Page 88 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Why are you here, Harvey?” I repeat my question, keeping my voice steady, even though I can feel the heat rising in my chest. "You didn’t come here just to throw insults."

“I have a proposition for you.”

“Well then, out with it.”

He leans back again, his eyes narrowing. "I’m going to ruin your deal with the Caldwells. It’s already in motion. I know things about Elizabeth Caldwell she doesn’t want out, so yeah, I can make sure the Caldwells do not sell you the company.”

“What things?”

“Yeah, right, like I’d tell you that.” He frowns. “Also, I’ll make sure yourDarkest Hourtanks. The protests outside? Just the beginning. I can make your life hell, Silas. And I will."

“And you think I’m not going to fight back?” My forehead furrows. “You think I’m just going to keep playing defense and let you drag my name through the mud?”

“No, I don’t think so.” He cracks his knuckles. “That’s why I’m here with a proposition before this goes too far.”

“Why are you suddenly willing to make a deal?”

“Because Leah told me you saved her life.” He shrugs. “She said you saved her life back in Rome all those years ago. So I will give you this one chance before I go nuclear.”

My hands clench into fists under the desk, but I force myself to stay calm. "I’m still not hearing a proposition, Harvey. Get to the fucking point."

Harvey leans forward, his eyes cold. "It’s simple. You choose, Silas. Leah, or everything you’ve worked for. The Caldwell deal, the movie commemorating your brother—everything you’ve ever wanted. Walk away from Leah, and I’ll stop. Stay with her, and I’ll burn it all down. You mark my words."

I stare at him, trying to process his words. Leah or everything I’ve ever wanted. Leah, who I’m starting to build something real with, or the dream I’ve chased for years.

"Did it ever occur to you," I say slowly, "that Leah is what I’ve always wanted?"

Harvey shakes his head, laughing like I’ve lost my mind. "That’s bullshit, and you know it. The engagement? It was fake, Silas. I gave the goddamn idea! Me! So, don’t sit there and try to sell me on an illusion I built. I’m no fool and this whole thing isn’t fucking real!"

"Itisreal," I snap, my control slipping for the first time. "Yes, it started out that way, but now, it’s real."

Harvey stares at me like I’ve just confessed to a crime, his expression hard. "She’s only with you to hurt me, Silas.”

“That’s not true.”

“That’s all this is. She’s angry now, but at the end of the day, I’m her father. Blood trumps all. What happens when she’s not angry anymore? Have you asked yourself that? What happens when she realizes she doesn’t want to spend her life with an old man like you?"

I want to deny it, to throw his words back in his face. But a part of me—damn it, a small part of me—wonders if he’s right. If Leah really is just trying to get back at him. If she’ll wake up one day and realize that this thing between us isn’t what she wants.

But then I think of her laugh, her smile, and how she looks at me when she thinks I’m not paying attention. And I know Harvey’s wrong. Ihopehe’s wrong.

“I’ll take my chances on us,” I say, my voice firm, even though doubt tugs at the edges of my thoughts.

Harvey stands up, brushing off his suit. “I don’t need an answer now, Silas. Think about it. Leah’s mad at me, sure, but she’ll come around. And when she does, where will that leave you? Who do you think she’d choose? An old man who’s a relic, or the man who birthed her?”

He walks to the door, pausing momentarily before looking back at me. “Family trumps everything, Silas. Remember that.”

And then he’s gone, leaving me alone in my office with nothing but my thoughts for company. I stand, walking over to the windows and staring at the bustling city. The distant hum of the world continuing outside these walls.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me back to reality. It’s the director.

“Jean.”

Before he speaks, I know he’s calling with bad news. I can’t remember the last time I got good news. Whenever my phone rings, I’m about to be hit by another tragic news.

"We’re way behind schedule, Silas," he says, his voice frantic. "These bloody protests won’t stop, and it’s starting to turn violent.”

“Violent?”

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