Page 65 of The Bourbon Bride

“Our research shows they are particularly attached to the Savannah Mansion property. It’s the family estate, where they got their start. We could remove that property from the deal and likely get them to agree a lot faster.”

“Absolutely not. That’s the property this entire deal hinges on. Besides, what other option would we have for Savannah at that point? We’d need to purchase another existing hotel or build one from the ground up and lose years and millions.”

I run my hand over my face and tug at my hair. I’m not about to lose out on the one property that started this whole mess. I visited Savannah on a business scouting trip years ago and stayed at The Mansion. It’s where the idea of branching into luxury boutique hotels first took root and transformed my ideas for the future of Olympus.

I want that fucking mansion.

“Keep at it and don’t remove a single property from the table just yet. I want them all.”

“You may need to step in earlier than we planned,” he says hesitantly.

Fuck.“I know. I’ll work on it. I’m in Savannah and will see what I can do today, if not tomorrow. Keep me updated.”

I end the call and pound my fist against the desk. The last thing I want to do is go to William Fairchild with my demands at the very moment he discovers I’ve married his daughter and fucked up his wife’s arrangements. It’s only going to make him close ranks and refuse outright. From what our research into the Thackery trust and Fairchild inheritance has revealed, the marriage clause Paige referred to means she needs to be married when she eventually inherits her legacy. That doesn’t look to be any time soon, given William Fairchild’s health and determination to remain at the head of his company. Having married Paige now, likely decades before she inherits The Xenios Group, won’t make them transfer The Mansion to me any faster. It might just make him continue refusing our offers.

I make a call to another member of my team working on contingency plans. “We need to move forward with Plan B. Make it happen now, and I don’t care what you have to pay to get it. I need this to get the Xenios deal going. Use the leverage I provided and don’t hold back. They need to know they have no choice but to sell, and fast, or I’ll go to the press.” In this case, leverage is a nice way of saying blackmail, and I don’t even fucking care about the moral repercussions. It’s deserved in this instance and a long fucking time coming if they give me any resistance and make me use it.

“You sure about that, Hayes? It was last-ditch when we discussed it. It’s only day one of negotiations. We have time.”

“We don’t have the time I had hoped for and this could be a huge bargaining chip. Just fucking make it happen today.”

I hate snapping at my team, but I’m nearly desperate to ensure I get the deal I want. I’m willing to resort to blackmail and force a hostile takeover for a completely unrelated deal just to have a better hand in this game. I’m hoping it will keep William Fairchild from losing his shit and shuttering all possibilities of selling when faced with losing everything. This last-ditch effort might show him he’s not actually losing as much as he thinks he is. I rise from my desk with purpose, leaving the office and banging through the door to the apartment in a rush.

Paige squeaks and slips off the bed, a thud quickly following her disappearance.

Shit. I should have taken a breath and calmed down before rushing in here and freaking her out.

“Baby, are you okay?” I call as I hurry across the apartment.

“I’m fine, just surprised,” she says, popping up from the far side of the bed, rubbing her knee. “You came in so fast, I didn’t know what was happening.”

I gather her in my arms, my hands smoothing her hair and tracing around her ear.

“I think we should invite your parents to dinner tonight. I know we said we’d tell them tomorrow, but it’s probably better to get a jump on this before they learn of our marriage on their own.”

She wraps her arms around my shoulders and looks up at me. “I don’t think I’m brave enough just yet.”

“You don’t have to be. I’ll be right beside you, giving you all the courage you could want.”

I’m forcing her hand in this, my insistence giving her little option but to follow my lead, and I hate that I can’t let her get used to the idea on her own. I take her face in my hands.

“You don’t have to be afraid of them anymore or worry about what they want you to do.”

It’s imperative that we get this meeting over with sooner rather than later so the Fairchilds can get through the anger and animosity and move onto acceptance. I have no hope of them ever being happy about me running off and marrying their daughter without asking for their blessing or even knowledge, but grudging acceptance is as good as anything.

She gives me a rueful grin. “You better flex those muscles right along with the side of bravery you offer, because I need it all to get through a dinner with Mama when I surprise her with the fact I’m now married.”

I indulge her and quickly make a spectacle of my biceps just to hear her laugh.

The look Caroline Thackery Fairchild gives me when she and William arrive at The Abyss for the quick dinner we arranged is nothing short of withering. She may be diminutive in stature, shorter even than Paige, but she comes across as a vicious and mighty warrior hell-bent on destroying me. I may have met my match for ruthlessness in Caroline.

I know exactly why Paige was worried and didn’t feel brave enough to bear her intimidating mother. Lucky for her, I can be equally as protective of the woman by my side as the mama bear appraising my arm currently around her daughter’s waist.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fairchild, it is my absolute pleasure to meet you,” I drawl, my Southern-infused manners and a disarming smile ready despite the tension in my body.

“Hi, Mama, Daddy,” Paige says, the shake noticeable in her voice.

I spread my fingers wider against her side and give her a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

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