CHAPTER 26 DANNY
It doesnt quite feel real that this is mine.
I walk over to the windows and allow myself to look out over downtown Los Angeles, where Bodega Talent Agency is located. Maybe we could cut costs by moving the office, but deep down I know thats not the right answer. A big part of successfully running a place like this is reputation, and the best of the best work in offices that appear to be the best of the best.
Weve gotten a lot done today and we have a solid plan to move forward to save this company. I know exactly how much money Im investing, but I also know based on history that Ill get it all back tenfold. I think even Raymond is surprised at my business sense, and I have my mother to thank for that.
If it were up to me, I wouldve skipped college and gone straight to playing ball out of high school, but with her background in education, she encouraged me to think about what my future would hold after the game.
I glance down at my wrist and realize how right she was to do that. A centimeter to the right or left couldve sent me in a completely different direction where I might not even get to play this year or the year after that or beyond.
All it takes is one wrong move and we could be out of the game completely. I dont prefer to think about that, but it is a harsh reality that Ive seen happen on more than one occasion. Hell, it even happened to my best friend long before we were on the Vegas Heat together.
Cooper sustained an elbow injury that needed surgery, and he decided to call it quits. It was Troy who lured him back into the game once his injury was fully healed, and he helped lead our team to the victory we just had in the World Series.
Im thankful for my clean break. Im thankful all I will miss is a couple of games. It couldve been a hell of a lot worse, and Im lucky it wasnt.
“Thanks for all your work today, Danny,” Raymond says, interrupting my thoughts. “I badly misjudged you, and for that, I am sorry.”
“I appreciate that, Raymond.” My voice is low and sincere. “I get it, man. You were backed into a corner, and you were trying to protect Alexis. I’m only operating from the same place.”
“I see that now. You have an incredible instinct for this, and I’m thankful for all you’re doing to save my company.” He pauses, and then he tilts his head thoughtfully as he stares at me. “Our company,” he amends.
“I’m glad Im in a position to be able to help.”
“Are you ready for this meeting?” he asks, and just as he poses the question, the conference room door opens, and my entire reason for being here walks in.
When I say my entire reason for being here, I dont just mean here in this conference room or even in this office. I mean this world. This life.
My wife.
We stare across the room at each other for a beat, almost as if neither of us can really believe our luck that were both here in the same place, that were really truly married. That this is our life now. She walks across the room toward me, and my lips curl into a smile at the sight of her. I take her into my arms when she gets to me and press a small kiss to her lips.
“How was your first day back on set?” I ask.
“It was good,” she says. Theres a twinkle in her eye that tells me theres more to it but that she isnt ready to reveal what it is just yet. Its these little moments where I love what our relationship is growing into the most—that unspoken kind of communication where we dont have to say anything in order to say everything.
“How did things go here?” she asks.
“Great,” Raymond says. “We have a plan, and we have the right people getting placed into the right places, and we know that it may take some time to move to where we want to be, but were ready to move into the next phase of Bodega Talent Agency.”
“And we cant wait to stick it to that asshole Brooks,” I add.
Alexis laughs. “Does he have any idea what’s coming?”
Her dad shakes his head.
“What do you say we have a little fun with him, then?” she suggests.
Her dad narrows his eyes at her. “What kind of fun are you thinking?”
“Oh, I dont know.” She taps her chin. “Maybe the kind of fun where we lead him to think that weve been working all day on this merger, and then we kick him in the nuts.”
I laugh as her dads jaw drops clean down to the floor.
“I cant believe you just said that,” he breathes.
“Oh, Dad,” she says, shaking her head a little. “I keep telling you Im not a little girl anymore.”
He walks over and slings his arm around her shoulders. “No, I suppose youre not,” he says, and he squeezes her into his side a little. “And I know you stopped by to talk to some of the different agents here, and I want to give a hearty endorsement for Evan Thompson.”
“I appreciate the recommendation, Dad, but Id like to have a chat with all of the female agents on your staff. Ive worked with men my entire career, and I am ready to take things in a new direction. I think women will understand my vision in a different way than men.”
He opens his mouth to protest, but when he sees the stern look on his daughter’s face, he clamps his mouth shut tight. “Of course, Alexis.”
Well color me shocked. I didn’t think people could change, but here stands Raymond proving me way the fuck wrong.
And it’s the kind of wrong I’d love to be proven over and over again.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have some agents to interview,” Alexis says. “What time is the meeting?”
“About thirty minutes,” Raymond says. “Certainly you’ll need more ti—”
Alexis holds up a hand as she shakes her head. “I’ll know. I haven’t been allowed to give my intuition much chance to shine, but all that changes starting right now.”
Her dad closes his mouth and presses his lips together for a beat, and then he nods. “Right. Okay, then. I can reserve a conference room and let you know who’s still around.”
“Anyone not around isn’t working hard enough,” she says with a tight smile.
She’s got a point. It’s only four-thirty. Working hours go until five, but in the agency business, there’s always work to be done.
She wants someone who’s already dedicated to their job, and I don’t blame her.
You don’t get to the level Alexis Bodega’s at without a whole lot of intelligence.
Her dad may have silenced her for a long time, but she can handle herself. I believe in her, and she believes in herself. That’s all we need.
She excuses herself to the conference room her dad reserved for her, and we go over a few more details. And then it’s time for the stakeholder meeting.
Brooks shows up punctually at five along with his father, and the officers and directors of Bodega are already gathered. Brooks and his father are the only two in the room who don’t quite know what’s coming yet. Alexis rushes in at five-oh-one.
“Sorry I’m late,” she pants.
“Was your meeting successful?” I ask.
She grins and nods as she slides into the open seat beside me.
“What are Alexis and Brewer doing here?” Brooks asks. “Isn’t this a meeting about the merger?”
Raymond opens his mouth to talk, but Alexis beats him to it.
“Oh yes, it sure is,” she says. “And as much as I wanted to beat around the bush and lead you in one direction, I think it’ll be even more fun just to come out with it. We’re not merging.”
She says it flatly.
“Excuse me?” Brooks asks.
“Bodega Talent Agency is not merging with D-Three,” Raymond says, enunciating each word as if Brooks just didn’t hear it right the first time.
“Like hell you’re not,” Brooks says. “What about the money?”
Raymond shakes his head a little. “Alexis and Danny know everything, as do all the others in this room.”
“What is everything, exactly?” Arthur asks, looking extremely confused as he glances between his son and his would-be partner.
“Brooks blackmailed me into merging with D-Three. He wanted a piece of Alexis, and he weaseled his way into very nearly getting her to marry him,” Raymond says.
Arthur looks well and truly shocked. “Brooks…is this…is this true?”
Brooks looks guilty, and he doesn’t have to say a word at all. He slumps back in his chair like a petulant teenager, and it’s quite a bit more gratifying to see him like that than I was expecting.
“I’m afraid it is,” I offer quietly. “Alexis and I have bought fifty-one percent of Bodega, and we no longer want to go through with this merger. We have enough resources to get Bodega back into the black.”
“You can’t just stop a merger,” Arthur says. “There are legalities—”
“We’re well aware of the legalities, Mr. Donovan, and our legal team has taken a hard look at all of it,” I say. “We were able to jump over some hurdles thanks to your son’s agenda to marry Alexis paired with the timing of the holidays, and legally we can pull the plug on this whole thing.”
“But you can’t sign over the company to somebody else,” Arthur points out.
“Actually, in the case of bankruptcy, we can,” Raymond says.
“Bankruptcy?” Arthur breathes.
I nod. “Raymond filed chapter eleven, and part of the restructuring agreement is having his daughter and her husband take the helm of this company. Thank you for your interest in Bodega, but we’ll be proceeding on our own without the merger.”
I wish I could take a photo of Brooks to look back on with glee, but I refrain.
I have a feeling Arthur is going to make that asshole pay, and pulling the merger he was so intent on is just the first step in our revenge plan.
Karma will take care of the rest, and that’s good enough for me.
“Oh, and you need to get the fuck out of my house. Immediately,” Raymond says.
Brooks sinks further down into his chair.
He’s finally getting what he deserves, and I couldn’t be happier about that.