odds, I’d lost it to an employee from the pet store with dirty hands and a sweet smile. But hey, she was my perfect fit, and it’s hard to find one of those. You can look high and low, get on a billion dating sites, and miss the one right under your nose.
So I nodded.
“Yeah,” was my grunt. “We went to Raul’s and got the ring—”
“Raul’s? Nice job! I know I didn’t raise a cheapskate.” My father chuckled but it didn’t sound natural.
What the hell was up with him? I stared hard but didn’t ask.
“Yeah,” I said smoothly, like nothing was wrong. “Raul treated us real nice. We found the perfect ring and Maggie loves it.”
After all, my fiancée was getting that giant pink diamond for sure, and I couldn’t wait to see it on her finger.
“I’m one lucky bastard,” was my grunt, taking another sip of the bourbon. “It doesn’t get better than this.”
“Well, you’re no bastard and I have the marriage certificate to prove it.” Dad laughed long and loud at his own cheesy joke. Yeah, there was no way to dispute I was his. We don’t look much alike, but our personalities are uncannily similar. Hell, was being a chip off the old block good or bad? Probably both.
Those pale blue eyes narrowed speculatively now.
“I can tell you’re in love with that girl. Good for you. I figured she was special when you asked to bring her over. You never brought anyone home before.”
I shrugged. All those other women didn’t mean dick to me. Maggie on the other hand....
“Well, I’m marrying this one. The other ones were whores who just wanted my money. You know how it goes.”
Henry grunted.
“I do, for sure. Before I met your mom, I was a man about town and there were sluts everywhere. Those were the good old days. Not that I don’t appreciate Evelyn,” he said hastily, “but wow, sometimes I wish I were forty years younger.”
He chuckled at his own joke and took a long guzzle of the gin and tonic.
But then Henry got serious, and I swear something was up. Because Dad’s devious. His moods turn on a dime, the old man mercurial like quicksilver.
Maybe I’d forgotten who I was up against. Henry Lincoln built a company from a scrappy start-up into an international powerhouse. There was no way to truly read him, he’s capable of using the sharpest steel or the softest velvet to get what he wants.
But I was smart enough to know that something was definitely off. Taking another sip of my drink, I waited, outwardly calm. But inside, my spidey sense tingled.
Dad examined me again, those cold blue eyes casual but calculating. And why not? Sitting across the table, I was an opponent, not his son.
He put down his glass and pushed it a little ways, jaw tight before leaning onto the table and bracing his forearms against the edge. Wasn’t there a recent TED talk about power postures? Was that what he was doing?
Sure enough, the bomb dropped.
“Evan, you’ll never get control of Lincoln Conglomerate,” the words slipped out casually, like he was saying good morning. “I’ve decided to stay on as CEO for the foreseeable future.”
Shit!
What the hell?
You motherfucker! Betrayal, hot and bitter, filled my mouth. But I could tell my father had more to say. Clenching my jaw, I forced myself to sit through whatever bullshit was coming my way.
“The company is mine,” my father went on to say. “Completely. I’ll keep control of it until I die because that’s how I want it to be.”