Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Grayson
As Julius and I were walking into the restaurant, my phone rang. Pulling it from my pocket, I answered it.
“Grayson Rhodes.”
“Mr. Rhodes, It’s Thomas.”
“Hello, Thomas. How did it go with Harper?”
“It went well, sir. She’s taking the apartment. She was quite shocked at the monthly rent.”
“I’m sure she was. There was no way she’d be able to afford what it really costs with a baby on the way. Thanks for doing this, Thomas.”
“You’re welcome, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“What the hell was that all about? What did you do?” Julius asked as he narrowed his eye at me.
Taking a seat at the table, we ordered our drinks and looked over the menu.
“I hired Harper today to work for me, and she mentioned that she needed to look for a two-bedroom apartment, so I sent her to one of my buildings in Midtown with a reduction in rent, of course.”
He sat across from me and slowly shook his head.
“Are you crazy?”
“No. The first step is getting her to trust me. That woman and her baby are the key to my future.”
“You mean YOUR baby,” he spoke deadpan. “And how the hell are you going to pull this off?”
“Easy. We’ll date, she’ll fall in love, and I’ll tell her about the situation with my grandfather when the time is right. Now that I’ve helped her out, she owes me.”
“So, you’re basically going to fuck with her life and emotions. Are you going to tell her it was your sperm she bought?”
“No. God no. There’s no way I’m telling her that. Once I convince my grandfather I’m in love with Harper and we’re going to be a family, he’ll sign over the company to me, and then Harper and I will part ways. Once the papers are signed, and the company is mine, my grandfather can do nothing.”
“You hired her to work for your company. What are you going to do? Fire her once you’re done with her?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. Regardless of what happens with our working situation, she’ll be well taken care of financially. I’ll see to that.”
“You’ve been my best friend forever, and I’m sitting across from you, and I feel like I’m talking to a complete stranger.”
“Stop being a drama queen, Julius.” I sighed. “Everything will work out.”
“For you it will, and at the expense of Harper Holland.”
The next morning, as I walked from the break room to my office, I saw Harper standing by Christine’s desk, talking to her.
“Good morning.” A grin crossed my lips.
“Good morning.”
“Let’s go into my office. Would you like some coffee?” I asked.
“I’m good. Thank you.”
“Did you have a chance to look at those apartments yesterday?”
“I did, and I move in on Saturday.”
“Excellent news. I think you’ll be very happy there. I’ll show you around the office and your workspace, and then I’ll let you go. I’m sure you have a lot of packing to do.”
“I do. I really didn’t expect to be moving so quickly.” A smile crossed her lips.
“The next few days are going to be busy for you. So, after the tour, you’ll officially start work here on Monday morning.”
“Sounds great. Thank you.”
I showed her around the office, introduced her to some of the staff, and then took her to a small office that would become her workspace for the couple of days she’d be here. I needed to get to know her, but asking her to have dinner with me was too soon. I needed to execute the rest of my plan with precision.