Rising: Slay Four

by Paige, Laurelin

  In my parents’ house, the kitchen belonged to Lupita. She was the only one who spent any real amount of time in this area of the penthouse. Undocumented and paid under the table when she’d first begun to work for them nearly twenty years before, she was now not only a citizen (with the help of my father’s lawyer), but also practically “family,” according to my mother anyway. I would echo her sentiments if I thought that paying someone a low-end salary to clean toilets and scrape dinner plates was how a person treated family. I supposed, in some ways, it wasn’t any more humane than the way some members of my family treated blood—throw some token gestures of love and then put the rest of the person in a neglected box and you had a Werner daughter. Shower her with affection and then misuse her trust and her body and you had a Werner niece.

  I often thought I might prefer the measly salary and a scrub brush.

  Whatever she was to my parents, Lupita had always been one of the realest people in my life, and I frequently found myself huddled in her spaces when I visited. Even when we didn’t speak, I enjoyed her mutterings, half English, half Spanish, as she dusted and straightened and brought order to the luxurious life Madge and Warren led.

  I’d officially moved to the Park Hyatt when Edward came from London, and while he spent his days in the rented-out event space he used for his office, the suite would become small and unbearably quiet. Not that we spoke much when he was there with me. In some ways it was a worse form of captivity than when I’d been on his island. I had free rein here, but on Amelie I’d had care, and the only reason I didn’t run back to that paradise prison now was because of the lack of prenatal care.

  So instead, I found myself coming regularly to the apartment under the guise of wanting time with my mother, but more truthfully, it was for Lupita’s companionship. Today, Mom had her weekly mahjong. Dad had been at work, presumably, and with no need to pretend to be there for them, I’d gathered my newly purchased stationery and set up a spot at the kitchen high top while Lupita organized the grocery delivery. My task was to write thank-you letters for the charity gala Accelecom had sponsored the week before. Hosting the event wasn’t my favorite of assignments that Edward had given me, but it had done its job to distract me, as I was sure its real purpose was, and writing the obligatory notes now was strangely engaging.

  Until my father’s unexpected pronouncement, anyway.

  I set down the Montblanc rollerball pen I’d borrowed from his desk and spun on the stool to face him. “What?”

  “When I retire. I’m giving it to Edward. My position.” He leaned against the side of the table, propping himself with his elbow, and waited for my response, which he obviously expected to be gratitude or praise or some combination of the two.

  I glanced at Lupita, wishing for help that she couldn’t possibly give me. She wasn’t even looking my way. As if the mention of business was her cue—or perhaps just the presence of my father in general—Lupita shoved the last of the groceries in the pantry and disappeared from the kitchen, leaving us alone in her space.

  I let out a slow breath, my heart pounding at my insides as I tried to manage my panic. There was no way I could let my father try to hand over his command to my husband. Hudson would never allow it, and the secret I’d managed to keep for years would come barreling to light—my father no longer owned the majority shares of his own company. Hudson did.

  Changing my father’s mind about anything, though, was something I’d never been good at.

  Nevertheless, I had to try.

  I attempted a smile. “That’s so very thoughtful. But is that really what you want to do?”

  “I know this business stuff is all over your head.” He reached over to steal some fruit from the plate Lupita had put out for me earlier. “Trust me. It’s a power move,” he said around a mouth full of berries. “Merging the two companies. Werner will be bigger than ever. I’ll go out with a bang.”

  My neck tightened as I swallowed back a bitter response to his patronizing tone. “I see why combining efforts with Accelecom can be attractive. And there are many ways to do that without a formal merger.”

  “I’m surprised at this reaction. You don’t want Werner to stay with the family?”

  “You still own the same stocks, whoever is at the helm, and Edward is not a Werner.”

  “He’s your husband and the father of my grandchild. That’s close enough. I don’t understand why you’d be opposed to building a bigger and better Werner Media.” His tone was stern now. He was losing patience with what he considered ignorant thinking on my part.

  I leaned forward, trying not to lose my patience with his ignorance. “I’m being practical, Dad. Not letting my emotions get involved. For decades, Accelecom has been your enemy. This is a real turnaround from that. It’s one thing to drop your rivalry but quite another to get in bed with him simply because he’s married to your daughter. What if something happens to us? If we broke up or something.”

  “Are you saying there’s trouble between you?” The way he looked at me I understood clearly that it wasn’t going to be my side he took if there was. Ironic considering he’d been opposed to our marriage in the first place.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  Before I could expand, he jumped in with a lecture. “You have a baby on the way, Ceeley. This isn’t the time to get wishy-washy about your vows. Be the daughter I raised and act responsibly. Hold on to your man no matter what the cost.”

  I was so infuriated I almost told him right then and there the real reason he couldn’t give the company to Edward.

  But then the slightest flutter happened in my belly, a feeling similar to what I’d felt when we’d seen our daughter moving on the ultrasound a week before, and I paused to let the joy of the moment sink in.

  In that pause, I remembered that it wasn’t just my father’s ego that would be harmed from knowing the truth. It could be the first tile knocked down in a line of dominoes, exposing Hudson and forcing him to take more of a leadership role. There could be good at the end of that road, but it was too much of an unknown to want to risk finding out.

  “I’m not having trouble with Edward,” I lied. Divorce wasn’t on my radar. I didn’t want to get rid of my husband, I wanted to win him back. “I am very much in love with him, but that doesn’t mean things don’t happen. He’s been divorced before. What if he loses interest in me?”

  I shook my head, not wanting to hear whatever chauvinistic response my father had to that. “My point is that marriages are not always permanent, and with the previous bad blood you’ve had with Accelecom, I doubt you’ll get support from your board for deciding to go all in with them now.”

  “I hold the majority. It doesn’t matter if—”

  I cut him off. “Edward and I hold the majority. Don’t forget they’re in my name now. And it’s only forty percent. If the other stockholders got together to go against you—”

  It was his turn to interrupt. “Glamplay holds thirty percent, and they’re legally bound to vote with me. Er, you.”

  They weren’t bound anymore. That agreement became null and void when Hudson purchased them.

  Since I couldn’t tell him that had already happened, I decided to hint that it might. “Those kinds of deals aren’t permanent. Something could happen to Glamplay in the future, a competitor could buy them out or something, and you’d lose that guarantee.”

  My father astonished me by smiling. “You must be learning from your husband. That’s indeed true, and he’s right to worry about those risks. But he and I have already discussed that possibility, and we’ve found a way to get around it.”

  “You and who? You and Edward? You and Edward have found a way around it?” I didn’t know why it was a surprise that my father had spoken about all of this with my husband before telling me. Of course he had. In fact, it probably had been Edward who had brought it up. What did I think he was working on every day in his temporary office space? Sure he could connect with London and still effectively run Ac
celecom from the States, but I knew he wanted Werner. Why would I think for even a second that he wasn’t pursuing it just because he hadn’t said anything to me?

  “Yes, me and Edward. I’ll admit, he’s the one who brought up this particular scenario. I was quite impressed at his foresight. He’s quite an intelligent man. The right man to run Werner.”

  Foresight, right. I had to agree with my father, though, about Edward’s intelligence. It had been a brilliant idea to get my father involved like this. Without exposing the truth, he’d gained an ally in his quest to get the CEO spot.

  I almost didn’t want to ask, but I had to know. “How are you getting around it?”

  “Glamplay’s thirty percent only becomes an issue if it’s combined with other stockholders, as you said. So we need to be sure that we have another stockholder on our side from the beginning. Then, even if the others gang up, we’ll still have a majority. Edward’s already reached out and met with the guy whose partnership would give us the most power.”

  My stomach sank. There was only one other stockholder who had enough shares to mean anything, even before he’d acquired Glamplay’s thirty percent.

  “What did Hudson say when Edward met with him?” What I really wanted to know was what Edward had said to Hudson, but there was no way my husband would have told my father the truth about that.

  “Oh, good. You know it’s Hudson. I didn’t want to say his name in case that brought up any hard feelings from the past. I have to say, Ceeley, it might have been a big disappointment when you lost him to that Alayna woman, but you snagged a more savvy man with Edward. Hudson doesn’t have the vision your husband does. He can’t see the potential with a merger quite yet, but we’re working on him.”

  I almost laughed. Hudson’s vision was beyond what my father could even fathom. Edward was sharp too. Maybe even sharp enough to go head-to-head with my old friend, but Edward was used to having the upper hand in these kinds of dealings, and he did not have it this time.

  I’d been stupid, ignoring my father’s looming retirement and my husband’s pattern of going behind my back to get what he wanted. I’d been too focused on my pregnancy and Edward’s anger and protecting Hudson’s identity, I’d forgotten to be mindful that Edward desired more than just the name of the man who’d taught me The Game.

  Well, I wasn’t going to sit back and let him outwit me now. Admittedly, there wasn’t much I could do to interfere, but there was one move I could make.

  I glanced at my watch. I couldn’t make it downtown before five, especially not if I changed, and since I was wearing baggy shorts and a tank, I’d definitely have to change.

  Tomorrow. First thing so I’d beat the summer heat that turned people into melting wax by the end of the day. I could go to Bergdorf Goodman now and find something that fit and was flattering, which was important. I might not have the influence I needed for the task, but I intended to use whatever tools I had. And that meant, when I walked into Hudson’s office tomorrow, I needed to look good.

  * * *

  I turned to face my reflection in the steel wall at the back of the elevator. My hair was perfect, my eye makeup subtle, a severe shade of red on my lips. I looked exactly like the woman I once was, the dragon that used to frequently make this trip to Hudson’s office.

  Well, except for the change at my midriff. Seemingly overnight, my belly had popped, displaying to the world the baby growing inside me. Thank goodness I’d bought a sundress. My pre-pregnancy clothes officially did not fit.

  I put a hand on the bump and felt immediately both centered and chaotic. This wasn’t who I was anymore. The countenance I’d adorned for this occasion was a mask that no longer sat well on my face. It made me itch and fidget. My shoulders had to fight to stay lifted, and focusing my scattered thoughts was a chore.

  But my baby was gravity. She rooted me to my purpose. What happened to me mattered in a way that hadn’t before. What happened to her father, an equal concern. If it weren’t for her, I could maybe let this whole Edward/Hudson thing play out on its own, even if it meant I had to face the consequences of what I’d done in the past. I’d done it before, and I could do it now if it were only my skin in the game.

  So, for her, I would play this part. I would be the woman I needed to be.

  When the elevator dinged at a floor near the top, it was a composed version of myself that stepped into the familiar waiting area and greeted Hudson’s secretary.

  “It’s been a while, Trish,” I said cooly, practicing the tone and the confidence required for the man beyond the double doors behind her. “Could you buzz me in? I need to see him.”

  “Uh…” I’d made her flustered, which I took as a good sign. “Did you have an appointment?”

  “It’s twenty past nine. If he keeps a schedule anything like he used to, he should be free right now.” I meant it as a reminder that I had once been very familiar with her boss and his routines. Hudson being the methodical kind of man he was, I doubted they’d changed much. Early meetings then a break at nine for coffee and conferring with his secretary before more meetings tied up the rest of the day.

  Of course, he had children now. Word on the street was that they changed everything.

  Trish frowned, her expression hardening, the kind of look that preceded a dismissal.

  I cut in before she tried. “Just ring him. Tell him it’s me. Tell him I need to see him now. Tell him I insist.” I stared at her then her phone, willing her to pick it up.

  She hesitated for only a beat before she did. “Mr. Pierce, I’m sorry to interrupt, but you have a visitor that insists on seeing you right away.”

  I strained to hear his response but the receiver was too tight against her ear and I heard nothing.

  “It’s not a him,” Trish said, eyeing me up and down. “It’s Celia Werner-Fasbender.”

  The next few seconds passed like they’d been dipped in molasses. I held my breath. I tried not to move. If he turned me away, there was a very good chance I could cry, my hormones being what they were these days. In fact, if he made me wait a second longer—

  “Yes, sir.” She hung up the phone and pasted on her too-friendly smile, the one that said there was a whole lot going on behind it that no one in the world was privy to. “He’s with someone. It will be just a moment, if you’d like to take a seat.”

  Every cell in my body seemed to sigh in relief as I let out the air I’d been holding. I gave her a matching fake smile, raising her a sugary tone. “I’d rather stand, thank you.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  A handful of seconds later, I wondered if that had been the right choice. Sitting was never a powerful position, and I wanted to present as strong. But if he made me wait, like he very well might, I wasn’t sure my swollen feet could handle it. My fault for wearing a pointed-toe stiletto instead of choosing a more sensible pump.

  But only a couple of minutes passed before the doors opened, and instead of being faced with whomever Hudson had been with, it was the man himself stepping into the lobby, as handsome and as formidable as he’d ever been with his imperious expression and his bespoke suit that brought out the gray of his eyes.

  “Celia Werner. I didn’t expect I’d ever see you step foot in my offices again.” He didn’t offer his hand, and the chilly timbre of his tone was more threatening than welcome.

  What had I expected? A smile and a warm embrace? I’d been tormenting his future wife the last time we’d spoken.

  I channeled the woman I’d been then and sneered. “Don’t get your panties all twisted. This visit is harmless. And it’s Werner-Fasbender now, which I’m sure you already know.”

  “Yes, I’d heard.”

  I felt a twinge of guilt at adding the hyphen in my name. I hadn’t been using it, not just because it was Edward’s preference, but because it felt right. I was more his than I’d ever been my father’s.

  Right now, though, as irritating and archaic as the surname construct was, it seemed useful to claim both,
a subtle reminder that I had come from two powerful men, a suggestion that I had them both behind me, nevermind that it wasn’t true.

  He assessed me with calculating eyes, and I let him, taking a moment to study him in return. I was wrong, I realized now. He wasn’t as formidable as he used to be, and while I could credit my newly found self-worth as the reason, it seemed there was something else as well. Something gentler in his gaze. Something gentler in his jaw. And the new lines at his mouth added a dose of friendly to his character. They said he was a man who could laugh. A man who did laugh. That hadn’t been the Hudson who’d taught me The Game.

  It seemed I wasn’t the only one of us who’d changed.

  My throat felt thick as melancholy rushed through me. I forced it down with a hard swallow before it took hold. “Are you going to keep me in your lobby all morning, or are you going to invite me in? I’ll say what I have to say wherever. I just think you might prefer the privacy.”

  His eye twitched, a hint that my presence unnerved him more than he let on. “Very well. Come on in.” He turned and I followed after him, halting when he did a few steps inside his office. He nodded to a young man I’d only just noticed. “Celia, I’m sure you remember my brother, Chandler.”

  “Of course I remember Chandler. My—” I blinked as I looked him over “—you sure grew up.” He was a dozen years younger than me and Hudson. I’d always known him only as an irresponsible kid, but now he was a full-fledged adult, looking professional and serious in his designer suit.

  He’d been graduating from high school the last time I’d seen him. Had that much time really gone by?

  “It’s good to see you again. It’s been a while.” His icy tone made it evident that he didn’t remember me warmly, and I wondered if he’d learned about my part in his father’s infidelity or if he was just following Hudson’s lead.

  It didn’t really matter, I supposed. I hadn’t expected this to be a friendly visit, though I’d thought I might have gotten a little credit for having stayed away as long as I had.