Page 345 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

“That’s how I know so much about you,” he says. “After that first day, I thought I’d never see you again. Dad had already gotten his orders for his next assignment. He’d already left, and mom and I would have to follow in a week or two once they’d gotten things going with the house. The next day, though, I went back out to that grove. I didn’t understand why I felt like I had to do that. When I went the second day, I didn’t wear the belt.

“I was out there under that same tree for a while, but sure enough, there you were, saying, ‘Come on,’ and then we just picked up where we left off,” he whispers. “I didn’t even tell you my name until the third day. My first name is Nikolai, but my dad always hated that mom talked him into it. He picked my middle name, he said, because it was the name he ‘should have gotten,’ being that his life was the military.”

As he says it, I mouth, “Cornelius.”

“My little history lesson at the diner was me testing the waters,” he says. “Actually, you’re not awake, so I don’t have to play it cool: I was nervous out of my skull, and I just grabbed the first thing my mind put in front of me.

“Two weeks, though,” he continues. “It was the best two weeks of my life. For the first time, I had a friend. The day before we left, I wanted to tell you I was going, but I didn’t know how. I was thrilled to have someoneseeme, but didn’t know how to deal with that and having to move the next day. I thought it would be weird to make a big deal about me leaving, so I just didn’t say anything.

“You don’t know this yet, and I don’t know how long it’ll be before you decide you’re ready to, but you saved my life,” he whispers. “Those two weeks gave me a glimpse into a world I didn’t think I was meant to have any part of, and I have loved you for it ever since. All of this is for you. I went to college, intending to make something of myself before I tried to reconnect with you to prove I wasn’t that gangly nobody anymore.” He chuckles, “I didn’t anticipate ending up roommates with Jacque.”

CHAPTER18

CULTURE SHOCK

ZACH

Reeves is droning on about something I stopped paying attention to about ten minutes ago and my cell phone buzzes in my pocket. The man hesitates a moment when I pull the phone up and check the message, but he picks up again after a few seconds.

Grace just sent me a text, asking if she and Naomi can stay at the beach house again for a few days. She says she wants to get out of the city.

As much as I don’t want to see Grace’s sister ever, I write back, “Sure thing. There’s a card in my nightstand. Use that when you book the ticket and Trevor can get you the keys.”

“Zach?” Reeves asks.

“Yeah,” I say, “so basically what you’re telling me is that you did such a good job smearing me, if I don’t leave the company, it’s going under no matter what, huh?”

“We didn’t smear you, Zach,” he says.

“I’m sure after a couple more weeks in jail, my former housekeeper is going to get tired of lying awake, wondering if her cellmates are going to shank her in the middle of the night; she’ll open up about everything,” I say.

Reeves exhales. “Can we continue, please?” he asks.

“Sure,” I answer. “You know I can’t say no to you people.”

Reeves eyes me a second and continues, “The problem is we’re at scandal overload right now. Even the picture, which is definitely breaking more your way, isn’t doing anything to slow our plummeting stock price.”

“What you want me to do is the same thing you’ve wanted me to do since before I brought up the idea of the Mulholland office,” I say. “You want me out of the way without any more hassle so you can quietly fire everyone and put the company somewhere you barely have to worry about wages.”

“Zach, we’re past the point of pride here,” he says. “You picked up some friends with the picture, but those friends are pointing all their animus at the company, and are boycotting Stingray and its products in protest. Zach, no matter how you look at it, we’re going to need you to resign or we’ll be forced to start removal proceedings. We’re at that point now, and we can’t afford to wait much longer. The company’s going under.”

“Just out of curiosity, what would that look like: me resigning?” I ask.

“We’d want to make sure you were taken care of, of course,” Reeves says. “We had hoped to discuss those terms with you. Zach, we’re not your enemies here. We just don’t want to see the company go under, and I think you can respect that.”

“Idorespect this time it wasn’t a maid with a camera,” he says. “I’m glad you people are starting to grow the courage to stand up for your convictions, bravo.” I start clapping, but for some reason, nobody joins in. Huh.

“Zach, this is serious,” Mason Handler says. The guy may be cold evil wrapped in a wrinkly exterior, but hedoeshave a great name.

Slowly, I nod. “Yes, it’s serious,” I respond, “but I’d rather see this company financially implode than stand idly by while you undermine everything we’ve been trying to do—”

“So you’re saying youwantStingray to go under?” Geraldine, my CFO asks.

“No,” I answer. “What I’m saying is I’m not the one who’s trying to damage the business. You know a big part of the reason we’d kept the public’s trust as long as we have is because of the promise never to take the company overseas or cut salaries to employees below the level of upper management, right? As much as I’d like to take credit for everything good that’s ever happened to the company,thatis what made us stand out in the early years. Even when everyone was telling us you couldn’t run an American company like this without outsourcingsomething. We’ve been proving them wrong for years, and now you’re telling me becauseyouhave betrayed that confidence and thatyouhave been doing whatever possible to hurt my reputation,Ishould be the one to step down?” I ask. “Pull the other one.”

“If it meant the company would rebound, I’m sure there’s not a member of the board who wouldn’t step down,” Reeves says, “but that’s not what we’re looking at here.”

“I know,” I answer. I point at Reeves, saying, “You never trusted me. When the company first started, I knew about the meetings to try and convince Jacque to throw his support behind someone else as CEO. I don’t blame you. When I first started, I didn’t know anything about being an executive, and I had a hell of a learning curve in front of me. You still see me that way. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?”

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