“It’s good to meet you too, sir,” she replies politely. Then, with a nod of her head, she turns to Dad and Ryan. “I’m happy to meet you both, as well. I’m Sutton. I guess you all know that, already.”
Dad nods, reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Alexander. We’re happy to have you, Sutton.”
“Ryan.” That’s all my brother says, the prick, but Sutton appears unfazed, maintaining her polite smile.
I warned her about him on our drive over. She had asked why he would leak those photos, and I had to give her an idea of how underhanded he can be.
“He’s trying to convince my family that I’m irresponsible and can’t be trusted,”I’d told her as I drove, hands gripped tight on the steering wheel.“He wants the CEO position for himself, and my dad favors him so if the two of them had their way, I would be out. Luckily, my grandfather doesn’t agree, and he’s all that matters. Be careful around him and don’t take anything he says personally. He’ll just be trying to fuck with me.”
Sutton frowned. “Why does your dad favor your brother?”
“My grandfather built the company from the ground up,”I’d explained. “When my dad was younger, he believed thatmarrying my mom would make him the next CEO. My grandfather more or less promised it at the time.”
“And then didn’t follow through?”Sutton guessed.
“Not even close,”I replied with a sigh.“He made my dad VP instead.”
She’d looked surprised, her brows shooting up.
“Your dad must’ve been furious.”
“Oh, he was. Still is, honestly. He’s spent decades resenting my grandfather for it. In his mind, he did everything right. Married the woman from the right family, stayed loyal to the company, played the role he thought he was supposed to play. And he still didn’t get the top job.”
Then Sutton asked the billion-dollar question.“Why didn’t your grandfather go through with it?”
I’d considered my answer carefully.“My guess? He saw my dad for what he really was. How he treated my mom…what he really married her for. Ryan’s always kissed Dad’s ass because our Grandfather always favored me, which isn’t really right, but I think Grandfather’s just really good at judging people’s characters.”
“Yikes. You guys really have issues, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
I’m shaken from these memories of the drive by the sound of Grandfather’s gentle voice.
“Come, sit! I’m eager to get to know you.” Grandfather guides Sutton toward the head of the table and pulls a chair out for her to the right of his own seat. She settles into the chair and Grandfather sits as well. I go to claim the chair across from her, and Hallie takes the seat beside her. Ryan drops down next to me, Mom sits next to him, and Dad takes the chair opposite Grandfather on the other end of the table. Dad is scowling, no doubt irritated that Grandfather swooped in and snagged Sutton first, and then didn’t bother introducing him or Ryan. Anoversight on Grandfather’s part given his excitement, no doubt, but Dad is definitely taking it as a slight that he had to introduce himself.
“So,” Dad says once everyone is seated, forcibly claiming the attention of the room, “Sutton, Jayce tells us you’re an architect at Holloway Architecture.”
“Yes, sir,” she says.
“Your family’s lofty reputation precedes you,” he continues.
“So I’ve been told.”
My grandfather leans forward, eyes piercing.
“You plan to take over the firm?” he asks bluntly.
“Yes,” she says, her tone confident and her head held high. She clearly loves the directness of Grandfather’s question. “I’m working toward becoming CEO.”
Ryan lets out a soft laugh, lifting his glass.
“Bold goal,” he murmurs. “Family companies don’t usually hand the throne to someone just because they want it.”
Sutton’s jaw tightens and she lifts her hand, clearly wanting to bite her nails, but she stops herself and maintains her composure. I shoot Ryan a warning glare.
“She’s not asking for it,” I say calmly. “She’s earning it.”
Ryan’s eyes flick to me. “Where have I heard that before?”
