Chapter 17 Dorian
Dorian
“If these projections hold, we should be clearing twenty percent returns next quarter. I don’t intend to fall short of that.” Dad’s voice cuts across the meeting room, steady and absolute.
All eyes are fixed on him sitting at the head of the table. No one—not even me—would dare look away, not while he’s talking about projections.
Joining me around the table are the board members, my brothers, and Parker.
Out the corner of my eye, I watch him focusing. Sadly, he’s sitting opposite me.
Despite the asshole he is, when it comes to business, he takes it seriously. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s good at his job. I just want the asshole to be good back in England, where I can’t see him and he doesn’t pose a threat to me.
I hate that he’s even in here. I’d argue that he has no reason to attend our board meeting, but my father would disagree. Heavily. Then he’d point out, like he did the other day, that if Parker was given my job, he’d need to be aware of senior-level matters.
What a fucking thing to say to me. And right there in front of Parker, who smiled back at me smugly as fuck.
Let him keep smiling. That’s all he can do.
I’ll be telling my father about Elodie at the end of the meeting. Then everyone else will know, and soon, the word will spread that the second eldest Vale son is getting married.
Elodie should be moved in by now. Albert delivered her signed contract to my lawyers an hour ago, and all that is left to do is plan the wedding. Finally, control is back in my hands.
“Secured the Ashford contract. Gives us a strong entry point if we handle it properly,” Dad continues. “I expect execution to match the opportunity. No hesitation. No mistakes. Anyone could have brought in that contract. What matters is what we do with it now.”
Anyone could have brought in that contract…
Dad wasn’t looking at me specifically when he said that, but it felt like another jab in my side. Something to remind me that I am replaceable.
It may not have been his intention, but these days, every conversation we share, whether directly or indirectly, feels like we’re on the battlefield.
It was me who secured the Ashford contract, all by myself.
Usually, Knox and I work together on the high-profile equity investment portfolios. But I’d been the one to spot it. The one to move first. The one who made sure it didn’t slip through our fingers.
I saw that damn contract through from conception to closure, and in the end signed off another multimillion-dollar deal, adding to the Vale Global empire. I worked my ass off, but in my father’s eyes… Anyone could have done it.
I don’t allow much to bother me, but hearing that pisses me off.
Dad rests his hands on the table and looks around at each person. When his gaze lands on me, his left eye twitches. A tell he’s still agitated.
I don’t care. I simply stare back as if nothing is, or has ever been, wrong. I’m sure that agitates him all the more.
He looks away and continues talking. “I want this company running itself by the time I leave for England.”
Oh, it will. I’ll make sure of it. To do so, when I acquire my new role, the first thing I’ll do is send Parker back to England, where he and my father can work happily ever after.
Until then, I need to see the journey through.
Four months stand between me and the finish line. There is no challenge I can’t best, but this one will give me a run for my money. Marrying Elodie Harper will not be an easy task.
I’m different with her. I may as well admit it. Everyone who’s seen me with her knows that. It won’t be something I can hide, not even from myself. And that’s the thing that worries me.
It made me wonder if I shouldn’t have gone with one of the girls from Levi’s list. But every time I think that, my reasons for choosing Elodie take over. None of which have anything to do with how different I am with her.
I want her because being with her works for me. It’s that simple.
I feel eyes on me as Dad moves on, announcing the new strategy appointments.
It’s Parker.
I turn and look right back at him, and we exchange a silent stare-off.
The one thing that’s always bothered me about my cousin is, I’ve never been able to figure him out. People say I have the same cool demeanor as a psycho, but Parker Vale takes that to another level.
He’s like Hannibal Lecter and the fucking Joker rolled into one.
Maybe he thinks the same of me. People can’t figure me out, either, so they avoid me. But Parker tries to fight me at every turn.
We’ve been the same since we were kids. It was worse back then because of my parents’ divorce. My father thought it would be a good idea to send us to England to live with our grandparents for a while—which turned into years.
It was a good break away from the nasty rift between my parents for everyone, except me. Because of Parker.
He took every opportunity to taunt me, and at that time, it was no secret that my mother abused us. Parker used every mark on my body as a target, whether it came from my mother or not.
He’d come from a loving home with both parents, who did everything for him. His father—Uncle Richard, Dad’s second-youngest brother—had always handed Parker everything on a silver platter. Instead of being fucking grateful, he threw that in my face.
His cruelty went on for years until I beat the shit out of him so badly, he ended up in the hospital for a week.
I could handle his idiotic comments, but when he started picking on Levi and Locke, I lost my shit and nearly killed him.
Though I was labeled the rebel and his family to this day loathe me, those with sense understood my actions and knew he deserved what he got.
What the fuck is he thinking about now?
Is he imagining himself in my office again?
Fuck him.
Parker’s jaw tightens as if he can hear my thoughts, and he sharpens his gaze before breaking eye contact and returning his attention to my father.
I look away and try to rebalance my thoughts. My plans are in motion. That is all I need to worry about.
The meeting continues, and time drags like nails across a chalkboard, but eventually, it comes to an end.
As everyone files out, I hang back. Knox cuts me a glance before he leaves. I’ll catch up with him later.
Dad is already watching me when I face him. He’s standing, so I rise, too.
“Can I have a word, please, Dad?” I keep my voice steady, making it clear I have something important to say.
“Of course.” He looks at me with anticipation, but his eyes remain guarded. Prepared for a fight.
We may have one. He won’t be happy when he hears who my chosen wife-to-be is. Nothing against Elodie; it’s about her being a Harper.
“I’ve made my choice for a wife.” I grin.
His eyes widen, and the guard drops from his expression. “Have you?”
“I have.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Who’s the lucky lady?” He looks intrigued and, admittedly, relieved.
“Elodie Harper.”
At first, his face brightens, but he catches himself, and the smile falls off his face the moment recognition lands.
He stiffens, his shoulders tauter than before. “Dorian.” His voice drops as he says my name, every syllable dragging with the heaviness of his disapproval. “Please don’t tell me you mean Elodie Harper, as in Cole Harper’s daughter. Jack’s sister.”
“Yes. That is exactly who I mean.”
Dad stares back at me as if he truly believes I’ve lost my mind. “No. Not her. Find someone else.”
Behold, I was right. We’re definitely going to fight over this. “No, I will not find someone else, Dad. I’m marrying her.”
“I’m sure Elodie is a nice girl, but you need to find someone else.”
“I said no.” I keep my voice as firm as he does his. “You never said you had to approve of who I choose, only that I had to choose. Now I have chosen.”
He’s about to argue but stops himself. He knows I’m right.
A deep scowl reddens his cheeks. “There’s always something with you, isn’t there?”
“No, Dad. Only you think that.”
“I assure you it’s not just me.” His nostrils flare, and he squares his shoulders.
“Well, it seems you’re the only opinion that matters to me.” I half mean that, and he knows it.
“Why her, Dorian? You could have anyone else. Your brothers held interviews. Levi apparently has a list. Why her?”
“Why not her?”
He gives me a deadpan stare, and I can’t even blame him.
Nearly a decade ago, the Harper name would have been enough to gain the seal of approval from a man like my father. When their business went under, it caused a big stir, and many people in our circle wondered why the Vales didn’t help.
Cole Harper was on his death bed, and his son, Jack, was set to take over, but the business died the same day Cole took his last breath.
People who heard that I caught Jack and Catherine together automatically assumed that was the reason my family didn’t help. And I let them—all of them, including Elodie—believe that.
It wasn’t the truth. The truth ran deeper, and only a handful of people know. Thanks to me.
My father is one of those people.
“She’s not her family,” I continue.
“I’m aware. But I’m concerned with the possibility of this going all wrong. Marrying into the Harper family will already dig up the past.”
“The past is the past.” And as far as people were concerned, the loss of Harper’s Enterprises was a sad story.
“Nevertheless, it gets people talking in ways you don’t need now. You’re already in the middle of a scandal. Why open the door for another?”
“You’re talking as if something has already happened.”
His frown deepens. “With people like that, something will always happen.” By people he means Jack. And he’s not wrong.
“She’s my choice, Dad. I will make sure nothing happens.”
He goes still, studies me for a beat, and his gaze lingers, like he’s measuring something he’s not going to say out loud. I can tell he’s seen something he wasn’t expecting, and since he knows there’s no way he can enforce any more demands on me, the only thing he can do is take a step back.
“You’re sure about this?” He arches a brow.
“I am. It’s actually perfect. You wanted me with a respectable woman who could make me look good.
She can do both. She’s a high school teacher.
When people dig, they’ll find a woman from my past. A girl I grew up with.
” I worked it out earlier and came up with the perfect narrative.
“We can tell people we’ve been seeing each other on and off for years but never made it official because of tension between our families.
The thing with Grace pushed me back to Elodie, and I decided to stop wasting time and lock it down with an impromptu wedding. ”
Dad’s face brightens, surprisingly. “That would definitely work and smooth things over.”
“It would.”
“Fine. I like it.”
Hearing his approval lifts the weight from my shoulders in a way I don’t like. It shows just how much power he has over me. “Glad to hear it.”
“I do. But remember the three-month trial.” He lifts his chin and fixes me with a head-on stare.
“If anything happens during that time, that’s it, Dorian.
I won’t give you any more chances. If I do, it will look like I’m favoring my son over the best interest of the company.
So, the COO position will go to Parker.”
I dip my head, but I loathe the ultimatum. “Don’t worry about that.”
He narrows his gaze and looks me over. “And Grace? I hope she’s out of the picture.”
“She is.”
“Great. Looks like we’re back on the same page then.” He gives me a curt nod. “Any other news on the mole?”
“Not yet. My people are still looking into it.” I trust Salvatore to do a thorough job, but the fact that he hasn’t pinned this person down yet suggests they’ve covered their tracks well enough that not even a mob boss can find them.
They’ll be found, though. One way or another. I won’t rest until it’s done.
“Keep me updated.”
“Sure.” I nod again. “See you later.”
“See you. And I suppose congratulations are in order.” He extends a hand to shake mine.
I give him a firm handshake then head out.
He watches me as I go. I know he’s not entirely certain of my plan, but at least I met his major demand. Marriage.
Marriage for a guy like me is like entering foreign territory in an alternate dimension. But I’ll make it work.
I make my way to my office, but my steps slow when I notice the door is ajar. Someone is waiting for me inside—a death sentence in the making. Not even my brothers go in there without my permission.
Elodie was the exception the other night. My secretary did the right thing by putting her there.
Since I know Elodie is at the house, whoever’s in there is just asking for trouble.
Parker. It has to be him.
But when I walk inside, I see I’m wrong.
It’s not Parker.
It’s Jack.