Page 12 of Merging with the Billionaire

The family spent the rest of the evening going over how a team of hospice nurses would be moving into the penthouse to help with Boswell Senior’s round-the-clock care. The siblings agreed to make regular visits, along with Celeste and Marcus. By the time they left, Tiffany knew her father would be comfortable during his final days, but it didn’t help her accept what was coming. The world would be left with a gigantic hole once her father wasn’t in it.

5

The video conferencewindow popped up on Conrad’s computer screen. He clicked the button to accept the meeting with Daniel Maddox, a Boswell Oil executive who had been transferred overseas a few months back. He hated Roger almost as much as Conrad did, and had approached Conrad to work together to take over Boswell Oil from the inside.

“How is everything going with the merger of the solar panel technology into the new energy division?” Daniel inquired.

“Tiffany Boswell is proving to be more difficult than I first estimated.”

Daniel snorted and rolled his eyes. “She’s in way over her head. She’s under the delusion she can fill her daddy’s shoes even though she’s a woman. I heard through my sources over in the New York office that Boswell Senior’s illness is progressing much faster than anyone anticipated. He doesn’t have years, but months now. That means his daughter will be distracted and vulnerable. Use that to your benefit. You should be able to charm her right out of her skirt.”

Though Conrad owed Daniel for contacting him about Boswell Senior wanting to branch into the solar energy market, every time he talked to the man, he found himself regretting his decision to get in league with Daniel Maddox. He had no problem crossing any ethical or moral line, and that bothered Conrad. He wanted to ruin Roger and take over Boswell Oil, but he didn’t want to compromise himself to do it. Using Tiffany, especially in the way Daniel suggested by his crude innuendo, would be a line Conrad wasn’t willing to cross. However, he needed to appease Daniel for the time-being. The information Daniel had been feeding Conrad over the past few months had been invaluable and he needed to keep him content until the takeover was complete.

“I’m handling the situation on my end, don’t worry about it. I think I finally turned a corner with Tiffany last week.”

“So, you did get into her skirt,” Daniel grinned snidely. “Nice. I’d always wondered what it would be like to hit that. I bet she was a great piece.”

Conrad gritted his teeth, disliking how Daniel was talking about Tiffany. He forced himself not to raise his voice when he responded. “That’s not the point—I’m getting the job done. We’ll have everything in place to take over in a couple of months.”

“Good. We didn’t plan for this to happen, but it’s perfect timing. We want to take full advantage of Boswell Senior’s death. With everyone distracted by it and the plunge the shares will take, it will make this takeover like a cakewalk. We can walk right in and take the whole place over.” Daniel glanced down at his watch then back up at the screen. “Look, I have to get into the office here in Indonesia, but let me know if you need anything else from me until our next check-in.”

The video conference ended, leaving Conrad with a bitter taste in his mouth. Nothing about his conversation with Daniel set right with him. He wanted revenge on Roger, but he hated the idea of taking advantage of his sister or his father’s death to do it. Was he making the right decision to work with a man like Daniel who thought both options were acceptable? He was beginning to have reservations about their plan and wondered if he needed to re-think what he was doing.

* * *

As the holidays approached,work around Boswell Oil slowed down. Employees were taking time off to be with family, to shop for gifts, and to go on vacation—everyone besides Tiffany and Conrad. They had worked straight through until the weekend before Christmas.

“I have to say, I’ve never seen anyone else as dedicated to their company as I am,” Conrad observed. “You really care about Boswell Oil.”

“I do. I want it to be around for my nephew and any other children my brother decides to have in the future.”

Conrad looked up from the stack of papers in front of him and tilted his head to the side. “Just your brother’s children? You don’t plan to have children of your own to pass the company down to?”

Tiffany swallowed a couple of times; not sure she was ready to tell Conrad about Artie. Over the past couple of weeks, she’d learned to get along with Conrad for the sake of the company, but she still didn’t know if she trusted him.

“I don’t know if marriage or kids is in the cards for me,” Tiffany revealed. “Now that I’m running this place, I have no social life to speak of and I refuse to date anyone from work. Doesn’t really leave room for the possibility of romance.”

“I get being busy—I’m the king of too busy. It’s just unusual to hear a woman so bluntly say she isn’t interested in those things.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested,” Tiffany quickly corrected. “I just don’t think it’s going to happen.”

The door opened to reveal Roger on the other side. He leaned against the doorframe. “You remember the company Christmas party is tonight, right Tiffany?”

She glanced down at her outfit, then remembered she brought a cocktail dress with her. “Yes, I totally got distracted, but we’ll be there.”

“We’ll?” Roger probed, glancing over at Conrad. “He’s coming?”

“Of course he is,” Tiffany stated emphatically.

“Your father called and invited me,” Conrad explained. Then with a shrug, he added, “But I don’t have to come.”

“You do,” Tiffany defended. “He’s been here every day for the past several weeks working on this project for our company. The least we can do is let him come to the Christmas party.”

Roger straightened up as his eyes narrowed, glancing from his sister to Conrad then back to her. “I’m surprised to hear you push so hard for him to come. I guess working with him has changedyouropinion of him.”

Tiffany avoided answering her brother. The truth was, it had. She respected Conrad now, knowing he took his work as seriously as she did. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, but she understood who he was and why he did what he did.

“I have to go pick up Celeste and Marcus. I will see you at The Spot in an hour,” Roger said before turning around and taking off down the hall.

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