Chapter 9 Jonah
JONAH
Iwalked into my living room that evening, feeling irritable. The room was as beautiful as always. A dazzling Baccarat crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and below it, a plush velvet sofa from Fendi Casa occupied the center with its deep burgundy upholstery.
The only unpleasant thing in the room was the person sitting on the sofa.
Cora, my father’s wife.
I was still torn and agitated after seeing Lexi. My mystery woman.
Desire had slammed into me the moment I saw her. Those luscious lips, full and inviting, grabbed my attention first. Then my gaze went to her bright auburn hair which was tied up in a ponytail, and her white blouse, with the faint outline of her bra teasing me beneath the fabric.
My body reacted instantly, betraying the control I tried so hard to maintain. I undressed her in my mind before I could stop myself. I’d already known so much about her—how her lips tasted, the way her mouth trembled when she came apart, the way she kissed—and yet I knew so fucking little.
Now that she worked for me, in a city of millions, I couldn’t help but wonder, What were the odds?
The thoughts consumed me in the minutes after she’d left my office. What did she do when she went home? What did she look like waking up in the morning? What did she love? Hate? Did she ever think about that night? About the way I’d pumped into her, hard and merciless?
And those wide, doe-like eyes of hers, roving up and down my body… God I’d wanted to sling her over my shoulder, take her back to the hotel room, and ravish every inch of her. To hear her gasp and shudder and to come inside her …
Then Cora had called, saying she was coming over. It put me on edge.
“Hello, Cora,” I said, loosening my tie as I took a seat across her.
She didn’t respond. Instead, her gaze wandered to the Picasso above the fireplace.
“You have taste,” she admitted finally, glancing in my direction. “I didn’t expect it from someone with your… background.”
There it was. Another jab at my biological mother.
Rosa, my housekeeper, entered with a crystal decanter of rare vintage cognac, setting it on the coffee table before quietly exiting.
Cora ignored her, picking up a hand-blown glass orb by Dale Chihuly perched on a sleek pedestal. The delicate swirls of color reflected in her calculating eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Her gaze flicked to the photo of Dad and me on the mantelpiece, lingering on the word engraved on the frame—Family.
She ignored my question, again.
Instead, she smirked and changed the subject. “So, bored of the new job yet?”
“I’m doing it as a favor for Dad,” I replied, leaning back.
I wasn’t sure if leading Altika was what I wanted. I’d been happy at Lead Capital Group, building something of my own with my partners.
Dad had never been pleased with my decision to strike out independently. When I’d co-founded the firm, he hadn’t spoken to me for months. He eventually got over it, sweeping it under the rug and acting like nothing happened when he called me four months later to discuss something about his health.
I’d let it go.
But Dad’s insistence that his company needed me and my leadership lingered long after I turned him down.
The second time he approached me, he had a panic attack and couldn’t seem to breathe. I got him to a hospital right away, and after that episode I hadn’t wanted his health to suffer from stress over me. So I decided to give in to Dad’s request.
Cora scoffed. “Your dad should’ve asked Sam instead.”
My chest tightened. The board supported me for the CEO position due to my proven track record at Lead Capital Group, not to mention Dad’s insistence that I was the right choice.
But Cora had already worked her influence behind the scenes, convincing the board to limit my appointment to an interim role with a short evaluation period.
And now she wanted her nephew, Sam, to take over despite his lack of qualifications.
“When the board meets next, I want you to recommend Sam,” she said, her voice sharp. “You know he’s wanted this forever. He’s been training for it for so long.”
I laughed bitterly. Sam had spent the past few years in rehab.
“Sam has nothing to do with Altika,” I said. “I can’t risk him ruining everything Dad has built.”
I also couldn’t underestimate Cora’s influence on Dad.
She would convince him to suggest Sam for the CEO post. I wouldn’t put it past her to work out some backhanded deals with the board of directors to get votes for Sam.
Anything to prove her worth. At seventy-five, my dad didn’t need to know about those games.
I would protect him from seeing Altika fail at the hands of anyone unqualified.
Cora’s eyes narrowed. “So, you’re actually planning to fight for this position? Even knowing what it could cost you?”
I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I leaned forward and poured single malt whiskey for Cora and myself. I handed her a glass, which she set aside, untouched, while I stared at mine with distaste. Good company wasn’t a requirement for drinking, but bad company could certainly ruin the experience.
“For Dad’s sake, I plan to take the company far, even though I’ve only been interim CEO for a month. I can’t risk anyone else ruining it.”
Her expression was cold. “This is just another one of your games, isn’t it? Like that on-and-off girlfriend of yours?”
I froze. “You don’t know the first thing about my relationship with Jill.” We had broken it off only weeks ago.
Jill and I had been friends long before we even got together. We had been friends with benefits in the past, but we weren’t now.
But as I sat there, all I could think about was Lexi and how wrong this must look. And how I hadn’t been able to process it when she showed up at my office.
“You’re stubborn, just like your mother. No wonder she never reached out to you during her last few years alive.”
The words hit like a slap. Before I could find my voice, the front door opened.
“Ah, there you are,” Cora said brightly as my dad appeared.
I gripped my glass tighter, resisting the urge to hurl it at the wall, and forced myself to stand.
He looked dapper as always with his thin silver hair, green cashmere sweater, and a tan from too much time in expensive European cities.
His gait had slowed, but otherwise he carried himself with the same polished elegance.
“Hello, son,” he said, allowing me to lead him to the sofa. He sat down next to Cora and looked at me.
“We need to leave in a few minutes, we have to fly back to Montana, then get ready for our trip to C?te d’Azur this Friday,” he said, having barely settled onto the couch.
He looked at Cora. “Al Densing said he’s thrilled for us to host his birthday party on our yacht.
” My father turned to me. “You and Jill will be there, of course?”
Even though Dad and Cora wouldn’t be showing up to the party I’d planned for Friday. Even though I’d already sent invitations, and had already paid the planner and caterer. All of it was now worthless.
I felt Cora’s calculating gaze on me and spoke clearly. “I’ll be there for the party. Alone.”
Dad had been very approving of my past relationship with Jill. In fact, he was even hoping we’d get back together. Jill’s family was old money, and we were often invited to the same events, and had mutual friends. She fit into my world easily, even if we didn’t love each other anymore.
“So, how’s my company doing? Altika hasn’t gone under yet, has it?” Dad asked, and I winced before filling him in on everything.
He listened, nodded, offered me a few suggestions, and within minutes, they left.
“I built the company with nothing. Remember that,” were his parting words.
He might as well have said, You got it on a silver platter.
Cora’s parting words were more of a subtle dig. “Do try not to work yourself to death. You’ve got your mother’s constitution, not your father’s stamina.”
When they left, all the pent-up rage in me burst out and I hurled the glass of whiskey at the wall to my left. The fine crystal shattered, leaving a sticky, wet stain on the expensive wallpaper.
Helen Gallagher, my mother, had been part of the staff at our old mansion. She was terminated once news of my father’s affair came to light. Mom gave me up when I was four, and Dad took care of me after that. I’d never needed closure from her.
If Cora thought her words about my Mom would hurt me, she was wrong. What I truly despised was having a woman like her meddling with my future.
She was bitter because for years, she’d had to endure the living proof of her husband’s betrayal.
The illegitimate son. Me. Sitting at her dining table every day.
I could have sympathized with her, maybe even pitied her, if she hadn’t taken her anger out on me.
Instead of blaming my father, she chose to cater to him while directing all her resentment at me.
The only thing I needed to focus on now was the upcoming board meeting, the one that would determine whether I stayed on as CEO. It was in four months. If I didn’t deliver, I’d be out.
The money? That wasn’t a concern. My future career? I’d figure it out.
But my father’s face, the disappointment I knew would be there if the company failed, that haunted me.
And the way things were going now, failure wasn’t just a possibility; it was inevitable.