Reforming the CEO (South Beach)

by Marisa Cleveland

“So fix it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Ms. Rowe, this was delivered for you by a private messenger.” Reece’s new assistant entered the office holding an envelope. “Also, Amelie called and said she’d meet you at The Betsy for lunch. She said she kept getting Not Delivered on her texts to you.”

  Reece glanced up from the project list she’d been reviewing and picked up her phone. Maybe it was time for an upgrade.

  “Thanks.” She took the envelope and tore open the back flap, pulling out a gray folder with embossed blue lettering reading Ferguson Holdings. A sheet of paper fluttered to the desk, and Reece recognized Vin’s strong scrawl. Her breath hitched at the name, and she glanced around the empty office before reading the words.

  You’re worth over one hundred million dollars, so I know you don’t need this, but I want you to have it.

  Vin. She’d dreaded running into him when she’d moved back to the condo. Had prepared a nice little casual greeting to keep things light. But she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of him. Presumably, he spent most of his hours in the office, what with the IPO set to release any day now. Was it today? She glanced at her calendar. August thirtieth.

  She might be worth one hundred million dollars, but what good did that do anyone if she didn’t spend it wisely and with good intentions?

  You’re worth over one hundred million dollars.

  Only because her mother and father adopted her. It wasn’t like she’d built up her net worth through hard work and ingenuity. But since taking over the Foundation, she’d improved on stomping out those negative thoughts.

  Inside the folder, a certificate of common stock certified Reece Rowe as the record holder of fully paid shares of the common stock of Ferguson Holdings.

  She stared at the piece of paper until her eyes blurred and hopelessness settled heavy on her heart. It was a nice gesture, but she’d wanted Vin, not his company.

  Money wasn’t an indicator of feelings, and Vin signing a document that said she owned shares in his company wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on, if that paper didn’t give her access to his heart. He’d been right way back in the beginning. She was a hearts and flowers kind of girl.

  Her whole body ached for something that hadn’t been anything more than physical contact for him. She wanted to believe they’d been so much more than a convenient arrangement, but that wasn’t true. Were the shares his way of thanking her? Had he printed certificates for his other women? A token gesture for the small part they’d played in his success?

  Jealous and a bit angry, she tossed the folder in her in-box and stared at the blue embossed letters as the tears streamed down her cheeks and stained the top of her blouse. Hours or minutes might have passed, she didn’t know. But eventually her heartbeat slowed, and she blinked the room back into focus. Her annual budget report. The endowed scholarships. The project list.

  This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. She was worth millions, and it was time for her to start acting like it. She’d spent a quarter of a century on this planet, and what difference had she made?

  Sliding open her center drawer, she withdrew a slim notebook filled with random thoughts and ideas. Flipping to the first page, she reminded herself why she’d agreed to take on this enormous responsibility of running a foundation.

  What am I passionate about? What do I want to change? How can I initiate that change?

  She’d used those three questions to open her keynote at a conference three months ago. Her topic had been about changing lanes. Change doesn’t happen if you stay in your lane.

  Well, consider this her turn signal. She’d taken the helm, but now it was time to take control. Her brother was going to kill her. Or at the very least have a cow. Christopher might stop talking to her for a little bit. Her father…he was too busy with Candace to notice what she did, but her mother would probably throw her a party.

  Since its inception, the Foundation had awarded scholarships, but that wasn’t enough. Sure, people like Vin benefited from the money, but even his efforts to give back to the community fell short in so many areas. Throwing money at problems didn’t fix them. Throwing money at solutions might.

  She opened a new document and began to type her first white paper since graduate school.

  The Rowe Center for Discovery would be a building that housed new and trendy discoveries in technology. It would be a place for children to explore problems and create solutions of their own. She wanted the discovery center to be a place to cultivate entrepreneurs and innovators. A place children like Vin would’ve loved when they were his age. Complete with remote-controlled monster trucks.

  But in order for her center to be in an accessible location, she’d need to take over Christopher’s building on Michigan Avenue. For the past two years, the building had sat empty with zoning issues. Her brother had hoped to convert the structure into a movie studio for commercials and low-budget films, but without the proper permits, the idea fizzled. Landon had been negotiating with a law firm to buy and redesign the structure, but Reece wanted it for her new venture.

  Picking up the phone, she called the one person who could make sure the building became hers so Landon couldn’t sell it.

  …

  “You called Mom.”

  Expecting to see her oldest brother, Reece looked up when the door to the office opened. It had taken Landon less than an hour to make his way down to the second floor. The logistics of the transfer from Christopher’s personal name to the foundation would take several weeks, but the attorneys assured her the building was hers.

  She folded her hands in her lap and said, “I did.”

  Landon walked over and collapsed in the chair across from her. “I’m impressed, little sis.”

  She beamed at the compliment. “Thanks.”

  “Smart move. I would’ve told you no.”

  Where was the anger? The cow she’d imagined he’d have? This was not the brother she knew and loved. This man…was calm. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, really. Just in between deals. I’m flying to Italy next month to decide whether or not we’re buying an apartment building for our overseas excursions.” He leaned forward and thumbed through her in-box absently. “What’s this?” But even as Reece saw what it was, Landon opened it, and an unreadable shield lowered over his face. “Ferguson gave you his company?”

  Reece scoffed. “Not his whole company.”

  “When did you get this?”

  “It arrived by messenger this morning.”

  He pulled the certificate out of the folder and held it with both hands, his eyes widening just enough to betray his shock. “Are you two back together?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “No.” What was the big deal? People gave shares to friends all the time. For her birthday one year, one of her friends had purchased Harley-Davidson stock, had them issue a paper certificate, and had it framed for her.

  “Holy shit.” Landon kept staring at the shares, almost in awe of the thing.

  “What?” She leaned forward, trying to see what captivated her brother so completely.

  “He can’t be that dumb.”

  “He’s not dumb at all.” Even after he broke her heart, she still defended him.

  Landon met her gaze then, a mixture of humor and astonishment flickering in his eyes. “You might be.”

  So much for impressing her big brother for all of three minutes. “I’m not dumb.”

  He closed the folder and stared at Reece long enough to make her uncomfortable. Finally, he said, “Vincent Ferguson awarded you a percentage of shares equal to his own.”

  “What?” Reece understood enough about IPOs and share allocations to comprehend what he said. Landon owned a piece of FH. Now, with Reece owning the same as Vin, the Rowe family in fact owned more than Vincent. Why on earth would he do that? It made no sense. He’d said it himself. She didn’t need the money. And her heart sped up with the one scenario for why Vin would do something so rash.

  Lando
n shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

  Every bit of her ached to rush to Vin’s office and demand answers. But clearly he didn’t want her. He hadn’t even delivered the envelope personally. Somehow the gifted shares felt like…closure.

  Landon leaned in and studied her face. “Do you love him?”

  “Stop being an ass.” Even if she did, she certainly wouldn’t admit it to Landon.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.” He took his time putting the certificate back in the folder and placing it back in her in-box. “Remember when I told you I’d support him if you two stopped dating?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, I also told him he wasn’t good enough for you.”

  Violence had never suited her, but in that instance, she wanted to punch her brother in the face. And not an open-palm slap, either. No. Her hands fisted by her sides, and she visualized how she’d pull back her arm and fling it forward, leading with her knuckles. Instead, she shrugged. “So? You tell that to everyone.”

  Her brother let out a little laugh. “Don’t you get it? These shares are his way of showing you he is good enough for you.”

  At least his actions sort of made sense now. But why give her a piece of his company? She couldn’t find out unless she confronted him, but the last time she’d barged into his office had been disastrous. “He’s always been good enough for me.”

  Landon leaned back and speculated. “He wants you back.”

  “He doesn’t.” Not in the way she wanted him to want her back.

  “Trust me on this. He does. I’m just amazed he did this.” Landon tapped the folder.

  “Did what?” Amelie flounced in, dropping her purse on the desk and sinking into the chair next to Landon. “Stood me up for lunch at The Betsy?”

  Reece bit her lip. She’d been concentrating so hard on her new project she’d completely forgotten about meeting Amelie for lunch. “I’m so sorry.”

  Amelie waved a dismissive hand and zeroed in on Landon. “Who did what?”

  After Landon did a quick recap of the situation, Amelie blew out a low whistle. “Talk about the grand gesture.”

  Landon raised an eyebrow. “What grand gesture?”

  Amelie rolled her eyes. “The one where the guy has to prove to the girl that he loves her.”

  But Vin didn’t love Reece. Did he?

  Landon snorted. “So the guy gives my sister a piece of his company to prove he loves her?”

  This time Amelie made a disgusted sort of sound. “No, silly. That man breathes and lives for his company. He gave her a piece of his heart.”

  A piece of his company. A piece of his heart.

  For a girl who’d been abandoned by the woman who’d birthed her, and for the same girl who’d spent her whole life trying to prove she was worth the Rowes welcoming her into their home, she’d never felt as valued as she did in that moment.

  Vin had grown up as one of those at-risk kids. He’d earned every single opportunity that had come his way, and once he’d arrived, he’d spread himself so thin in helping anyone who asked she’d actually accused him of not having focus with his donations. Of course then she’d used his philosophy to model her own foundation in order to diversify her philanthropic efforts.

  And now he was risking his entire company, his whole life’s work, to prove to Reece he cared more about her than the money, even though financial security allowed him to help so many others.

  Her chest ached. She’d broken up with him so his company could flourish, but he didn’t have a company if she used her and Landon’s shares against him.

  “I have to go.” She picked up her bag, rushed out of the office, and didn’t stop until she arrived at the Ferguson Building. It was one hell of a risk, returning to the place he broke her heart, but she couldn’t live with the uncertainty and speculation. Heck, she couldn’t live. Period. She had to know. She needed answers.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Rowe, but Mr. Ferguson isn’t in the office today.”

  “He’s not?” How could he not be there? She glanced over at the elevators. Maybe he was, but he’d instructed his receptionist to deny her entry. Could she rush the elevators and get inside before someone stopped her?

  The receptionist gave Reece a knowing smile. “Truthfully, we were all shocked when he called to say he’d be unavailable all day.”

  Unavailable all day. Why? “Okay, thank you.”

  As she exited the building and drove back to her condo, she told herself she was being ridiculous to place meaning on the company shares, especially since he’d made no effort to contact her after she’d received them. But then she replayed bits of their conversations over the time they’d been together, and to have Landon say Vin wasn’t good enough for her, and to know Landon could indeed take down his company, well…

  Reece couldn’t imagine what Vin must be going through right now. For the first time in her life, she realized she had the upper hand. She wasn’t the adopted girl trying to prove she deserved to be there. Vin was the one trying to prove his worth.

  They were so similar in their quest to fit in, and the funny thing was, when she was with him, she didn’t care about sticking out or fitting in or anything other than just being with him. And because she’d missed all the signs, she might never find anyone else to make her feel the way he did.

  The familiar ache tightened her chest, and she closed her eyes. An image of Vin’s face, smiling, crystallized in her mind. She needed to make amends with him. She needed to clarify she hadn’t just used him for sex, even if that was what it looked like.

  But where would she find him if he wasn’t in the office? It was Friday, his first official appearance on the New York Stock Exchange. He should be in the office celebrating his victory. Unless he was out celebrating with someone else.

  She turned off Collins into the parking garage but didn’t see his sedan in his designated space. Fine. Better that she had everything lined up before she confronted him. She needed to make some calls and get her plan into motion, but not at the office where Amelie or Landon might still be fighting or smooching—she never knew which way things were going with those two.

  But her mind didn’t linger on her brother or her best friend for long. If Vin wanted to award her shares of FH, she’d use them as a separate endowment for her discovery center, which would now officially be named The Vincent Ferguson Discovery Center. The center would be a place where any child could arrive, ask questions, and explore solutions. Vin’s stock would be dedicated to funding the facility, and if he said yes, she’d name him as one of the co-founders. She’d never attend a board meeting for his company, and she certainly wouldn’t pair with her brother’s shares to go against him on any company decision.

  In her condo, she plopped down in her bedroom and opened her laptop. As the sun slipped away, Reece continued to pound out the proposal and details, getting up once to turn on a light. Amelie still hadn’t come home, and it wasn’t until well after ten at night that Reece closed the lid and stood to stretch. It was done.

  After a quick shower, she poured a glass of wine and stepped outside. The light on Vin’s balcony was on, but she couldn’t tell if he was inside or not. Still, she went back inside, emailed him the report on the discovery center, and went back outside to enjoy her wine.

  He came strolling up the Beachwalk ten minutes later, alone but wearing clothes that looked like he’d been having a fun night. One minute he was scrolling through his phone, and the next, he was looking up at her from the beach. Had he read her entire report? Or just glanced at the key points? It didn’t matter.

  She set down her glass and took her time descending the stairs that would lead her to him. Her mind raced with things she wanted to say, but none of them seemed right. I’m sorry. I want to be with you. It wasn’t just the sex. Will you be my boyfriend? By the time she stood in front of him, in the space between the gate and their two separate staircases, she still hadn’t said one word.

  He lifted his
phone and showed her his screen. Her proposal. “You’re naming a building after me?”

  She couldn’t read his tone, decipher if this pleased him, and her lawyer had warned her that he might protest the use of his name. “Unless you sue me for using your name.”

  He looked taken aback. “Why would I do that?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. Just something the lawyer mentioned.”

  “You have attorneys involved? This is a done deal?”

  She ignored the astonishment on his face and explained, “It’s in motion. The building on Michigan Avenue is being transferred to the Foundation’s name, and then it will be mine to name and use.”

  He stared at his phone again, his mouth open in a small “O.” With a soft whisper, he said, “A discovery center. I like that. Sounds way cooler than a museum.”

  That was the opening she needed, and she didn’t even try to contain her excitement. “Oh, it’s going to be so much more than a museum. It’s going to be a place where any child can come in with a problem and there will be resources for that child to start developing solutions.” She had the entire idea in her head. Everything she wanted the discovery center to be.

  His lips curved into a wide grin. “It sounds amazing.”

  She swallowed and said, “I’d like you to be a co-founder with me.”

  “The two of us?” He stepped closer to her.

  She stepped back and hit the bottom step. “Yes.”

  “Why me?”

  Did he really not know? “Because you inspired me. You inspired this.” She pointed to the report still visible on his phone. “Plus”—she gave him the smug smirk—“I’m using your stock to fund this.”

  He chuckled. “I saw that. I like it.” His gaze turned intense. “You said you could love me.”

  She had. And she’d meant it. But she didn’t know what he was asking, so she slipped her stoic mask in place and waited.

  His lips pressed into a firm line, and he shook his head, a small smile curving his so kissable mouth. “I think you meant it.”

  It didn’t matter if she meant it or not, if he didn’t want her. She gave him a pointed stare. “I believe you told me you wouldn’t ask me to.”