Page 85 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “You went to those extremes just to land the deal?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes. My father and grandfather entrusted me to take over Dawson Construction. This business isn’t just a paycheck for me, it’s my family’s legacy. I wanted them to see the business thrive and make them proud. So, yeah, I wanted this project more than I wanted anything, but I don’t want to sell myself out to get it, and that’s exactly what I did, and I’m not proud of that.” I swallowed hard and glanced away. “I’m ashamed that I Iied, and that’s something I will regret for a long damn time.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s her father after?”

Control.Power.Greed.

“He wants to punish her. He’s angry that she screwed up his deal. He threatened to take her home away and fired her from her job because she dared to make a choice that he didn’t agree with. And now he’s doing everything he can to make my life miserable.”

He leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin. “That’s one hell of a mess you got yourself tangled in.”

I laughed lightly. “Yeah, it sure is.”

“I still don’t like that you tried to pull a fast one over me.” He glanced down at the manila folder on the table. “And while the numbers are spot-on, I don’t attach my business to people I can’t trust. I worked too hard to build my company’s reputation.”

I swallowed hard because that made sense, and I couldn’t blame him. “I understand.” I stood up and pushed my chair back. “Thank you for hearing me out and giving me a chance to explain.”

I was walking toward the door with my tail tucked between my legs when he stopped me.

“Brooks, wait.” I turned around, surprised to see him standing, too. “I wasn’t finished. Sit back down.”

I blinked, confused, but followed him back over to the table.

He motioned for me to take a seat, so I did. “I’ve seen what power and greed can do to people. And I’ve seen people stand up for what’s right and show up for those they care about.”

I stared at him, unsure where this conversation was going.

“I’ve been in this game long enough to know when someone is scrambling to cover their tracks and feed me a line of bullshit, but I’ve also seen people with their heart on their sleeve and hold sincerity in their eyes.”

I blinked. “Thank you.”

I expected him to throw me out of his office, not to go easy on me.

He smirked when he noticed my confused expression. “I admire a man who has the balls to own up to his mistakes. I’m not going to pretend that I’m happy about what you did, but I’m willing to give you another shot.”

My shoulders dropped, and I felt all the air rush from my lungs. “You’re giving me a second chance?”

He flipped open the folder and picked up his black pen. “I am, and you better not let me down.”

I laughed and ran a nervous hand through my hair. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why?”

He lifted his head and met my eyes. “Any man who is willing to stand between a woman and a father like hers is a man who has his priorities straight.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m all in.”

He smiled. “I can tell.”

He extended his hand. “You got yourself a deal.”

I rose to my feet and offered him my hand, and this time he took it. “Thank you, sir. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I promise you won’t regret it.”

“You better hope I don’t.” We both laughed. He slid the folder he’d been looking at across the table. “I had my legal team finalize the numbers. You’ll find everything is as we discussed. All you need to do is sign, and we are officially in business.”

My nervous fingers flipped open the folder. I quickly scanned the paperwork. Everything looked exactly as I had hoped.

I picked up the pen and signed my name.The weight in my chest lifted as I leaned back and smiled for the first time since I stepped into this office.

Clark reached forward, flipped the paperwork around, and closed the folder. “Congratulations.”

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