Her smile grows.
“Piper, I’m the villain in most people’s stories.”
“See, and I think that just makes you more interesting. But also, it’s not true. Ben was a villain, and you are nothing like him.”
I agree, but Ben is a weak-minded fool, whereas I’m self-aware enough to understand how my behavior is perceived by most people. “How can you be so sure?”
“You might be ruthless and direct. You might commit morally gray behaviors to get what you want, but you also pay attention and show remarkable thoughtfulness to the people you care about.”
Shock freezes me in place. Me? Care? What in the—?
“You treat your employees very well.”
“Because I want them to work hard.”
“You let Carson argue with you.”
I wave a hand. “That’s just basic intelligence. If you can’t trust the people you hire to tell you hard truths and speak their mind, then you have no business being in charge.”
“You didn’t have to concede the majority stakes in the business to Finley. But you did.”
I did it to get closer to Piper, and if she knew how I found the property in the first place, she might not be so ready to sing my praises.