Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Grayson
It had been a week since I met with my grandfather, and now the clock was ticking away. I hadn’t told Julius yet and needed to talk to someone. Then suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head. Julius was the key to this whole thing. Picking up my phone, I dialed him.
“Hey, Grayson.”
“Can you come by the penthouse tonight? We haven’t had a bro night in a while. I’ll order us a couple of pizzas, and we can kick back and drink a few beers. That’s if Yasmin will let you out of the house.”
“Hilarious, Grayson. It just so happens that I was going to call you and ask you the same thing. Yasmin is going out with her friends tonight. What time do you want me over?”
“How about seven o’clock?”
“Sounds good. I’ll bring the beer.”
“Great. I’ll see you tonight.”
I ended the call and set my phone down. I prayed to God that he would tell me what I wanted to hear.
The elevator door opened, and when I walked into the foyer, Julius stepped out.
“Hey, bro.” We lightly hugged.
“How are you, Grayson? We really haven’t spoken much in the past couple of weeks. I was afraid you were ending our friendship.”
“Nah, Julius. You’re like my brother. No matter what, I could never stop being your friend.” I smiled. “The pizza is on the island.”
“And I brought the beer.” He held up a six-pack.
Walking into the kitchen, I reached up into the cabinet and took down two plates. Grabbing two slices of pizza from the box and a bottle of beer, I took it over to the table.
“How are you, man?” Julius asked as he took the seat across from me.
“I’ve been wanting to tell you what’s going on, but first, I had to calm the fuck down and process it.”
“Process what? What happened?”
“I had dinner with my grandfather last week.”
“I didn’t know he was back in town.”
“I didn’t either until he showed up at the office. He invited me to dinner. Boy, I had no idea what I was in for that night.”
He steadily narrowed his eye at me as he brought the bottle up to his lips.
“What the fuck happened?”
“My grandfather thinks it’s time I grow up and have stability in my life. He claims that my partying and woman reputation is out of hand. He’s giving me one year to find a woman to fall in love with, and if I don’t, he’s signing the company over to Alfie.”
“What?” He choked before spitting out the beer in his mouth. “You can’t be serious, Grayson.”
“Oh, I’m dead serious.”
“So, if you don’t get into a relationship or fall in love before the one-year mark, the company isn’t yours?”
“That’s right.”
“What the fuck is his problem? What does it matter to him? You’re running that company to perfection. You’ve more than proved yourself to him.”
“I know.” I shook my head. “He wants the company to be a family legacy. And without me having a family, that won’t happen.”
“So he’d give it to Alfie? I don’t get it.” Julius furrowed his brows.
“He has a wife and two kids.”
“But he’s not family.”
“Trust me. I know that, Julius. I don’t understand why my grandfather is being like this.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
I took a sip of my beer as I stared at him.
“The woman who used my sperm. Is she single or married?”
“Oh, fuck no, Grayson. No way.” He shook his head. “I can’t tell you that.” He placed his hands on his head. “Oh my God, I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no!”
“You owe me!” I spoke through gritted teeth. “You promised me that my sperm would never be found by someone to use, and you failed!” I pointed at him. “You got me in this mess, and now you will get me out of the current one I’m in with my grandfather.”
“Have you forgotten that you signed off all parental rights to that kid? What the hell are you going to do? Go to the woman and tell her you need your kid after all?”
“I have a plan, but I need to know if she’s single or married. Please, Julius. I need your help. I could lose everything.”
“Shit, Grayson.” A worried look crossed his face. “You can’t disrupt this woman’s life to save your own. It’s not right. Plus, I could get fired if anyone found out. Not to mention that this woman could sue the shit out of us.”
“Your family owns the sperm bank. You’re the director, the overseer. I’ll make sure she doesn’t sue, and I’ll pay her off if I have to.”
He pulled out his phone, began typing on it, and then looked up at me.
“She’s single, and she’s thirty years old.”
“What’s her name?”
“Come on, Grayson, don’t.” He slowly shook his head.
“What is her name, Julius?”
“Harper Holland.”
“Address?”
“Fuck, man. What are you going to do? Knock on her door and say, ‘Hi honey, I’m your baby daddy?’”
“I’llscope out the situation first.”
“Oh, so you’re going to stalk the poor woman?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes. “Is there a picture of her?”
“No. We don’t keep pictures of our customers. Only our donors.”
“Then this is what you’re going to do for me. You’llsend her flowers from the cryobank congratulating her on her pregnancy.”
“And how is that going to help?” he asked.
“You’llbe the delivery man. And when she opens the door, I’ll be able to get a look at her from a distance.”
“Are you insane? Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“No. It’s simple, so don’t make it a big deal. How the hell am I supposed to get to know her if I don’t know what she looks like.”
“Oh, my God.” He placed his face in his hands. “You are not seriously going to do this.”
“Yes, I am.”
“What if she’s not home?”
“Then you’ll call first. Pretend you’re the delivery company, tell her she has a delivery coming, and ask if she’ll be home to sign for it. You owe me, Julius.”
He glared at me as he stood there and shook his head.
“Fine. But if something happens and I go down for this?—”
“Nothing will happen. Stop being paranoid. Call me tomorrow when you find out if she’s going to be home.”
“Whatever, man. I can’t believe this. Who the fuck are you?”
“A desperate man trying to keep the company that’s rightfully his.”