The Rich List Series: Contemporary Romance Box Set (Millionaire, Billionaire, CEO)

by Hunter, Talia

  Each step she took away from him felt like another arrow through his heart, but he made himself stay where he was. It was better this way. Letting it get this far had been a mistake he was going to pay for, and he wouldn’t make it worse by pretending they could make a long-distance relationship work. Angel was smart enough to know better and strong enough to deal with it. He wouldn’t be the one who refused to accept reality.

  She turned as she reached the door and gave him a look that almost made his resolve crumble. Her back was straight, and her chin lifted. Angel wouldn’t cry in front of him. She was too proud for that. But her eyes were brimming with the tears she refused to shed. “Goodbye, Marcus.”

  She went into the living room, and a moment later he heard the front door open and close. When he followed, the suite was quiet and empty. She was gone.

  10

  Marcus stared out the boardroom window at a gloomy New York morning. Everything had been colder and grayer since he’d been back. Not just the weather, but his apartment too. Alone in his sleek kitchen eating breakfast this morning, he’d tried to keep his mind on his upcoming presentation, but as usual it kept wandering to the breakfast he’d shared with Angel in her favorite café.

  Instead of being able to concentrate on work the last few days, he’d realize he was sitting with his eyes closed, recalling her scent. Or thinking about her glorious head-thrown-back laugh, or her vulnerable expression when she’d looked at the photo of her mother.

  He’d even ordered a lemon martini at the charity function he’d had to attend last night, and smiled as he sipped it, imagining a young Angel selling vodka to people on their way home from work.

  Forcefully, he dragged his gaze away from the boardroom window, back to the laptop Laura had set up for him on the big meeting table.

  Fuck, I’ve got it bad. What did you do to me, Angel?

  There’d been a story about his shopping complex disaster in the newspaper this morning. A small article in the business section, but still the last thing he needed today of all days.

  I have to stop mooning over her and concentrate.

  Still, he pulled out his phone, and his finger hovered over her number. But she’d left him a message telling him she wanted no contact, that it would make things too difficult if they spoke. And she was right. Talking to her would only make him miss her more.

  Instead of hitting Angel’s number, he stabbed Jake’s.

  Listening to it ring, he dragged an envelope out of his pocket and stared at his name written in cursive handwriting on the front. He’d been carrying it around unopened since the concierge had hand delivered it only minutes after Angel had left his suite.

  “Hey, Marcus,” said his brother. “I think I know what you’re calling about. The letter, right?”

  So Jake had left it at his hotel.

  “It’s from our mother, isn’t it? I told you I didn’t want to ever talk to her again.”

  Jake sighed. “I thought you should have a chance to hear her side of it. She’s sorry, Marcus. People make mistakes.”

  “Walking out on her two sons knowing we were going to be turned into punching bags isn’t a mistake. It’s un-fucking-forgivable.”

  “The thing about forgiveness is that you don’t do it for the other person. You do it for yourself, to set yourself free. Because if you don’t, the past will never let you go.”

  Marcus scrunched the envelope in one hand. “Is that what you tell your patients?”

  “Believe it or not, some of them find it helpful. Speaking of which, I have a client waiting. But next time you’re in Sydney we’ll spend more time together okay? I want you to meet the woman I’m dating. She’s been through some difficult times too.”

  “I’m not coming back to Sydney.”

  “That’s a shame.” The regret in Jake’s voice triggered a sharp pang in Marcus’ chest. “You know, it’s pretty hard to run from the past while you’ve still got it tangled around you, dragging you down. One of these days you have to cut it loose. Let other people in.”

  Marcus let out a long breath. He’d been sure his brother must resent that Marcus had got away unscathed – but had he been wrong? Had he been projecting his own guilt?

  “I’ll talk to you later, Jake.” Marcus hung up and stuffed the envelope back in his pocket. If he squashed it down small enough, he could pretend it didn’t exist while he got through the board meeting.

  Laura stuck her head into the boardroom. “They’re here, Mr. Bolton.”

  Sure enough, six board members filed into the room. Four red-faced men with gray hair and permanent frowns, and two stern-looking women. Their suits were dark and plain, the only glint of color coming from the gold rings forced onto wrinkled fingers.

  A secretary followed them in, with a notepad to record the minutes of the meeting. She sat in one corner, poised to record everything they said.

  When the board members were settled into their chairs, the secretary read out the minutes of the last meeting and the agenda for this one in a sharp, efficient tone.

  The chairman cleared his throat, his eyes narrowed at Marcus. “First item on the agenda is the serious failure of your—“

  Marcus held up one hand. “May I cut in?” He didn’t wait for a response. “It would better serve the interests of this company if we moved straight to the main item under discussion. I’ll explain how I plan to turn things around so we don’t just weather the downturn, we come out stronger than ever.”

  He kept his gaze on the other board members as he launched into his presentation, not giving the chairman a chance to interrupt. He took them through the current oversupply of central office space, and the reasons they had to diversify or risk a sharp devaluation of the company’s stock. Briefly touching on the shopping complex, he was upfront about the loss they’d have to write off, and how much of the damage wouldn’t be covered by their insurance. Then he gave them the retirement home figures and detailed the spectacular profits they could make if they didn’t lose their nerve. He spoke clearly and passionately, and his facts were indisputable. It was a damn good presentation, and he knocked it out of the park.

  When he’d finished, they stared at him as though he’d pulled down his pants and taken a crap on the table.

  “You can’t be seriously suggesting we buy retirement homes?” scoffed the chairman. “You promised the shopping complex would be a good investment and it turned into a spectacular failure. We should go back to what we know.” He looked at the man next to him – a man he played golf with regularly. “Don’t you agree?”

  “Cross Corporation has always held premium property.” His golfing buddy was eager to back him up. “We’ve built our reputation with modern office towers in the very best locations.”

  A third board member nodded, obviously swayed by the chairman. “We’ve weathered property downturns before, and we’ve come out stronger than ever. In fact, we’ve been successful for fifty-six years. Why change a proven strategy?”

  Marcus closed his eyes for a moment, wondering what the hell he was doing in this office with these people. He’d worked damn hard to get the top job. Though he’d never thought it would be easy, he hadn’t imagined his biggest challenge would be from the board that had appointed him. Was it just because of the shopping complex disaster? Or could it also be because he wasn’t part of the chairman’s network of cronies?

  He took a deep breath and gave it one more try. “We’d keep our best performers. But with the current shortage of quality retirement homes, the opportunity is huge and surely the numbers speak for themselves—”

  The chairman cleared his throat impatiently. “For the last twenty-two years, our previous CEO did an excellent job of managing this company. His early retirement was a shock, as was the extent of the downturn, and perhaps we were too hasty in our reaction to it.” He gave Marcus a patronizing smile. “We wanted your energy and enthusiasm, but I’m afraid your lack of experience is the trade off. Jumping straight into a change of strategy w
as clearly a mistake. Our approach should be cautious and considered.”

  Marcus gritted his teeth. “What exactly do you mean by cautious and considered?”

  “Did you speak to Bruce Tanner about his ideas?” The chairman leaned forward and looked around at the other board members. “Mr. Tanner is the new General Manager of the Sydney office,” he explained for their benefit. “He spoke to me about some buildings that fit our acquisition profile and promise solid returns. This isn’t fly-by-night stuff, but a real opportunity. Low risk and steady.”

  Marcus fought to keep his breathing even. Bruce’s big ideas had turned out to be buying more office buildings exactly like the ones they already owned. Sure they could pick them up cheaply compared to a couple of years ago, but who knew how long prices – and rents – would keep tumbling?

  His anger rising, Marcus slapped the lid of his laptop down, cutting off his presentation. “So I should save my breath? You won’t consider my proposal?”

  The board members looked at each other, but he kept his focus on the chairman, staring at the frown which was so deeply chiseled into his face he must have worked at carving it in. The old man’s eyes were cold and hard. The eyes of a man who didn’t care about anyone but himself. A man like his father. At the thought, Marcus’s stomach roiled.

  The chairman leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “If you’ll come back to us with figures on Bruce’s suggestions, we’ll discuss them further at next month’s meeting.”

  Marcus took a breath, remembering the way his father had lunged after Jake the day he’d smashed his arm into pieces. He’d been afraid to fight back and regretted it ever since. Not this time.

  “You said Bruce Tanner was General Manager of the Sydney Office. That’s not correct.” He narrowed his eyes at the chairman, daring him to object. “I’m appointing Angel Moore to the position.”

  The chairman exchanged a frowning glance with his golf buddy. “Who?”

  “Angel is the best property manager in the office. She runs rings around Bruce, and you should be thanking your lucky stars she wants the job. She’s exactly the kind of person we’re going to need in charge when our vacancy rates rise even further.”

  He would have told them she was the one smart enough to see the retirement home opportunity, only they’d probably consider it a mark against her. They didn’t deserve her, and they probably wouldn’t appreciate her. But dammit, she’d earned the job, no question.

  The board members’ already ruddy faces went even redder. The chairman’s lips were white. “Don’t tell me that’s the woman you’ve been spending time with?”

  Marcus clenched his jaw. “I’ve made my decision.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t allow you to appoint that woman.” His tone changed to a sneer. “No matter how much you enjoy her credentials.”

  Enough. Marcus lunged to standing. Rage made him light on his feet, and the adrenaline surging through him made it difficult to sound calm.

  “I’d like to speak with you in private.”

  The chairman frowned. “What? Why do you—?”

  “Step outside.” Marcus crossed to the door and held it open. He nodded at the other board members who were frowning, perplexed. “This will only take a moment.”

  He glared at the chairman until, still spluttering, the man rose and followed him into the corridor. Marcus closed the door so the other board members couldn’t hear them.

  “What on earth is this about?” the chairman blustered.

  Laura must have been keeping an eye on them, because she stuck her head out of a doorway and raised her eyebrows enquiringly. He motioned her to come closer. “This involves you, Laura.”

  The chairman’s voice rose. “What’s going on? This is highly—”

  “I spoke to the HR department about sexual harassment complaints from our Sydney office.” Marcus interrupted. “There have been quite a number of them over the years. In fact, Laura filed one while we were there last week.”

  Laura nodded. “I did. And I expected there would be some kind of process to address the problem, but nothing happened.”

  “Apparently our previous CEO told the HR department not to take action on any accusations that originated in Sydney, and insisted on dealing with them himself.” Marcus stepped close enough to make the chairman uncomfortable, using his superior height to his advantage. “Do you have any idea why he’d intentionally bury the complaints against your nephew?”

  The chairman opened his mouth and closed it again. His cheeks took on a faint purple tinge. “Are you implying—?”

  “I’m implying nothing.” Marcus paused to let the chairman take it all in. “I’m asking a question. If you prefer to answer it formally, I could include it on the agenda of the next meeting so your response will be available to the shareholders as well as the other board members.” He glanced at Laura. “Would you be willing to go on the record with your experience?”

  Her eyes gleamed, but she kept her response strictly professional. “Of course, Mr. Bolton.”

  The chairman’s gaze went from her to Marcus and back again. His mouth opened and closed.

  Marcus gave Laura a nod. “Thank you.” He turned and strode back into the boardroom. The chairman trailed him in and sat down. His hands gripped the arms of his chair as though he needed the support.

  Marcus stood in front of the assembled group, staring at the chairman but saying nothing.

  The chairman cleared his throat nervously. “Ah. Mr. Bolton. You’d like the opportunity to make another investment, and I believe the board should discuss that. Of course we’d need to approve the location, property type, and value. But I don’t see why we can’t at least consider one more of your suggestions.” He looked around. “If the others agree, of course.”

  Marcus took a breath. This was his chance to claw out some concessions. Get them to agree to a small diversification, enough to prop up the company’s bottom line so he wouldn’t look completely incompetent if the market continued to drop as much as he expected. It was his chance to save his career.

  But winning his fight against the chairman should have made him jubilant. Instead he felt nothing.

  Why was he even here? The days he’d spent with Angel had beat anything he’d ever experienced in his career. Jake was right. There was more to life than work. There was her. And more than anything, he wanted to give her what she wanted.

  But was he seriously thinking about throwing away everything that he’d worked so hard for? What about all the sacrifices he’d made to get to where he was?

  The chairman’s frown deepened as he waited for Marcus’ response. How many more battles would he have with this man if he stayed? He wasn’t worth the fight.

  Screw it.

  “Here’s the deal,” he said slowly. “Ms. Moore gets the General Manager’s job, and in return I’ll resign, and I’ll do it quietly. No press, no fuss.” He stared pointedly at the chairman. “No questions asked. You get to hire someone who’ll go along with whatever you tell him, and I never have to see any of you again.”

  Everyone but the chairman looked shocked.

  The chairman’s golfing buddy spoke up first. “But we don’t want you to resign—”

  “That’s not what we were suggesting,” agreed someone else.

  “Maybe it’s for the best,” interrupted the chairman loudly. He stared at each of the board members in turn. “If that’s what he wants, let’s not stand in his way.”

  It was clear which members of the board he was friendliest with, because three of them, including his golfing buddy, nodded right away. The others were still frowning, but Marcus had no doubt the chairman would eventually convince them to see things his way.

  He picked up his laptop. “This meeting is over. I’ll turn in my resignation as soon as you announce Angel’s appointment.” He felt strangely unreal, like a man in a dream. Would he regret this later?

  As he walked from the room, he saw Laura watching from the end of the corr
idor, wearing a satisfied smile. She gave him a thumbs-up, but he couldn’t manage to smile back. She had no idea what he’d just done, that in a single instant he’d destroyed his entire career. He glanced back just once before closing the door behind him. The board members were all sitting there, silently watching him go.

  11

  Angel leaned back on the leather chair in her new office. She had a view over the city, an assistant on call, and there was a sign on her door that said General Manager. She was a big step closer to her goal of becoming CEO, and her pay rise meant she could afford both her father’s retirement home payments and the new furniture he’d need to make him comfortable while he recovered from his operation.

  But I’ve lost the thing that matters most.

  Her hand strayed to her phone and she picked it up for the hundredth time that day. If you could wear out a digital photo by looking at it, the one she had of Marcus would be dog-eared and faded already. It was the photo from the Business Weekly article that had called him a Young Hot Shot. What would they think of his sudden decision to quit?

  Why had Marcus done it? She’d tried calling him at least ten times over the last five days, desperate to talk to him since she’d got the news of her promotion, and his – and Bruce’s – surprise resignations. It always went straight to voicemail. What would he do now? Was he okay? He’d been worried that quitting so soon would damage his career, and it probably had, but there must be lots of companies who’d want to employ him, even in the middle of a market downturn. Maybe not such a big player as Cross Corporation, but still good firms.

  If only he’d call and let me know he’s okay.

  She shook her head. First week on the job, and she had a lot to prove. She had to stop obsessing over Marcus so she could concentrate.