“Please, call me Griffin,” I reminded her for the millionth time. Until I was in the CEO office, as much as it irked me, I was Griffin. “Are you and your husband coming to Lars’s party tomorrow?” I tried to sound like I gave a fuck.
“Oh, yes! We’re both very excited. We love the parties.”
“Good. I look forward to seeing you there.”
I flashed a smile and then got in the fresh-scented elevator. Whatever the cleaners used, I actually appreciated the clean scent. It almost always wore off by noon as people used the elevator more, filling the space with their perfumes and cheap colognes. Though I stared at the button with the number three glowing, I pressed the button for the second floor. All the lights on the button panel dimmed, except for the number two. Just another daily fucking reminder that I wasn’t respected enough yet to join those on the third floor. My father would be fucking pissed. I huffed to myself as I made my way down the hall to my office. At least I had a fucking office, as lackluster as it was.
I flipped the light on, and one of the overhead fluorescent lights flickered and then went dark. Now, only three bulbs threw a fake yellow glow onto my oak furnishings. Annoyed, I flopped down on my fake leather chair and booted up my computer. Yeah, my dad would be pissed right the fuck off if he knew I was working in these conditions for our family company.
Somehow, I managed to buckle down and get through some work, but by ten o’clock, I leaned back in my crappy chair to take a small break. As the burnt-out bulb hummed, I stared at my University of Michigan mug and instantly thought of Riley and his mom. Under no circumstances did I want her name in the leather journal. It could potentially leave Riley parentless.
I pushed myself away from the cheap pressed-wood desk, took the last swig of the lukewarm coffee before tossing it in the trash can, and headed to the third floor to see Lars. Determined to get him to see things my way, I focused on the gold E that sat on top of the black marble floor of the elevator as I thought about what I was to say to him. With poise, I walked with purpose to the desk of Lars’s secretary and flashed my smile.
“Hi, Griffin,” she said sweetly.
“Hello. Is he available?” I inquired.
Just as she was about to answer, the door to Lars’s office opened and he appeared. He seemed surprised to see me standing there, but his greeting was warm, as always.
“Griffin, what’s up?” he asked and stepped toward me.
“I was just taking a small break and came up to see if you had a few minutes.”
“I always have time for you, Griffin. Come in,” Lars invited and told his secretary to hold all of his calls.
Once inside his office, I wandered to the windows that stretched from the floor to ceiling. He had an incredible view of the lake at the back of the building and tons of natural light filled his office.
“You have a great view from here,” I commented and shoved my hands in the pockets of my pants. “There’s a lot of natural light in here. I bet it makes for a much happier working atmosphere,” I angled.
“Is your unhappiness about your office what you came to discuss with me, Griffin?” Lars asked dryly.
I turned on my heels to face him. He was leaning against his desk, making this a friendly, casual conversation. Had he returned to his seat behind the desk, I would have known his business hat was on.
“No. That’s not what I came to discuss. However, I hate my office, and I’m frustrated that I’m still down on the second floor,” I said as calmly as I could.
“Your father’s office remains empty and waiting for you … when the time is right.” He paused as we stared at one another. “If you didn’t come to talk to me about your father’s office calling your name, what’s on your mind?”
I took a few steps forward, folded my arms across my chest, and took a deep breath.
“Audrey.”
“Audrey?”
“Yes. I don’t want her name in our book, Lars,” I said firmly.
His bright blue eyes searched my face as if he were seriously considering my words. He finally looked down at the cuffs of his long-sleeved shirt. In silence, he unbuttoned them and rolled them up to his elbow. When he finally looked up at me again, his gaze was different, though I couldn’t place my finger on how or why.
“Out of curiosity, why?” he asked smoothly.
“Isn’t it obvious? Audrey being in that book could possibly leave Riley parentless. My mother went into that book, and look at what happened. It made me parentless.”
“Riley might have a loving aunt and uncle, just like you did, Griffin.”
“I’m not denying that I wasn’t fortunate, but I think you and I both know that Riley most likely isn’t that lucky.”
Lars stood to his full height and walked over to where I stood. His eyes moved back and forth, searching mine. Since we were close to the same height of six-feet-two, we were pretty much eye-to-eye.
“That kind of reprieve comes with a price tag, Griffin.” I narrowed my eyes at him when he raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you willing to pay for that?”
