13. Kent
Chapter Thirteen
KENT
“I just got your message. What’s up?” Dash walks into my office with an impatient glare and hovers near the doorway.
“Good, you’re here. Close the door.” I rise from my high-back leather office chair, the kind belonging only to the most prestigious CEOs.
“All right.” Dash raises an eyebrow and purses his lips before closing the door behind him.
I take a seat in the conversation setting near the window and gesture for him to join me. Dash unbuttons his jacket and smooths out his silk tie as he sits.
“I have something to tell you but you have to swear you will not say a word to anyone—not to Dahlia, or my brothers, and definitely not to my father,” I say.
His piercing stare narrows. “What are you on about?”
“Remember last night when you sent me up to see my father?”
“Yes.”
“You were right about the rumors. The board plans to promote Collin. They’re nixing me because apparently, I’m a frivolous playboy.”
“Well, aren’t you?” he asks, as if this isn’t some big revelation.
“Perhaps, but that has nothing to do with my ability to run this firm.” Heat rises in my chest every time I think about it. It isn’t right to be judged based on one’s relationship. Or lack of.
“It sounds as if the board deems otherwise.” Dash is very matter-of-fact about the whole thing.
Though I’m determined to be named President, it hasn’t stopped me from wondering why Dash isn’t in the running.
When I asked him about it, he simply stated that he had no interest in running Bonnaire Capital and left it at that.
“Exactly. They forced my hand so I had to do something a little . . . rash.” My pulse quickens slightly. I can’t believe I’m about to say what I have to.
“Kent . . .,” he draws out with a suspicious glare, “what did you do?”
“I got engaged. Last night.”
“Engaged!” Dash blurts. I can’t remember the last time his voice went up that high. “To be married? How? You don’t even have a girlfriend. You’ve never even had a real girlfriend!”
There. More judgment for my lack of relationships. “I’ve had girlfriends,” I argue in defense.
“Not ones you’re committed to. And now you’re engaged?”
“Don’t worry, she knows it’s just a ruse.”
“Oh, well, that’s a relief.” His tone is smeared with sarcasm. “You don’t think you’re actually going to get away with this, do you?”
“I have to. Otherwise, we’re all going to be subjected to Collin’s reign.” I was hoping Dash would be slightly more supportive seeing as we’re basically brothers. But his reaction is very on brand. He has no patience for nonsense. Or secrets. He says they consume too much vital energy.
Dash leans back in his seat and blows out his cheeks. “Christ, mate. Does your father know?”
“I introduced her last night.”
Dash blinks with disbelief. “Did he buy it?”
I bob my head from side to side. “Eh, he was stoic but I think I’m in the clear. Dahly showed up at my door last night and met her too. But she thinks it’s real, and I think we need to keep it that way.”
“So you lied to Dahly too?”
“I had to. You should’ve seen her face light up like it was Christmas morning,” I say, and Dash smacks his hand over his face, grunting in frustration. “Here’s the thing: no one can know except for me, you, and my fake fiancée.”
“So why bother telling me?” I bet he wishes I never opened my big mouth, and when I tell him the rest, he’s really going to regret stepping into my office.
“One, because you would have figured it out anyway.”
“True,” he agrees.
“And two, because there are other moving parts that I need your help with.” I tread lightly but confidently. Ultimately, I know Dash will go along with my plan. He won’t like it. But he’ll do it.
“Such as?”
“Well, the woman I’m engaged to is also a client of this firm. One of Jacqueline’s clients.”
Dash shoots up out of his seat and throws his hands in the air. “Bloody hell! You’re off your rocker. A client! You couldn’t have picked anyone else?” Losing his composure to this degree is a very rare sight indeed.
“I had to act fast, I was about to lose Bonnaire Capital.”
“No, Kent. You can’t lose something that never belonged to you in the first place.” Dash’s words sting a little. He’s a Bonnaire as much as I am, but he’s not the son of Dean Bonnaire—the head of this whole conglomerate. It’s different. This position belongs to me.
“That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be mine.”
“So who is she? This fiancée-client of yours?” he asks after taking a few breaths.
“Her name is Liz. She owns a clothing company in the States. We met at Drew’s wedding.”
“Wait, what was she doing at Drew’s wedding?”
“She’s a friend of Kate’s.”
Dash clutches his chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack? This just gets worse and worse.”
“That’s why I need your help. Since Jacqueline’s out of commission, I need you to take over her case,” I tell him finally. And I think that’s the last bomb I have to drop.
“What?”
“Yes, just until Jacqueline gets back.”
Dash rubs his clean-shaven chin, shaking his head like he’s fed up. Sure, it’s a headache now. But once I’m the head of Bonnaire Capital, we’ll all be flying high.
“Listen, mate. I’ll keep your absurd secret until after the vote but there’s no way I can take this on. I’m in the middle of closing a major acquisition deal. I’ve got every ounce of man and woman power working on it. And half of them will be on holiday next week.
“That’s right. Shit.” I snap my fingers, remembering that one of the companies we invested in is about to sell big. He’s the only one I trust with Liz’s deal now that Jacqueline is out for a broken leg, which I still can’t believe.
“Why can’t you do it?” he asks.
I fold my arms, thinking back to last night—the kiss we shared in front of my father, the kiss we almost shared after I slipped a diamond on her finger.
There’s so much riding on this whole thing, and Liz has been pretty firm about keeping her distance.
And in this case, distance may be our friend.
If the board gets wind of the whole story—they may get suspicious.
“Because this whole thing is already too messy without us working together too.”
“You got that right. This is a very dangerous game you’re playing at,” he says, and now the whole thing’s beginning to weigh on me. It wasn’t supposed to be this complicated. But I can’t back out now, not even if I wanted to.
Dash’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he glances at the screen. “I have to take this but we’ll talk later,” he says, proceeding for the door.
I go after him. “Wait! I need your help getting Dahlia out of my penthouse.”
“Figure it out, Kent.” Dash calls back as he flees the scene. Before I can catch my breath, Collin barrels into my office.
“You’re engaged!” Collin yells.
I roll my eyes and rush to close my office door. “Keep your voice down. We’re in a place of business. Now, how do you know that?” Has word gotten out already? No, Dash would’ve known before I said a word.
“Your father has just informed me that you’re to be married,” Collin says with gritted teeth.
Dad’s telling Collin? Hmm, that means he definitely bought it, and that it could easily change the board’s vote.
Collin knows it too or he wouldn’t have stormed into my office. Who’s got the upper hand now?
“Yes.” I resume my position at my CEO desk chair, kicking my feet up on the desk. Cool and confident. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It certainly seems convenient.”
“I don’t know what you mean by that.” Of course, I do. “But with the example of my brothers, and you, I’ve learnt that love is a beautiful thing. And when you find the one, like I have, you just have to take the leap. You know what I mean?”
Collin snarls but quickly suppresses it. “And who is the lucky woman?”
“Don’t you worry about that,” I say. “You won’t be invited to the wedding.”
Collin closes his fist. “I see. Well, since it appears I’ll be named President at the end of the month, that will free you up to plan the wedding. I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time picking out monogrammed napkins.”
“Nah,” I say. “I plan to hire someone for that since I’ll be busy running the company and all.”
Collin huffs and glares at me but then seems to swallow it back.
I know that expression shift of his. He’s threatened.
And he wants to come after me. I’d love for him to push me around.
Maybe leave a nice shiner on my face like Drew did to him.
I’d love to show the board what a stable family man Collin Evans really is.
“Then, congratulations, mate,” he says, walking over to my desk and offering his hand. “May the best man win.”
“Oh, I will.”