Chapter 14
Ethan
Nelly’s hug offered far more comfort than she would have realized. We stayed in the living room for most of the night, trying to figure out the best way out of my dilemma.
She lets out a massive, jaw-stretching yawn, and I glance at my watch. “It’s almost 3 am. You should go get some sleep.”
Nelly covers her mouth with one hand and shakes her head. “I’m not leaving till we figure out what to do.” Tears moisten her eyes from her yawn.
I want to go to her and wrap my arms around her for another hug. I love having her close, and the soft feel of her lush body pressed into mine causes the sweetest sensations to run through me.
These feelings will be the death of me.
“I can’t sleep if I don’t figure out a way out of this. There has to be someone who’ll vote for you, right? I mean, you know these guys. Would Greer selling out impact any other shareholders?? Does Joe have something against anyone else? I wish there was a way I could look into him financially, you know.”
She looks so desirable when she’s worrying, but I don’t want her to stress too much. With a deep sigh, I get on my feet and walk to her.
Nelly frowns when I take her hands and gently lift her to her feet.
“I’ll figure out a way around this. You have nothing to worry about.”
Nelly’s brows stay furrowed as she stares back at me.
“But …”
“Don’t worry, just take a breather and get some sleep.”
She looks like she’s about to protest, but she finally presses her lips into a thin line and nods. “Fine.”
“Goodnight,” I whisper, resisting the urge to hug her one last time. After Nelly closes her door, I return to the couch and stare at the ceiling for a long time.
There’s only one way out I can think of right now, and it involves Julia Brene. As much as I hate the idea of going to her for help, she’s the only one who can convince her grandfather to speak for me.
And he’s the only one the other board members would be willing to listen to.
I’ve never been one to go to my grandfather for help, and I intend to settle this on my own after telling him of my plans.
The next morning, I decided on my next course of action. My phone call with my grandfather lasted about one hour, and he promised to talk to Robert.
After a long shower to calm my nerves and coffee with Nelly, I head out to the one place I’m sure to find Julia Brene—her studio. The high-rise building is situated in the heart of Hollywood.
Julia’s engrossed in a photoshoot when I arrive, and watching her capture every moment with the model she’s working with reminds me of the hours I spent hanging around in her office while she worked years back.
I fell in love with Julia at first sight, and I was confident back then that she was the woman for me. She notices me watching her after I’ve been in the studio for five minutes, and she signals to her crew to take a break before heading towards me with a big smile.
“Ethan, honey,” she greets like she did eight years ago. She wraps her arms around my neck for a hug, then kisses my cheeks. “I was hoping to see you again,” she adds with a tiny laugh.
I peel her hands away from my neck before forcing a smile.
“Can we head up to my office and catch up?”
“I’m not here to catch up, Julia,” I say to her in a low voice. “I’m here to talk about the CEO’s vote in two weeks. I need your grandfather’s support. We both know none of the shareholders will go against him if he talks to them and I need him to convince them that I am the right choice.”
Julia arches a brow. “You need me to talk to him so he can hear you out?”
“Exactly.”
Julia instantly understands what I’m asking of her, and a sly grin appears on her lips.
“I protected you back then, Julia. He hates me and thinks I embarrassed him simply because I was too young and foolish to know what a jewel you were and marry you. He’s wrong. We both know that.”
“I didn’t ask you to lie back then,” she counters as her oceanic blue eyes fasten on mine. “You did that because of your own ego.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ethan Everhart, billionaire tycoon gets cheated on by his fiancée? News like that would have rocked the media for weeks. You couldn’t stand that.”
I scoff, realizing that she’s just as cold as she was back then after I caught her at that restaurant with Joe. The chilly look in her eyes that night didn’t leave my mind for months. I wondered constantly how someone so loving could act so cold.
“Think whatever you want, Julia. I don’t care. You’re going to talk to your grandfather for me, and you’ll get him to listen to me …”
“Or what?” she challenges with a smirk. “My grandfather adores me, Ethan, so if you’re thinking of telling him the truth about what happened with Joe, then think again. He’ll never believe a word you say.”
“Not if I show him proof. I have pictures of you and Joe, Julia. Let’s call it collateral that I’ve kept all these years.”
“You’re bluffing,” she retorts. “Why would you keep such a thing?”
I scoff, bury my hands in my pants pocket, and tilt my head to one side, giving her a daring look.
“Try me. I’ll tell him what really happened back then. He’ll know you’re not the perfect granddaughter he boasts about all the time. What do you think he’ll do to you, then? Take away your trust fund? Cut you off?”
She pales after my last sentence, and I know I have her. It doesn’t matter that I actually don’t have any proof. Julia will do what I want, because there’s nothing she fears more than disappointing her grandfather.
The only reason I protected Julia back then was because I knew how much George cherished her. Julia was perfect to him, and learning that it was Julia who really hurt and embarrassed his best friend’s grandson would have ruined their relationship. George Brene was a man with high expectations, and he demanded perfection all the time.
“Fine,” she huffs, then rolls her eyes. “I’ll speak to him, but when you win the vote—and you will—you and I are going to have dinner. I’ll choose the time and place. You show up with a smile on your handsome face and your fat wallet. Got it?”
I’m reluctant to agree to her terms.
“Or not,” she says, shooting me a flirtatious look before turning away.
“Fine, we’ll have dinner.”
“Good, then I’ll see you around.”
She heads back to her crew to resume her photography session.
George has a soft spot for his granddaughter, and I’m one hundred percent certain she’ll convince him to hear me out.
All I need to do, then, is to convince him that backing me up with his vote is the right choice.
***
Julia’s text comes a day later, and I meet with her and George that evening at a five-star rooftop restaurant in West Hollywood.
George’s scowl is undeniable as we dig into the first course of our meal, and Julia finally speaks to break the thick silence hovering between us.
“He’s got good plans, Grandpa,” she says on my behalf. “The merger was—”
George drops his cutlery, and it clinks on the plate before he turns his sharp eyes to me. “The merger was a stupid move. One you didn’t think about. One you made simply because you wanted to please a woman.”
His eyes narrow into tiny slits. “You’ve proven you’re not trustworthy in the past. You’re selfish. So why should I help you now?”
I clear my throat and meet his eyes defiantly. “Because contrary to what you might think of me, sir, I still have the company’s best interest at heart. Hart Holdings is all I have. It’s my grandfather’s legacy, just as it is yours. I’d never sabotage it.”
“But you did.”
“All I did was merge with a failing company that has an enormous potential. They were nearly bankrupt, yes, and I took on the liability because I have great plans for the future. Sunny Aerospace has the infrastructure to aid in our expansion. With their addition, we can achieve many of our other goals. I believe it will help us accelerate the development of our own electric vehicle. Sunny Aerospace will become a whole new franchise under us. With you backing me as CEO, I can move on with these plans after the merger.”
“This is something any other company who buys out Sunny Aerospace or merged with them would do. It’s what Storms would do. I’m sure you heard that Storms also wanted to buy out Sunny Aerospace. Thus, what Storms is doing here isn’t about the interest of Hart Holdings. This is about Storms trying to prove to the world that he’s won, and the better business mogul. This is about his personal vendetta against me.”
George holds my gaze for a long time, and his glare proves that he’s still not pleased with all of this. My heart thumps with the fear that George will refuse to help.
“Grandpa,” Julia chirps in, reaching for his hand and gently stroking it. “Please? Let’s help him out this one time. It’s what the company needs too.”
After his long silence, he clears his throat. “Did you settle the Sunny Aerospace debts personally?”
“With parts of my trust fund, sir,” I reveal, and even Julia seems shocked. “I will need you to back me up on the merger and also for the CEO’s vote.”
George clears his throat again, then says. “Julia is dear to me, and she’s pleaded with me to back you. I also can’t watch everything your grandfather and I have worked for get ruined by Storms. That kid couldn’t even manage his company’s affairs, and he thinks he can handle ours?” he scoffs, then picks up a wine glass.
“I’ll back you, and I’ll get everyone else on my side. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m a businessman, Everhart. It’s what your grandfather would do if the roles were reversed. I take loyalty seriously, son, and seeing as you have matured over the years, I am more inclined to help you. Plus, I like the idea of using Sunny Aerospace’s infrastructure and R&D to help develop our own electric car. ”
He claps and announces next. “Now, let’s eat and enjoy what’s left of the evening.”
“Thanks, Grandpa,” Julia says to him with a sweet smile, and she pats his hand before flashing me a brilliant smile.
The rest of the dinner goes well. George makes it less unbearable by engaging me in conversations about my work at Hart Holdings and sharing amusing anecdotes from his own experiences in the business world.
Two hours pass before we finish dinner. Julia walks me to my car and touches my arm tenderly to gain my attention. “Thanks for not telling him,” she says to me, a solemn look in her eyes.
“Look, Julia,” I begin when her touch lingers on my arm, “you and I? That ship sailed years ago. If I’m going to have dinner with you, it’s just to say thank you. Not because I intend to go down that path with you again.”
A smile spreads across her lips before she breaks into a teasing laugh.
“Relax,” she says, then moves her hand away. “I’m a flirtatious woman, Ethan. I know that ship has sailed. I ruined it, remember? I didn’t regret it at the time because I wasn’t in love with you, but … I’ve never met anyone else who’s loved me like you did. I hurt you, and it ended. I know you’re not into me. Not anymore.”
“Good. Don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
She laughs again, and the gleam in her eyes makes me frown. “You owe me dinner, handsome. Don’t forget. I’ll text you where and when.” She winks before walking away, and my mind buzzes with one question because I know Julia is up to something.
What can it be?