2. Reid
Chapter two
Reid
Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, I leaned back in the rear seat, looking out the window over the water.
This city, this state, was so fucking small.
Owning everything and everyone in it got old after some time.
The money, the power, the status… all of it meant something once.
But after years of calling the shots, of controlling every deal, every outcome, it all started to feel the same.
Predictable.
Everything had become predictable. Even the wins. I’d built empires in places others have failed, reinvented what was given up on, and taken control of California’s precious Silicon Valley in only a few years’ time.
They called me ruthless. I preferred efficient.
In my world, you either dictated the game or you became the pawn that got sacrificed first. I had no use for pawns. Only kings. Only power.
Even when it was once all taken from me.
When I wasn’t deemed worthy by my former family to be the heir to their precious business, by my colleagues or subordinates…
when I wasn’t even deemed worthy by her...
I didn’t let it tear me down or change me and the man I was…
the man I would become. I only used my failure to become stronger.
To rise above the mediocrity that once meant something.
“Ten minutes out, sir.”
The voice of Charles, my driver, pulled me from my thoughts.
Through the window, I could see the Kaufman Industries building cutting into the San Francisco skyline, tall floors of glass and steel that caught the morning light, its stature visible from half the city.
And as we rolled into the technology campus filled with perfectly trimmed hedges, polished buildings, I already felt at home again.
Entering my main building, my assistant quickly briefed me on my daily agenda as he walked alongside me, sifting through documents.
“Your eleven o’clock with Reynolds Capital Group has been pushed to this afternoon, and your lunch with Langley has been moved to next week.
Legal finalized the restructuring paperwork for the Montclair acquisition, and the Tokyo division confirmed the expansion plan is ready to roll out next quarter. ”
I gave a nod, barely sparing him a glance as I stepped into the private elevator. Soon, the doors slid open to my penthouse office, the skyline spread before me in floor-to-ceiling glass. It was the perfect view of power and ownership.
And yet, someone was obstructing the once serene view, pacing the floor of my office, running a hand through his hair as he exuded stress.
“Give me a minute, Alex,” I muttered, making eye contact with the man through the glass.
Alexander stood outside the room silently as I entered, closing the door behind me.
“Raymond…” I muttered. “It’s good to see you.”
He gave a sad smile. “I guess I lost the pleasantry of being addressed as your father.”
“Not entirely. But when you’re the bastard child, you have to lay into the troubled stereotype just a little bit.”
His grin widened as I entered. He didn’t even bother to correct me. Which meant he probably still believed it.
Leaning against my desk, I crossed my arms. “How is my mother?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“Has another surgery scheduled in the coming weeks or so,” he said, rubbing a hand down his face. “Even once the tumor is removed, the doctors warn it may grow back as she gets older.”
Jamie Newman was the only woman who had ever looked at me as something other than a mistake. She had fought for me, loved me… and was the only reason I wasn’t erased from existence entirely.
“I appreciate the update,” I said finally, voice devoid of emotion. “Though… I’m sure that’s not the only reason why you’re here.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced at the whiskey decanter on my desk, the same way a man drowning looks at a raft.
“Help yourself.” I gestured toward the bottle, watching as he stepped forward, pouring himself a drink with steady hands. He was nervous, trying not to show it, but I didn’t apply pressure just yet.
He took a seat, struggling to look at me as he held the glass in his hand. “It’s Gregory.”
“When is it not?” I muttered, ready to pour myself my own glass. “Let me guess. He made impulsive decisions with money the company didn’t have. The investors are pulling out, and… the board is ready to replace him… and you.”
Raymond’s jaw clenched. “You always were the smarter one.”
No protest or excuses? My lips curled slightly as I poured myself a drink, the rich amber liquid swirling in the glass as I took my time to respond, letting him sit in his own humiliation.
This was a man who had once erased me.
And now? He was here, in my office, preparing to ask me to save the empire I was never meant to have.
I lifted the glass to my lips, taking a slow sip before finally meeting his gaze. “So. You need me.”
Raymond exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around his own drink. “I need someone who can fix this mess.”
I tilted my head, amused. “That’s not what I asked.”
He said nothing as I placed my glass down on my desk. I knew how to put people in their place, how to force them to look in the mirror and face the truth they had spent their whole lives avoiding.
Admitting who you are can break you down or build you up. I was always happy to hand out the hammer.
“Say it.”
My voice was calm and composed. I wasn’t angry or vengeful, but that didn’t mean he’d walk over me again.
Finally, his shoulders sagged, his pride cracking beneath the pressure of reality.
“I need you.” A slow smirk threatened to curl at the corner of my lips, but I didn’t let it show. There it was. “Gregory can’t handle the company. You already know that.”
Of course I fucking knew. I could have been the one to tell him that much.
“Why should I help you?” I asked. “I built something bigger. Something stronger. I don’t need the Newman name. I don’t need the scraps of a sinking empire.”
“Because you’re the only one who can.” His voice was tight and controlled, but I could hear it... the resignation and desperation underneath the crumbling pride.
Letting out a thoughtful sigh, I replied, “So… let’s say I fix what your real son destroyed.
Then what? Will I be cast away again to not tarnish the already broken family name?
Because I’m not interested in funding a charity case.
I won’t step in to help Gregory just to be sent on my way… If I step in, I take control.”
“Reid—”
“No,” I cut him off. “You don’t get to negotiate and set terms. You came here because you have no options. Because Gregory has failed you. And as a result, everything you worked for is falling apart.” I let the words simmer for a moment before I shrugged. “You don’t have a choice in this. I do.”
His hand tightened harder around his glass, his knuckles turning white. His pride was still fighting to breathe, clawing for any last scrap of control.
“It… it won’t be that simple. The board—”
A humorless laugh escaped me. “The board?” Adjusting the cuffs of my sleeves, I approached him slowly before stopping beside him. I wanted him to feel how close I was. How much control had already shifted. “I don’t need their permission, Raymond.”
He looked up at me, his lips parting slightly, but he said nothing.
“Let me make one thing clear.” My voice dropped slightly, calm but lethal. “You came to me. Not the other way around.”
If looks could kill, I’m sure my dearest father would have no problem putting me underground.
“You always believed in luck, didn’t you?” My tone was almost conversational. “It’s what built you up. It’s what kept you afloat. Luck saved your empire more times than you ever deserved.”
I tilted my head, watching as the words cut through him. “But luck runs out.”
Reaching down, I took the glass from his hand, feeling the slight tremor in his grip before I lifted it to my lips. “If I decide to step in, I won’t just take control of the company.” I downed the rest of the drink, savoring the burn before setting the empty glass back onto the desk.
“I will take everything.”
We stared at one another for what seemed like hours. Raymond didn’t argue or try to fight it. He knew he had no choice but to accept. Slowly, he reluctantly pushed himself to his feet and turned to walk to the door.
Watching his retreating form, I poured another glass of whiskey before forcing it down. The burn didn’t bother me. Nothing did anymore.
I had spent years building something greater than anything the Newmans could ever touch. And seeing him walk out defeated, knowing that I was his only saving grace… it should have been satisfying. It should have been enough.
But it wasn’t.
Despite what Raymond may have believed, this was never about owning the company.
Never about destroying him or my pathetic brother. They had already lost. Their punishment was living with their own failure, and that had nothing to do with me. For the fun of it, even, I would burn their empire to the ground and let them watch.
However… there was still one more debt to be collected, one more piece of unfinished business, and one more person who had yet to pay.
The woman I once loved. The woman who watched as they buried me alive.
And never once tried to save me.
I scoffed, swirling the liquid in my glass before taking another sip. Maybe she convinced herself it had been the right decision… told herself it had been for the best.
Maybe she even believed in that lie. She’d learn the truth soon enough.
Because she took everything from me.
Now… it was only right I returned the favor.