Page 66 of Ireland

She shut the glass door. “Dad didn’t tell you?”

“He took off after you did, with whomever he was conferring with yesterday. And an off-site meeting with a music director ate up my afternoon.”

Gesturing for him to sit, Ireland did the same. She had little energy to be angry at their parents for leaving the disclosures to her. She’d learned long ago that her mother demanded the appearance of perfection from her children and spouse. Reality could be tumultuous as long as the surface was serene to anyone who might look. There was no way that Elizabeth Vidal wasinterested in a conversation with one of her children that was likely to get messy.

As for their father, Ireland was coming to realize that she needed to spend more time with him and learn more about who he was beyond the role of parent.

What was most important now, though, was making the role reversal between her and their father as frictionless as possible for her family and their staff. While it would’ve been easier for her if their parents had shouldered some of the responsibility for their choices, it was better if Christopher heard everything at once from her rather than in bits and pieces from multiple people.

And now that running Vidal was her responsibility, uncomfortable meetings were something she needed to get good at. Conceivably, her father thought the same, and that was why she was left to handle her brother.

“Vidal is in serious trouble,” she said bluntly. “One of our shareholders is attempting to take us over.”

A confused frown replaced her brother’s smile. “What? No way.”

“McCaffrey Holdings has been quietly buying out the other investors. I’m not sure if Dad was aware of what was happening before it was too late or not.”

The confused frown turned into a scowl. “Why does the name McCaffrey sound familiar?”

“Did Dad discuss the funding for the overhaul of the recording studios with you?”

Christopher’s face blanked, then his eyes widened. “Oh, yeah. They financed the loan. They’re a private equity group.”

“Is that what Dad told you?”

“Yeah.”

“And you didn’t look into it?” she asked, keeping her tone as smooth and even as possible.

“Why would I?”

“Because Dad almost bankrupted the business before. Maybe he’s not so good at making financial decisions.”

Her brother’s gaze narrowed. “You’re blaming Dad?”

“I’m saying you and I have been riding in the backseat, assuming Dad’s following directions, despite him getting us lost before. We should’ve been paying attention to where we were going. I’m as much at fault as you.”

“Wait a minute.” He bristled. “You’re accusingmeof something?”

“That came out wrong.” She took a steadying breath and gathered her thoughts. She’d rehearsed this conversation dozens of times to prepare and couldn’t remember half of it now. “It doesn’t matter how we got here. I’m not looking for anyone to blame. What’s done is done. Dad’s meeting yesterday was with McCaffrey Holdings, and that’s why things got so heated. The loan defaulted first thing yesterday morning, and McCaffrey is taking ownership of Dad’s shares.”

Christopher snorted and shook his head. “Don’t get worked up, okay? I’m sure everything’s fine. We’ll either pay off the loan or refinance it. Dad must’ve just forgotten the date. He’s a little scattered sometimes, you know that. And with Mom’s news, he might have been more distracted than usual.”

She wanted to point out that Christopher himself had said that their mom remarrying wasn’t a problem for their dad, but she would never argue. “We can’t afford to pay off the loan. It didn’t just fund the new studios. Dad also needed to cover wages, bonuses, and tour support. We haven’t been profitable for a few years now, and there has been a persistent shortfall. And we financed with McCaffrey because no other lender would extend the amount of credit Dad wanted. We weren’t going to be good for it, and everyone knew it, especially McCaffrey.”

She'd learned they had been hemorrhaging money since shortly after Gideon pulled out, which drove home how vital it was to properly manage a business’s expenses. Christopher had chafed under Gideon’s cautious approach to spending, saying it was “miserly” and hampering the company’s ability to grow. Ireland had secretly agreed, not knowing any better.

Stupid. She couldn’t stop kicking herself for being so willfully blind.

“You must have misunderstood what Dad was saying,” Christopher said, pale beneath his summer tan. He stood. “I’ll talk to him and get this sorted out.”

Her hands were so tightly linked in her lap they were bloodless and hurting. “I know you didn’t intend to insult me, and I’m trying not to take offense. Please sit down. I’m not done explaining the situation.”

He lowered back onto the sofa. “Hey, I’m sorry. I’m trying to calm you down, but I’m a little wigged out right now, so I’m blundering through it.”

“I get it. I went through the same shock and disbelief, and I’m still trying to shake it off.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Ireland saw the elevator doors open. When Ronan stepped out in a tan business suit with a leather satchel in hand, her heartbeat quickened with unwanted joy. Then, the apprehension kicked in. Having him show up ready to work was nothing but a bad sign for her. He headed toward the reception desk with his seductively unhurried stride, then suddenly turned his head and found her as if he knew instinctively that she was nearby.

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