Page 5 of Fifth Avenue Devil

She takes a long sip of the bubble water, nodding her head all the while. "Do you know ViaLife?"

I purse my lips. "Yeah. They sell commodities. Oil, precious minerals, copper... coffee...."

"That's the one. Do you know who owns them?"

She's looking at me expectantly. Heat floods my cheeks. "No... Should I?"

"Nate Fordham is the CEO."

My eyebrows leap up. I've met Mr. Fordham a number of times. He attends the same charity galas, yachting regattas, and ballet patron dinners that my family does. He's never spoken directly to me, but I remember him well nonetheless.

Tall, black hair, silvery eyes, a perfect Tom Ford tux. And a tongue that would shame the devil with the wild things Mr. Fordham says. My father and Mr. Fordham always end up clashing any time that they're in the same room.

"Doesn't my dad hate Mr. Fordham?" I venture.

Lori snorts. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. Mr. Fordham is your father's rival."

I try to frame my next question carefully.

"Isn't Daddy a bit old for rivals?"

A laugh bursts from Lori's mouth. "He didn't seem to think so." She schools her expression. "Mr. Fordham was in the room when your father had his aneurysm."

I scrunch my face up. "It sounds like they were spending more time together than rivals usually do."

Lori crosses her arms. "Maybe. Apparently, your dad was only there because of the poker game that Mr. Fordham puts on regularly."

"Oh. Dad does love a chance to gamble on literally anything." I huff a sigh. "Why do you bring Mr. Fordham up? Does Daddy owe him or something?"

She hesitates, then nods. "You could say that. Mr. Gellar ran out of funds at the poker table. So, he wagered something that he knew Mr. Fordham wouldn't turn his nose up at." Her expression darkens. "He proposed that Gellar Industries would undergo a merger with ViaLife if Mr. Fordham won."

The hair on my nape rises. "He did WHAT?"

Lori reaches out a hand and rubs my knee. "Relax. It's not the end of the world. Yes, a merger will be complicated. But it'll also give our company a fresh infusion of cash. And some resources that we really need. ViaLife is known to be flush."

I gape at the general counsel. "Are you insane? I'd rather give up the role of CEO than let someone else make decisions for the company on my behalf."

"Annalise, listen." Lori leans toward me. "We talked just last week about how you wanted to expand worker benefits. Weren't you saying something about more paid leave?"

I frown. "Well, yes. We don't currently offer any paid maternity leave benefits. Which, in my view, is criminal."

"And I said that we couldn't afford it. But with this merger, we could adopt ViaLife's leave policies. And we can use a cash infusion in the research and development department. You know that the department head has been begging me to get her more money for months now. With a merger, we could make strides with our ground-penetrating radar."

I make a sour expression. "My mother will have something to say about it, no doubt. Both of my parents think that mergers are a sign of weakness."

Lori smiles at me. "But neither one of them are in charge now. You are."

"That's true," I say, thinking about it. "But it might be the killing blow where my father is concerned."

"He should have thought about that before he bet the company in a poker game," Lori says, matter-of-factly.

Three

Nate

Isit at the end of the table in my meeting room, staring at the CEO of HardDig, Davis White. Davis is wearing a rumpled suit, a tie stained with food, and even though it is cold in my office, he is sweating.

I look down at the file folder in front of me, frowning as I leaf through the stack of papers. It's just a bunch of blank sheets, but Davis doesn't know that.

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