Chapter 13
Nelly
“Did you know that Ethan was engaged?” I ask Tom over the phone the next morning while pulling to a halt in front of Everhart’s office on Pico Boulevard. I can hear Robyn, his wife, in the background, and I assume they’re both preparing for their day ahead.
“Of course you knew. You’re his best friend,” I add, and roll my eyes before getting out of my car.
“He doesn’t talk about it,” Tom answers on the other end, and I recall how quickly he pulled away from Julia when she hugged him in the parking lot.
Finding out about his engagement makes me understand him a little. Nobody should ever feel hurt by someone they love and trust.
“Ethan’s my best friend, Nelly, and I know him. He hates talking about his personal life, and when it starts to get too deep, he runs off. It’s why you shouldn’t get too attached.”
“Right,” I mutter as my brother’s advice sinks in. My heart aches with pity as I head into the building. The sliding doors part with ease as I approach, and I give the receptionist a smile before heading for the elevator.
The board meeting is at 11 a.m., and I spent the night doing my due diligence on all the other members as well as perfecting Sunny Aerospace’s plans. It’s my first time meeting with them and I need to leave a good impression for the merger to be finalized smoothly today.
I have to show them I’m not here to just sit on the sidelines. I expect to be involved in every business decision going forward. Sunny Aerospace is going to be a part of Hart Holdings now, and it has to be that way in reality, not just on paper.
Hopefully, the merger will pull through with no problems.
The elevator door opens, and I push the button for the top floor. A hand stops it from sliding closed, and Joe Storms steps inside with a smile on when he sees me.
“Nelly Sinclair, it’s always a pleasure,” he greets as he adjusts his suit jacket.
“Likewise,” I answer, sparing him only a moment’s glance before he clears his throat and looks at the elevator buttons.
“Top floor,” Joe comments. “I take it you’re here for the board meeting? I told you a merger with Hart Holdings was the wrong move, Nelly. Hart Holdings cannot possibly give your company what it needs.”
“And your company can?” I retort, gauging his expression as he angles his head to look at me.
His smile turns cynical, the corner of his lips curving upwards. “We can,” he replies. “In fact, we intend to once we take over Hart Holdings as a whole. Sunny Aerospace will be a mere subsidiary after that, one I can decide to shut down completely or re-invent.”
“What?” I frown as the gleam of mischief in his eyes intensifies. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see,” he says with a snicker, and then the elevator dings. Before stepping off, Joe spares me one last glance.
“You still have a chance here, Nelly. Make a deal with me while you still can and save your company because I have the ability to bury Hart Holdings once and for all, then take over whatever scrap is left of it when I’m done.”
“Ethan thinks he’s better than everyone, and it’s my mission to prove him wrong. He’s not winning this war!”
Joe grins slyly as he strides away, and my heart hammers as the rush of my confusion takes over.
What is Joe up to?
I make it to Ethan’s office at the far end of the corridor while Joe walks in the opposite direction. Ethan is on a call, and his assistant holds the door open for me. I wait, admiring how the gray Armani suit fits him brilliantly.
Sunlight pours into his office, and it casts a golden hue on the marble floors. I take in Ethan’s magnificent look as he stands with his back to me, one hand holding his phone to his ears.
The mahogany desk behind him has intricate designs of brass accents and wood carvings. There is only a single photograph on the desk. His walls are a pristine white, devoid of any frames or pictures, while a bookshelf at the other end of the office is stacked with a variety of books. And magazines.
The place looks nice but generic. Unlike my office at Sunny Aerospace, there’s not much here to showcase Ethan’s personality. He seems to be so detached from everything. His house also lacks the same emotional attachment that I sense here.
“I’ll handle it,” he says, before finally turning to me.
His sharp eyes land on me, and I’m unable to stop the shiver that rocks through me immediately.
“Nelly.” My name on his lips is a whisper. He strides towards me briskly, stops some inches away, and then strokes me with the fullness of his gaze.
“Joe Storms is here,” I say to him, shoving down the tingle robbing me of my breath. “He’s not part of the board, and he made some cryptic comment about tearing your company down and taking what’s left of its scrap. I think he’s up to something, Ethan. I’ve never dealt with him personally before, but you two are competitors and …”
“I know,” Ethan interrupts with a sigh. “I just found out this morning. Joe Storms bought out a couple of our shareholders. John Greer, Nathan Kutcher, and some others. He’s the second largest shareholder in the company now and is at the board meeting today. He’s going to deliver a blow that’ll give him leverage to come for my seat as CEO.”
“What? That can’t happen. We can’t let him do that, can we?”
“We can’t, but I might not win this one, Nelly. At least not today.”
His eyes are solemn as he places his hands on my shoulders and leans close to me. “Whatever happens in today’s meeting, you can’t blame yourself. You hear me? None of this is your fault. Joe would have cooked up something to get his way, regardless of the merger.”
“Ethan …” He presses a finger to my lips, slightly smearing my lipstick and leaving me breathless.
“Just promise me you won’t let him get a rise out of you. Every shareholder will be in there today, including George Brene and Julia.”
“Storms is going to prove that the company is weaker than ever due to the merger. He’ll claim that the merger will cause the stock prices to drop and make me look incompetent for pushing for it without thinking of the repercussions.”
“He’ll blame your decision on emotions and say you acted without thinking about what’s best for the company. Then he will push for the board to vote you out and also disapprove of the merger proposal,” I chirp in as Joe’s plan finally sinks in.
Tears shimmer in my eyes as I think of what this means for Ethan. His grandfather has been CEO of Hart Holdings since its inception, and having the company be run by someone outside of the family will be a big insult and disappointment to him.
“Joe will need a vote to make this happen. We can still win this, Ethan.” I toss all caution to the wind and place a hand on him. “If it’s too dangerous, we can forget about the merger. I can’t let you lose your seat because of me. Besides, you already paid for the settlement. Don’t worry, I promise to return that investment to you.”
“This has nothing to do with you, Nelly.” He stops me and frames both my cheeks. “Storms’ intention is to humiliate and take everything from me. It has nothing to do with you. This isn’t his first time trying, and it won’t be his last.”
“But—”
“No buts. Keep your chin high and stay in control. Don’t let him rile you up, and I won’t let him do the same to me. He’ll call for a vote to stop me from being CEO and end the merger, but we will figure out a way to stop that from happening.”
“The remaining board members will have to vote unanimously in either of our favor. I believe my chances of winning their vote are higher.
Storms is a major rival of ours, so I doubt they will trust him. I, on the other hand, have received extensive training from Grandpops himself and have been a part of this company for years.”
“What if he tries to pull strings and get it done the wrong way? What if he resorts to bribing or buying out more shareholders?”
“Let me worry about that, okay?” he replies, and I nod. Ethan leans down and gently touches his lips to mine like it’s a habit. I stiffen, and he pulls away, realizing what he’s done.
Ethan drops his hands, spares me one last torn look, then marches out of his office.
The entire meeting goes as expected, and the date of the vote is scheduled.
Joe winks at me as he leaves the boardroom, and everyone else follows him, including the Brenes. Alone with Ethan now, I walk over to him and place a hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll do anything you need me to do, Ethan. Anything to help you keep your rightful seat in the company.”
When he looks up at me, his brown eyes seem darker. “He’s trying to take everything from me, just like he did years ago.”
My pulse quickens as I realize he’s finally going to tell me the story between him and Joe.
Ethan swallows hard and walks out without another word. I’m left trying to piece together what his words mean, and my worrisome thoughts eat at me for the rest of the evening.
It’s late that night when he finally gets home, and he walks into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. Ethan’s shirt is slightly undone at the top, and one glimpse of his muscles has me shivering.
His eyes land on mine after he finishes with the bottle of water.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” I whisper before going to him. Ethan doesn’t pull away when I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him close. It’s the only way I know to offer him comfort. No questions asked. That didn’t matter now.
He made this sacrifice for me, and I would do anything to back him up.
“I caught Julia and Joe kissing in a restaurant a few weeks after we got engaged. Joe and I were friends, and he knew I was in love with Julia, yet he still betrayed me, anyway.”
“I’m so sorry.” My arms stay tight around his body, and I smooth my right hand down his back, caressing and stroking until he sighs and leans deeper into me. “We’ll find a way to beat Joe, no matter what. We’ll do it together.”
When he lifts his head to look at me, he nods. “Thank you, Nelly.”
“No, thank you,” I counter. “You saved my company even when you didn’t have to. You paid off my settlement, took care of everything … I’m forever in your debt, Ethan. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you, but I can help with this, at least.”
There’s no way I’ll ever stop being grateful to him, either. Ethan has to know that.
I rub my chin, then wave a hand towards the documents I spent most of my evening reading through. “I think the one person who can help us right now is George Brene. He’s the third largest shareholder but has a strong footing as co-founder of Hart Holdings. Your grandfather might be able to reach out to him, or you could too, since he’s a friend …”
“George Brene isn’t going to help me in any way, even if it’s a favor to my grandfather.”
“But you said they were friends?”
“They are,” he answers stiffly. “But the man has a personal dislike for me after I ended the engagement. He believes I embarrassed him and his granddaughter by canceling the engagement, as well as every high-profile invitation that was already sent.”
“That wasn’t your fault,” I defend. “Come on, Ethan, he can’t hold you to that … She cheated on you. No one deserves to spend the rest of their life with someone unfaithful.”
“Yeah, but he doesn’t know that.”
“What do you mean?”
Ethan walks over to the sink to splash cold water on his face before he turns to me again. He runs a wet hand over his hair, looking even more handsome as he fixes his brown eyes on mine.
“I never told anyone besides Tom why I called off the engagement. I did it to protect her image. It didn’t matter, anyway. I made sure not to give anyone the chance to get that close and hurt me again.”
His words sink in, and a subtle shift inside me makes me realize just how much I misunderstood Ethan before now.
I didn’t know him well at all.
He’s more than the self-centered playboy I judged him to be. He’s been hurt and I couldn’t see that. This is a man with a genuine heart, and he’s shown me his selflessness many times.
He was hurt by her, yet he still protected her.
I envied Ethan a little. His selflessness and huge heart. He doesn’t know it, but he is a man capable of loving someone in a huge way.
And that makes him even more desirable.