Page 107 of Matchmaking the CEO

"By the way," Gabe said, turning to me, "I heard you’re going to Maddox's event."

I looked at him in surprise. "How do you know about it?"

“Because all of us are going."

"Obviously," Cade added.

"Except Colton. He hasn't RSVP’d yet," Spencer said.

"We're not going to convince that one to come," Gabe said.

Spencer frowned. "Yes, I will."

For the first time today, Colton chuckled. "I like it when you talk about me as if I'm not here."

Spencer shrugged. "You're clearly lost in that big brain of yours. It's not so far-fetched, really."

Cade turned to me. "Grandmother said you have news."

"Yes, I do," I said.

“Good. Time to share it with us," Grandfather responded. It was the first time he'd spoken since we sat at the table. No one was touching their food. I could tell everyone was on edge.

I got up and grabbed the file I’d left on the console table by the entrance.

"I'm going to guess that whatever you want to say has to do with that," Grandfather said, pointing at the folder as I sat down.

I nodded. "Yes. This is an offer to buy Whitley Advertising."

Grandmother sank lower in her chair. My brothers didn’t react at all.

Grandfather frowned. "One of the first things you said is that no one is going to pay what it's worth."

"That was months ago. Whitley Advertising is in much better shape now, and the offer reflects that. It's a very good price, if I say so myself. I've done the calculations."

"Who wants to buy it?" Grandfather asked.

"David Kazinski from The Advertiser. You know him."

"That’s a reputable company. Give me the folder."

I handed it to him, and he immediately opened it. I put the dollar amount on the first page. The details were in the rest of the stack. Grandfather seemed too stunned to speak for a moment.

"I wasn’t expecting this."

“David is a smart man. He knows the value of the company. He knows we have a huge client base. And the recent mismanagement of cash flow does not reflect on the creative work the team does."

He put down the file without looking through the rest of the stack. Then again, I hadn't expected him to. If he were inclined to consider this, he’d go through it later.

Grandfather looked at Grandmother, who simply nodded, and then he looked back at me. "We’d prefer for the company to stay in the family, but ultimately it's your call."

"Why would it be my call?"

“Because you’re the CEO now. You’ve worked hard to turn it around."

“It's still not my call. It's your company."

“It's yours too," Grandmother said softly. "It's all of ours."

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