| |
ALTHOUGH IT FELT LIKE we had only just arrived at our little lakeside paradise, we only had a couple hours of daylight the next morning before Rose and I disappeared up to her room to start getting ready for the banquet that evening. Cocktails started at five and dinner started at six, so that meant we wanted to get there at four if we were going to mingle politely with all the important people we wanted to meet. Of course...things took a bit longer than we expected.
Instead of the sexier, racier dresses we’d worn to the dinner at Bello a few nights ago, the banquet required what I could only describe as ‘gowns.’ Rose’s was tight-fitting, black, with a thin slit that descended all the way to her naval, but was still styled in such a way that instead of thinking ‘sexy’ you thought ‘couture.’
I’d gone for a darker color pallet myself, opting for a sweetheart topped dress that opened into a full skirt of electric charcoals and grays. I paired it with a heavy, smoky eye and some tinted gloss before turning to examine the finished effect in the mirror.
The heavy fabric seemed to shimmer and spark as I moved. Between that and the look of rage burning in my eyes, I looked like a proverbial storm cloud.
“I just can’t believe he would do it,” I said for the millionth time, smearing even more liner upon my already heavily charcoaled eyes.
After a split second debate, I’d decided to tell Rose about the conversation in Tom’s room last night. At first, I’d almost thought I shouldn’t. She was apparently with Michael now, so who knew whether I should be keeping it to myself to up Tom’s chances. But that’s when I realized the absolute ludicrously of what I was saying—the absurd competitive streak that Abe was counting on to play his two sons against each other for sport. There were no sides. This was Tom’s job. Plain and simple. And what was more...the more I thought about it, the more I thought Michael would be the first one to agree.
“Well, he’s always been a crotchety old man—everyone knows that.” Rose came to fluff her hair beside me in the mirror. “I’m actually not too surprised. A powerhouse legend like him lashes out in his final moments and exerts what influence he still has left over those around him who could hurt the most? It’s textbook psychology.”
I shot her a look, shaking my head in disgust. “I’ll never understand you PR types.”
“PR,” she laughed, “that actually had nothing to do with PR. But speaking of, at least I finally figured out what I’m doing over in finance.”
“What are you talking about?” I frowned.
“The merger—the profiles—the big announcement? They’re all connected. He’s passing on the torch to one of his two sons; that’s the reason for this whole circus. That’s the reason he wants me to present them all over again to the public.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully as she tied the clasp on a pearl bracelet. “Actually, I’d be willing to bet that he only plans on releasing one of the profiles, whichever son his successor turns out to be.”
“Which has to be Tom,” I said angrily, stabbing the gorgeous earrings he’d gotten me for Christmas into my ears.
She nodded but glanced at me sharply. “Don’t rule out Michael just yet. The boy’s brilliant—you said it yourself. He’d make a fine CEO.”
“Of course he would,” I sighed, “but he wouldn’t even come close to Tom. Tom breathes this stuff—he has ever since he was a kid. He basically grew up in the conference room. And unlike Michael, who was busy banging secretaries—no offense—he was actually learning the craft, perfecting it. There’s a reason why Donald Trump offered him half a billion dollars to jump ship and be his company’s president. He’s that good.”
“I know, Jenna,” she put a comforting hand on my arm, “and Michael knows that too. I’m sure everything’s going to work out just fine.”
But strangely enough, her words did absolutely nothing to soothe me. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more a feeling of dread started building in the pit of my stomach. Something horrible was about to happen—I could feel it. And what was worse?
“Come on, Jenna, we’re going to be late!”
I was going to have to face it in a ball gown.
The banquet hall was everything I’d imagined and more. Strings of Swarovski crystals hung from the chandeliers, a live orchestra was playing softly from a corner by the stage, and at least half a dozen exquisite ice sculptures stood in frozen splendor around the room. In fact, the only thing more impressive than the room itself was the guest list.
There were diplomats and politicians, ambassadors and at least the first twenty people selected for this year’s ‘wealthiest people’ list in Forbes. The opportunist in me rose up at the thought of so many advantageous introductions, but the woman in me saw the real reason behind so many important faces at a simple company retreat.
It was for Abe’s announcement. All these people had gathered, unknowingly, to watch my secret boyfriend’s father rip the world out from beneath his feet.
Suddenly, the sparkling ice sculptures didn’t mean a darn thing. I glared around the room, snatching a flute of champagne off a passing tray, as I looked for Tom. I found him standing by himself in a corner. He still had that same hollow look on his face that he did last night. The one that kind of scared me.
“Hey,” I said quietly as I came over. “How are you holding up?”
“Fine,” the word sounded scripted, “I’m doing fine.” He looked me quickly up and down, before flashing me the ghost of a smile. “You look incredible.”
“Thanks,” I said uncertainly, wanting to help but not knowing exactly where to begin. “Hey, do you want to go somewhere to talk—”
But before I could finish my question, all the chandeliers suddenly went dim. People looked around in surprise as a thousand little twinkle lights popped up out of nowhere, giving the entire room an unearthly glow. The orchestra immediately switched from their lively tune to something slower, sweeter, as a single spotlight descended from the sky. I stood up on my toes to see where it had landed, only to see it illuminating a head of curly blond hair.
Oh my gosh...he was actually doing it!
Stacy looked just as surprised as the rest of us, glancing around quickly before gasping in shock as she realized that the focus of the room was suddenly on her.
“Jamie,” she whispered urgently, as he made his way slowly through the crowd, “what’s going on...”
Her voice trailed off to nothing as he got down on one knee.
The entire room aww’d at the same time, and for a moment, even Tom seemed lifted out of his strange stupor. Jamie’s hands were shaking, but his face looked sure. I stood on my toes and watched with a giant smile as he looked steadily up into her eyes.
What exactly he said, I couldn’t hear through the crowd. The only thing I could see was the look on Stacy’s face as he said it. And oddly enough, I almost found that preferable.
It absolutely melted my heart.
The way her surprise gave way to open-mouthed disbelief. The way that disbelief gave way to tears. And the ways those tears turned into a watery yes, as she nodded her head furiously up and down and pulled him to his feet.
The room burst into applause as he swept her off the ground, kissing her passionately on the lips before slipping a glittering diamond ring onto her finger.
I joined in with the rest of them, glancing back at Tom to share in the excitement, only to see him looking back at me with a very strange expression on his face.
My heart froze when I saw it. It was the same look he’d given me when he drove away on Christmas Eve. The same look I’d seen for the first time when I snapped at him and told him I wasn’t interested in his brother.
It was the look he got when something he once believed, suddenly, permanently changed.
To see it now, sent chills running down my spine.
“Tom, please,” I spoke quickly, feeling as though we were suddenly, inexplicably running out of time, “can we go somewhere to talk? I need to—”
“We can’t,” he said softly. My stomach dropped to the ground as he directed my gaze to the stage. “The speech is starting.”
The entire audience turned as one as Abe Larchwood took to the stage. People sank quickly into their seats, and in the rush that followed, I lost sight of Tom. Rose grabbed my wrist and pulled me down beside her, watching with wide eyes as the infamous CEO began to speak.
“First of all, let me offer another round of congratulations to the happy couple,” he began, sportingly. The room cheered once more as Jamie and Stacy blushed and nodded, before turning their eyes again to the front. “Second, let me say this speech will not take long. As most of you know, I’m a man of few words. I prefer to let actions speak for themselves.”
Tom was watching him with hardened eyes, while Michael—who I was just starting to understand had no idea what was about to happen—leaned back in his chair, looking bored.
“After much consideration...I have decided to retire in the coming year.”
There was a mild explosion at these words. The lawyers looked up in perfect unison like a pair of trained Dobermans, Michael’s jaw fell wide open, and I could have sworn I saw Patti Macer faint dead away to the ground.
“Yes, yes, I know,” Abe quieted the room. “It’s truly the end of an era, but one that we all knew was coming. The question that remains, is who will take over when I’m gone?”
The many pairs of eyes had turned expectantly now to Tom. They were probably expecting him to hop up on stage any moment to accept the position formally. Even Michael turned to him with a faint smile.
But Tom kept his eyes fixed on his father—staring so hard he could knock the man down.
“Now this is not a position to be taken lightly, nor is it an honor that one can presume. So my decision is this: at the end of the quarter, I will give the job to whichever of my two sons proves themselves the most over the coming weeks. They are both to be given a blank slate, a chance to wipe clean all the mistakes of the past and move on to a new future. From here on out, it’s anyone’s ballgame.”
His eyes flashed with dark amusement.
“And let me tell you, it’s going to be one for the books...”