Tristan
As I sit in my father’s old desk chair, perusing files on his work computer, I wonder to myself if the room has always been this big, or if it’s just unwanted nerves making me feel this way.
I’m not officially the company’s CEO yet. There’s a prescribed transition period, during which the shake-up will be smoothed out by various board appointments and office reshuffling.
But now that my father is gone, and this company is about to land in my hands, there are many things I need to get caught up on. To that end, I’ve been given access to my father’s office, his computer, and all of the company’s files.
There’s a lot to sift through. I’ve been here for eight hours so far, and I still don’t see a light at the end of this tunnel.
I was always closely involved with the running of the company, but even so, I wasn’t aware of the depth of my father’s job. There are files on this desktop that I’ve never laid eyes upon—important things that used to escape my notice.
Now everything is my responsibility. I can’t turn a blind eye to a single corner of this company’s workings. I need this transition to be smooth. Flawless. Easy.
A knock at the door distracts me from last year’s marketing reports. I look up and clear my throat, straightening my slightly-askew tie. “Come in.”
The door opens, and I let out an involuntary exhale of relief when Reid sticks his head into the room. If there’s anyone I can handle seeing right now, it’s my twin brother. Sure, we’ve drifted apart a bit since childhood, but I’m still closer with Reid than any of my other family members.
“You’re still at it, huh?” He gestures with his chin toward my desk, stepping into the room and closing the door behind himself.
I nod, turning my gaze back to the screen. “No end in sight.”
He takes the leather seat opposite the desk. He’s quiet for a long moment, which isn’t unusual for him, since he’s more the introspective type than I am. I can feel his stare boring into me as I work.
“What’s up, Reid?” I ask finally, my eyes still glued to the screen.
“I actually came here to ask you the same thing,” he retorts. “So you tell me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re the CTO,” I point out. “None of the shit I’m doing here is relevant to you, so I’m not about to make it your problem.”
“I’m not here to ask about Dad’s files. I just wanted to find out how you’re doing.”
“How I’m doing?”
“Yeah. Emotionally, mentally… whatever.”
I do my best to stifle the snort of laughter, then shake my head. “It is what it is, man.”
“Okay, seriously,” Reid says. “I can see the gears grinding in your head. I’m surprised smoke isn’t coming out of your ears by now.”
I chuckle humorlessly. Of course Reid can tell that my brain is churning up a storm. It’s always been this way between us. I can keep a secret from almost anyone, but it’s harder to fool my twin.
“Fine,” I sigh, turning away from my computer to face him. “I’m just stressed. There’s a lot on my plate, if you can believe it.”
“No shit.”
“I’ve got big shoes to fill.”
“And a wedding to plan,” Reid says quietly.
I stiffen in my chair. “Yeah. And that.”
“We haven’t really gotten the chance to talk about that,” Reid says. “You know her from school, don’t you?”
Warily, I nod. “We went to business school together. She was there at the same time as me and Spence.”
“So how’s all this landing on you?”
I’m not sure what to tell him—what’s safe to tell him. I can’t admit to the rush of protectiveness I felt a few nights ago when I spoke to Spencer on the phone. I can’t tell him that I thought of her in the shower.
So instead, I shrug and say, “You know what Dad said to me, the last time we talked?”
“What?”
“He told me to trust his vision.” I think back to that conversation. God, it feels like it was only last week.
“For the company, or…”
I shrug. “I have to wonder if this is anywhere near what Dad’s vision actually was.”
“What do you mean?”
“Would they have forced me into this arranged marriage even if Dad hadn’t passed away?”
Reid’s face falls, and he leans back in his chair. “Oh.”
“Or do you think it was just a contingency for his death—to keep the company strong?”
Reid shakes his head slowly. “I don’t know, man.”
I set my jaw, glancing back at the computer screen. “I just wish it hadn’t been a huge surprise. I wish I’d heard about the MediaSphere plan before the will reading. You know?”
“Yeah,” Reid says, nodding. “I do. I get you.” He hesitates, then adds, “He really never said anything about it?”
“No. Completely blindsided me.” I stand up from my father’s chair and pace across the room, toward the glass decanter of whiskey he kept on one of the mahogany bookshelves. “You want a drink?”
“Aren’t you still working?” Reid asks.
“I can work after one drink. Besides, I’ve been here since seven in the morning.”
“Fair enough.” Reid shrugs. “Sure, I’ll take one.”
I pour us both glasses, walking back over to hand him his. I lean against the back of the desk and take a swallow. It’s good stuff, twenty-five-year-old Macallan, smooth enough that the burn barely registers. Julian Thorne would never settle for less.
“It doesn’t sit right to think that Dad didn’t trust me,” I say, surprising myself with the words. “Not entirely, at least. We worked together for years, and he never really opened up to me… not even about his plans that involved me directly.”
Reid purses his lips, a look of understanding in his eyes. “Well, Dad was never the familial type, was he?”
“No,” I agree, “but this…” I trail off. I don’t really need to finish that sentence. Reid knows what I’m thinking.
“It honestly doesn’t matter what Dad wanted or didn’t want,” Reid points out. “You’re in charge now. You’re the man. You only have to play by his rules long enough to make this stick, and then… it’s your company.”
“True.” I take another sip, savoring the burn on my tongue. I try to tell myself that the unpleasant, unsettled feeling in my stomach is due to the whiskey and not the idea of marrying and then divorcing a woman I barely know.
That’s the plan, right? To ride this out for three years, capitulate to my father’s whims, then Chloe and I go our separate ways? It seems like that’s what she wants, anyway, and… well, it’s all in the future. Not worth dwelling on yet.
“After the wedding, this company will be in your hands,” Reid says. “It’s up to you how you want to run things now.”
I frown at that, confused. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll have to decide if you want to follow in Dad’s footsteps, or do what you want to do.”
The rest of my last conversation with my father comes rushing back to me, and it hits me all of a sudden that I won’t have to have those arguments anymore.
I won’t have to work around my father’s vision.
I can do whatever I want with this company, and if an idea strikes me, there’s nothing stopping me from implementing it.
I don’t have to try to decipher my father’s wishes from the grave. I don’t have to imagine what his vision might have been. At the end of the day, my father’s vision included handing the reins over to me.
“This is going to be weird.” I swirl the caramel liquid in my glass. “I’m so used to… well, a roadblock. All of Dad’s secrets. I don’t know about you, but I always felt sort of… cut off from him.”
Reid nods in agreement. “He never told me anything. I always felt like I was the last to know.”
“I think we all felt that way,” I say. “He was disconnected from everyone. And I don’t think I want to be that way.”
“Yeah?”
“From now on, you can expect to be included fully in the decision-making process. I’m bringing you all into the fold.”
Reid smiles. “Looking forward to it.”
Through the glass wall at the hallway end of my father’s office, movement catches my eye.
The elevator doors opposite me open, and Chloe steps out.
She’s wearing a navy peacoat that hugs her body.
Her heels give her another few inches of height, and her dark hair is loose, hanging around her shoulders.
There’s someone with her. Kyle Jefferson, one of the accounting guys who works on the floor above. He’s talking animatedly and laughing a little too much, even though she remains as stone-cold and straight-faced as ever.
I can’t miss the way he looks at her. And sure… from his perspective, he just happened to catch an elevator ride with a gorgeous woman. He thinks he’ll shoot his shot, see if something lands.
But I don’t like it. The sight of him sends a jolt of anger through me.
My brother’s voice reaches me as if he’s speaking from the other end of a long tunnel. “So what exactly do you think is going to—”
I shift my weight forward and hold up a hand to cut Reid off. He blinks, surprised, as I stride toward the office door.
“Hold that thought,” I mutter, stepping out into the hallway. “I’ll be right back.”
I advance down the hallway toward Chloe and Jefferson. As I draw near, his words start to become audible.
“So, yeah, it was a really great performance. Highly recommend. You seem like a worldly type, have you ever been to the orchestra?”
I grit my teeth, fighting down the rising irritation within me. He’s pretty clearly angling to ask her out.
She’s having none of it, of course, but that doesn’t make it better. This guy doesn’t even know that she’s taken. Spoken for.
I clear my throat as I reach Chloe, coming up beside her and laying a hand on her shoulder.
To her credit, she doesn’t jump or flinch, just turns those gray eyes on me, their depths heavy with disdain.
Her eyeliner is thick today, a little more makeup than she usually wears, and the dark color accentuates the cool tone of her irises.
I break eye contact with her to give Jefferson a smile. Well, not a smile, per se. It’s a little more like baring my teeth.
“Ah, Kyle,” I say, my voice light. “I see you’ve met my future wife.”
Immediately, Jefferson’s eyes widen, and he blanches. He clearly had no idea who he was talking to—or how close he was coming to dangerous waters. He drops his gaze to the floor and says, “I… okay. Wow. Well, congratulations, Mr. Thorne. I had no idea you were engaged.”
My grip tightens on Chloe’s shoulder, and, almost imperceptibly, she lets out a small sigh. “That’s right,” I say. “We haven’t announced it yet, but it’s official.”
“That’s… that’s great.”
“Which means that Chloe here is off limits,” I add pointedly. “I’d suggest keeping your mind on your work, if you want to remain employed here.”
Jefferson swallows, nodding. “Right. Of… of course. I’d actually better get back to it.”
“You’d better,” I echo. My eyes don’t leave his back as he slinks away, crawling back into the elevator with his tail between his legs.
Once the doors are closed and he’s gone, I release Chloe’s shoulder. She glares at me, her eyes narrowed.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, actually, I did.”
“What the fuck did that accomplish?”
I meet Chloe’s challenging stare directly. “I already told you. I don’t share,” I tell her. “That includes letting other men eye-fuck my wife.”
She draws herself up taller. “I’m not your wife yet.” The quickness of that response bothers me. I frown, dropping my gaze to her hand, looking for the glint of that diamond. Her fingers are bare.
“You’re not wearing your engagement ring,” I say, letting the irritation slip into my tone.
“No, I’m not,” she replies. “I was planning to start wearing it once our engagement is announced. There’s no point in putting it on now. It’ll only confuse people.”
I inhale slowly through my nose. No point? The engagement ring is like a visible warning. She’s mine. If she’s not wearing it, then no one can tell when they’re about to piss me off.
A smirk flashes across my face, and I turn away, striding back toward my father’s office—my office. Reid is still sitting in front of the desk, staring at me in disbelief. I wonder briefly if he heard any of what just transpired.
I cross the room and sit down in front of the computer, opening a web browser. I type up a quick post for the Thorne Enterprises Instagram, then choose a picture of Chloe and myself that I had ready for the occasion.
“The Thorne family is proud to announce the engagement of Tristan Thorne, CEO of Thorne Enterprises, to Chloe Dawson of the MediaSphere family. These two plan to tie the knot within the next few months. Our only regret is that Tristan’s late father couldn’t be here to attend his son’s wedding. Best wishes to the new couple!”
I read aloud as I type, then click ‘post’ without hesitating. I look up at Chloe, who stands in the doorway gaping at me in obvious shock.
“There.” I lift a brow at her. “Now it’s been announced. The next time I see you, you’d better have my ring on your finger.”