“This meeting is over,” Mr. Burrows announced. “Please escort Mr. Hale to his office upstairs. He needs some time to cool off before we can discuss the next steps.”
Rather than fight or look defeated, Macalister appeared how he always did. To the two security guards, he was composed and reserved. Only the hurried movement of his chest and the pulse pounding in his neck hinted that something was amiss.
None of the board moved as he strode to the doorway and disappeared through it, the two gray suits trailing behind like imperial guards.
“Jesus,” Mr. Vanderburgh breathed. “What the fuck was that?”
Royce’s tone was pointed. “Still happy with your vote?”
Mr. Burrows was all business and focused on Royce. “I’ll get Carolyn to work up a draft of the press release.”
“Tell her to move fast,” Royce said. “He wasn’t exactly quiet, and it won’t be long before the entire building knows what happened. Hopefully, we can get it out to the other branches before word hits Twitter.”
The damage was done; now it was a race to control it from affecting the stock price further. I stood awkwardly beside Royce as the men began listing problems and offering solutions. The agenda for the day had been blown to hell. A meeting with the mergers and acquisitions team would be pushed an hour, and as soon as the announcement was made that Macalister was out, Mr. Geffen would start the media blitz.
My part was done, and I wasn’t needed here any longer, but when I tried to inch away, Royce’s hand wrapped around my wrist and stopped me. “Guys, I need ten minutes. We can get someone in here to clean up the mess and all take a few moments to regroup.”
He didn’t wait for them to respond, but most looked relieved at his suggestion.
“Where are we going?” I asked softly as Royce pulled me out into the hall.
He kept my wrist clasped in his hand, gently guiding me toward the end of the hallway. “I need some air.”
The curious eyes of the employees were fixed on us as we went, making me feel horribly on display. It wasn’t until we stepped into the elevator that I was able to catch my breath. I’d expected we would head down to the street, but Royce punched in his passcode and pressed the button for the top floor.
As soon as the doors shut, the full gravity of what had happened hit me. “You did it,” I whispered.
He gave me a look like I was crazy. “No, Marist. You did.” His hand slipped down until he could thread his fingers with mine. “How the hell did you get Liam Shaunessy to give you his vote? I couldn’t convince him to break from my dad.”
I swallowed hard. “My offer was ten million dollars . . . and that I wouldn’t tell your father he was having an affair with Alice. I think it was the second part that convinced him.”
“What?”
“Sophia told me.”
Royce closed his eyes and shook his head. “First Vance, and then Liam. She sure knows how to pick the guys to get under my dad’s skin.”
The elevator came to a stop, and the doors peeled open to reveal a hallway similar to the one we’d just been in downstairs. I didn’t get a good look because Royce slapped the close door button, sealing us back in together. The mood in the elevator shifted and thickened, aided when Royce’s arms wrapped around me.
I set my forehead against the side of his neck and laid my cheek against the lapel of his coat. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you my plan, or that I was coming in with him today. You can read through his lies, but I think the same is true for him.”
And I’d needed his hubris to keep him talking in the car this morning. If he’d told me he’d swayed one of the votes we were counting on, I’d have told Royce to cancel the meeting and delay until we had the numbers.
Or a new plan.
But my deception had worked, and Royce had dethroned his father.
My husband’s chest lifted, and he stroked a hand over my hair. “You did what you had to, and it was nothing compared to what I put you through.”
I closed my eyes, grateful to have both him and everything we wanted.
The elevator didn’t move. We were trapped together in the glass box atop Mount Olympus, and even though we could see ships moving in the harbor and people on the sidewalks, it felt like we were all alone. I wanted the moment to last longer than it did, but Royce made a strange sound. His chest shuddered.
Oh, my God. Was he . . . crying?
I lifted my head, only to find an enormous grin on his face. He wasn’t crying, he was laughing, with relief or simple emotional overwhelm, I couldn’t tell.