Page 24 of One Time in Paris
“Good night.” He returned his eyes to the computer as she shut the door. A few minutes later, he sighed and shut the laptop, eyes burning. He hadn’t been sleeping well the last three weeks since he’d come home from Vegas, and he knew exactly why—the next Ipolymer acquisition meeting was looming.
He knew what he needed to do. He just hadn’t done it yet.
Pulling out his mobile, he opened his messages and tapped one out to his brother, Mason.
Aiden:Still here?
His reply buzzed a moment later.
Mason:Getting ready to head out. Need something?
Aiden:A few minutes of your time.
Mason:Be right up.
This was the inevitable. What had to happen.
He’d been mulling it over for weeks since Lola had shown up at his hotel room and announced that her father was handing the acquisition over to her. Maybe Jorge had done it out of spite—or maybe he just trusted Lola that much. But...enough.
Two could play at that game.
A tap on his door followed, then Mason opened it a crack. His younger brother grinned and stepped inside. “I feel as though I’m being summoned to the headmaster’s office.”
Aiden chuckled. “Nothing that serious. Take a seat.” He gestured toward a decanter on a nearby table. “Scotch?”
“No, thanks. I have dinner plans tonight.” Mason unbuttoned his blazer and sat opposite Aiden’s desk in the leather chair. “Something wrong?”
“You might say that.” Aiden frowned, then slid a leather folio across the desk toward Mason. “I know it’s a lot to put on you, but I need you to take over the Ipolymer acquisition. Jorge Salas has put Lola in charge of advising the company on the deal, and frankly, there’s too much of a conflict of interest given my history with Lo. I can’t handle this deal effectively.”
Mason went still, an uncertain expression on his face. “Are you serious?”
“There’s no one I trust more, Mason. I know it’s not your job, so I won’t force you to do it, but I think it would be the best way to move forward.” He leaned back in his seat. “We need this acquisition. When I was in Vegas, I heard from Felix Covington that Covington Biotechnics is considering finding a new partner for future contracts. I’ve bungled the whole thing, and my involvement is now detrimental to the deal.”
“I...I just don’t know that I’m equipped to handle something like this, Aiden. What if I mess it up?”
“I’m still happy to advise you and even do most of the work behind the scenes. But I need you to be the face of the deal. Having a Camden there is important, but it doesn’t have to be me. And, sadly, it’s down to you and me.”
Lola’s silence over the past few weeks—considering the bomb she could potentially explode in his life if she wanted—had been disconcerting. He’d tried to simply put it out of his mind, considering he could do little about it. He was swamped with work anyway, but he needed to do somethingto be certain the next meeting about Ipolymer wouldn’t blow up in his face again.
He’d questioned this over and over, whether Lola had been simply biding her time to make him sweat or if she wasn’t going to use the ammunition she thought she had after all. But he knew without a doubt that Lola would hold a grudge, and for Camden Enterprises to get the deal, the only option was for Mason to run it.
“Damn Logan and Quinn for getting out of working here,” Mason said with a self-conscious laugh, returning Aiden’s focus to the conversation. “Maybe we’re just more dimwitted than they are.”
“That’s for damn sure.” Aiden palmed his face, the scruff of his jaw rubbing like sandpaper against his hand. “They got out early. Like rats off a sinking ship.”
He reached for his mail and started thumbing through it. “But I promise you, I’ll make this as easy on you as possible. I’d do it myself, but Lola is determined to make this process as difficult as she can.”
“Can’t we just acquire a different company?”
Aiden kept his smile to himself. It wouldn’t do any good to make Mason feel foolish. “Sadly, Ipolymer holds the patents we need. My bigger concern is that someone else is going to snap them up before the ink dries on the deal we’re proposing.”
Mason nodded slowly. “Well, better you than me—I . . . I mean. ..” He chuckled. “Could I think about this?”
“I suppose.” Aiden leaned forward, tossing a letter into the bin without opening it. “But I do need you to be aware that I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t find the situation necessary. As I said, I’ll do most of the work. But we need to change our tactic if we’re going to get this deal done.”
Mason nodded, then stood. “Speaking of Lola, how are things with her? You’re not back together again, are you?”
Aiden’s lips pursed. “Well, when you put it that way ...”
