Page 60 of Vows In Corruption

A billionaire, that’s who.

The room goes silent as Bennett and I have the most intense stare off that we’ve had since we meet. It’s not until someone clears their throat that we look away from each other and look to where Henry and Elliot are.

“We will let you discuss this,” Henry pauses as if to come up with a word to describe whatever is happening between Bennett and me right now. “situation privately. We have to get Mr. Drake home.”

Henry grabs Elliot’s arm and pulls him out of the office. Bennett’s nephew goes reluctantly but at least he leaves. Now I can have a screaming match with his uncle.

“Are you out of your mind?” I ask, coming out more as a whisper instead of the yell I thought was brewing inside of me.

Bennett lets out a sigh and takes a seat in the nearest chair, and dropping his head into his hands.

“Possibly.” He lets out, looking back at me. “At this point, I almost feel desperate to hold that title.”

“Why, though?”

“Why what?”

I walk over to the conference table, leaving a few feet between us, but not taking a seat. “Why is you becoming CEO so important? Why the desperation?”

When the question leaves my mouth, Bennett looks almost stunned. Like I’m the first person to ever ask him that he doesn’t know the answer.

It takes him a whole two minutes to come up with an answer.

“The company deserves to be ran by a Lane.”

I agree, but that’s that the most bullshit answer I’ve ever heard.

“Is that why you want to do it? Because it’s what the company deserves.”

“Yes.”

“That’s a bullshit answer and you know it.”

Bennett’s jaw ticks and I can see it in his eyes that he’s getting angry. Good. Because I’m not going to agree to anything until I know the full story. I’m not going to jump into a meaningless marriage just because my boss is asking me to.

“It’s not.” Bennett stands up from his chair and closes the distance between us, looking down at me as if to tell me to back down. Not going to happen.

“It is. Why the fuck do you want to be CEO so badly?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Because if you want me to sign my life over to you, I need to know why the fuck you want this so badly that you are willing to marry the first woman you see. That bullshit answer you gave isn’t enough.”

He doesn’t say anything. He just continues to stare me down, but I stand my ground.

After a minute, when he still doesn’t say anything, I let out a sigh and turn toward the door to leave. I’m not going to get an answer. There’s no point in waiting for one.

I’m a foot a way from the door when he finally says something.

“You want the absolute truth?” His voice comes out in a whisper. Something I’ve never heard from Bennett.

I turn to face him. “Yes.”

The man that is standing a few feet away from me, is not the same man that I’ve been working with these last few weeks. This man is wearing his emotions on his sleeves and is trying to keep himself together. The man that I’ve been working doesn’t show an ounce of emotion, always stoic.

“Then you’ll get it, but you have to promise me something.”

“And what would that be?”

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