She laughed, her hand moving again. “Of course I do. He’s not perfect, but he’s mine. I’d rather fight beside him than pretend to be happy with someone else.”
Emily felt a sting behind her eyes. “Must be nice.”
Zariah tapped her on the shoulder gently. “You’ll get it one day. Maybe sooner than you think.”
A pianist playeda rendition of a Chopin piece as Emily swayed.
“Stay right here, Emmy,”Zariahinstructed, more sober than she’d let on. “I’m gonna ask Javier to tell the driver to bring the car around.” Then she went to the main area to find him.
They were at the restaurant where he was the head chef. His customers were often reputable people seeking fine dining. That explained why it was always booked in advance. Emily didn’t need to worry about that. Perks of her best friend being his wife.
Emily didn’t listen to said wife though. She’d drunk far too much and was just sobering up after downing two bottles of water.
She found herself slipping past guests in an empty hallway. Then she spotted it. The female restroom sign. Relief surged through her like a wave.
As she stepped forward, her ears caught the muffled voices of two men inside a room. The dynamic was weird; one amused, the other frustrated.
She peeped inside because, well, she couldn’t help it.
A man sat at the private table in a fitted suit. His posture was rigid and a half-drunk wineglass rested before him. Across from him lounged another man. He was much older judging by his salt-and-pepper hair. He adjusted his glasses as he shuffled through an open briefcase.
“I’m running out of time here, John. My company’s shareholders’ meeting is in a month. If I walk in there single again, they’ll be circling me like sharks. I can’t afford for this to happen.”
Emily could only see his side profile.
Honestly though…that was more than enough. That kind of face didn’t need a full view to know it was stunning.
The shuffler adjusted his glasses. “Mr. Re, you knew they’d use this against you eventually. They had their complaints about you being President of the North American branch attwenty-thre?—”
“I’ve worked my ass off since I was eighteen, never letting my studies slip in between while being at Harvard. I’m no different than anyone else that started at the bottom.”
“Yes, but they don’t have the surname ofRe.”
“So, it’s my fault for simply being born into my family now?”
He laughed. “Don’t act clueless. Your intelligence doesn’t allow you the virtue to be.”
Nothing was said in return.
John leaned in. “There’s no doubt about how much you’ve added to Royal Media. You’ve helped make it an empire even before your father’s prompt retirement, a full five years earlier than the succession plan. And we both know the repercussions of this. You’re now one of Fortune 500’s youngest CEOs. They’re damn well threatened by you. That’s why they’ll use your radical ventures as leverage. The board is claiming these decisions make you reckless.”
“Making them richer than they’ve ever been in their pathetic excuse for lives makes me ‘reckless’?” The man let out a bitter laugh. “It’s just an excuse, John. Them wanting proof that I can be stable through marriage. I’m also certain this is tied to a PR move for the pending global streaming acquisition. ‘Family-first branding,’ remember? You’re a lawyer, even you should be able to see through their bullshit.”
Did he just say marriage?
“I do, and at this point, I advise you to just give them what they want.”
The “reckless” man scoffed. “You say that like it’s easy. It’s not like I can conjure up a wife out of thin air.”
His lawyer stared him down. “It wouldn’t be the craziest thing you’ve done.”
He rolled his eyes.
“I’m serious,” John reaffirmed. “Hire someone. You just need a woman by your side, with both of you wearing rings on your fingers. Better yet, just your signatures on a certificate. No one will care how that came to be.”
The guy pinched the bridge of his nose. His head turned with the act and that was when Emily froze.
Hands down the most captivating man she’d ever seen.
