Chapter 5 Asher
ASHER
“We’ve been through this a dozen times, Conrad, we’re not selling Greenspan,” I say, gripping my phone. I sit on my couch, looking over the New York skyline glittering under the night sky.
My uncle makes an impatient noise on his end of the line. “Your father may have appointed you CEO so that he can retire early, but that doesn’t mean you can make all decisions for the company unilaterally. I’m going to push this to a vote with the board.”
“You can try. But as already discussed this morning, I hold the majority of shares. I hold the majority vote.”
“That is if you can keep your end of the bargain.”
“I will. You need not concern yourself with that.”
“Well, I do concern myself with Greenspan. It’s a waste of money and resources. We lose twenty-five million dollars a year on that company.”
“Green energy is the future. I know you and your friends in big oil don’t like to hear those words, but it doesn’t make them untrue.
I refuse to be playing catch-up in twenty years because Langford Holdings didn’t have the guts to stick it out and develop technology that will change the world.
When this technology is ready for the market, it will make a fortune, just like oil did a century ago. ”
“I know TDC Oil is interested in the purchase,” Conrad presses. “We could cut our losses. The board agrees with me on this.”
“That’s because the board is full of old assholes like you who don’t give two shits about what the world will look like in thirty years.
Money is fucking irrelevant if there’s not much planet left to live on, don’t you think?
For someone who seems to care so fucking much about legacy, you’re extremely short-sighted.
There will be no legacy for your future grandchildren if the world doesn’t get its shit together.
And who has the means and the capability to make that happen? We do. We’re one of the few who do.”
“So, you’d throw our family’s money at something you’re not even sure will work.”
“We have more goddamn money than we know what to do with. I shit twenty-five million dollars a year. So yes, I’ll throw it at research that will ensure our family has a future.”
“TDC Oil can buy the company and take over the research.”
I laugh. “Please tell me you don’t think I’m that stupid, or that you’re that stupid.
TDC Oil wants to buy our green energy company that is developing new technology to vastly reduce the need for fossil fuels.
Why do you think that is? They want to buy it so they can destroy it and keep fossil fuels and their company the status quo. ”
Conrad flounders for something to say.
“Don’t bother. We’re not selling Greenspan, and that’s final. If you don’t like it, I’m happy to buy you into an early retirement. Goodnight, Conrad.”
I end the call and toss my phone onto the couch.
To think, I probably have at least another five years with him working at Langford Holdings.
The thought makes my balls curl up. And his son, my cousin Gregory, is just as bad, and I have at least thirty years left working with him.
At least I have Declan and Sterling on my side.
But god, it will be the three of us against the board for the next thirty to forty years.
That’s another reason I have to make this little ruse of the girlfriend work.
I need to keep my shares. It’s not just about the money.
It’s about control of the company. The board is filled with a bunch of sharks who only have their own self-interests in mind.
They don’t care what morals and ethics they or our companies break as long as we’re bringing in billions of dollars a year.
And while I’m not an altruistic saint by any means, I do have some fucking morals and values.
Something most members of our board severely lack.
God bless my mother and father for instilling them into me and my brothers. I know all too well what we’d be like if they hadn’t. We’d be like every other rich asshole we grew up with.
I lean back against the couch and pick up the two photos of the potential candidates I brought home with me.
I run my hand over my face, stifling a groan.
Nothing about either of these women makes me feel anything but dread.
I dated Lillian years ago when we were in college, and one time was enough.
The only reason I didn’t outright refuse her as an option is because she was at least less demanding and entitled than most of the high society women I know.
But that doesn’t mean I want to date her again. Even if it is fake.
I still can’t believe this is my new fucking reality.
I toss down Lillian’s photo and look at Caroline’s.
I don’t know Caroline, but I’ve been acquainted with her in passing, and I haven’t heard many good things about her.
I can’t imagine being strapped to her for months on end.
Who decided the names on that list, anyway?
Because they did a shit job. Yes, all the women come from wealthy or powerful families, and some of them have achieved some truly impressive things, but none seem to fit the bill for what I need.
And these final two, the supposed best options, make my dick shrivel.
How am I going to fucking do this?
Declan shouts a greeting as my front door shuts with a bang.
We work out together most nights after work at my penthouse since we can’t go to a regular gym without practically causing a riot.
Plus, Declan’s just started major renovations on his penthouse, and he’s staying with our parents during construction, which means he spends too much time at my penthouse to get away from them.
Some nights he drives me crazy, but tonight, with this decision looming over me, I’m glad for the company.
“Dude, what the fuck!” Declan hisses.
Oh, shit. I’m supposed to be spotting him on the bench press, and I’m not paying enough attention. He almost didn’t make that last rep, and the bar wavered. I barely caught it in time before it fell on him. I help him lift the weight bar, and set it back into place.
“What’s up with you?” he demands, sitting up on the bench.
“Sorry, Dec. I’m just distracted tonight.”
“How’d the meeting go? Any good options?”
We move on from weights and decide to hop on the treadmills. Maybe running will help clear my mind.
“It was a joke, as to be expected. We narrowed the list down to two, but I’m far from interested in either of them. It’s a nightmare.”
“Who are they?”
“Lillian,” I say, pointedly.
“Luceria?”
“The one and only.”
“You’d hit that again?”
“I don’t want to, but she was one of the best options on the list.”
“Who else?”
“Caroline Augustine.”
Declan’s eyes bulge. “No way, man. Stay clear. That girl is batshit. I’ve been to a few parties that she’s been at, and goddamn . . . she’s like gasoline and a blowtorch in one package. You wouldn’t survive one date with her, let alone a relationship.”
My phone pings. I pick it up and see a text from Matthew.
My new favorite work friend, Ella, found something on Caroline.
“Augustine Heiress Sex Scandal”
“Matthew’s ears were burning,” I say to Declan. I hold up my phone toward him. “Look what this says.” I click on the link, but it only goes to a blank page with an error code.
My phone pings again with another text.
Ella and I think the Augustine’s managed to kill the story before it got out too far. So, she’s definitely not in the running anymore. Which leaves Lillian. How do you feel about that?
I don’t know. I’m talking to Dec about it; I’ll text you back in a bit.
“So, apparently, I’m stuck with Lillian. Fuck!” I say, hitting the speed button to pick up my pace. I want to punch something. Running is the next best choice.
“Who says?” Declan demands.
“The board.”
“The board gave you a list of names as a suggestion. There are no terms that say you have to pick one of those women. Find someone else. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had it with the girls we grew up around. Not all of them are awful, but most of them are a pain in the ass.”
“You say that like we’re saints.”
He barks out a laugh. “Yeah, I know I’m no cup of tea. But I at least own that shit. I don’t pretend to be a perfect gentleman and then fuck you over behind your back. I tell women straight away what I am. If they proceed at that point, at least they’ve been warned.”
Hearing the words out of Declan’s mouth, words I have almost said verbatim on many occasions, I can hear the honesty and bluntness of them, but I also hear the arrogance and entitlement of them, too.
Do I always sound like such an ass? Probably.
But in one sense he’s right, I don’t pretend to be something I’m not.
I am arrogant, and I almost always get what I want, and most people would consider that entitled.
But many of the high society women we know pretend to be otherwise.
They pretend to care about the charities they support, they pretend to have demure manners.
They act a certain way when certain people or cameras are around, and they act totally different behind closed doors.
It’s exhausting. And I don’t have the patience for it.
Declan starts to slow down on his run, and I follow suit. Neither of us really seem to be into our workout tonight. Maybe we’ll drink beer and watch the game instead; we haven’t done that in a while.
“This is a pretty delicate situation, Ash,” Declan says, stepping off the treadmill.
“You have to find a girl who’s not only willing to date you and take on the spotlight that that brings, but they have to be willing to fake it, too.
” I told him earlier about my intention to keep the relationship as professional as possible, with the end date agreed upon before the “relationship” even begins. “That’s a big ask.”
“I know,” I sigh.