“You don’t need to worry about the banker,” Noah says, without meeting our gazes.
My eyes narrow. “What are you going to do?”
“Oh, nothing. But he won’t be trouble for you much longer. You’ll be able to keep the funds,” says Noah. He finally looks up and we collectively shudder at the look in his eyes.
A fist suddenly knocks on the backroom door.
“The can’s down the hall!” shouts Jackson.
The person knocks again, then starts pounding incessantly.
“Get lost!” Axel growls.
Any sane person would scram, but whoever stands on the other side of the door is dumb enough to keep knocking.
“Nathan King! I know you’re in there!”
We freeze.
“No way,” Griffin whispers.
Jackson rubs his hands together. “Oh, this is going to be good.”
But I’m frozen, too shocked to manage a word. Hope, lust, frustration, and even longing, rage inside me. Here’s the one person I simultaneously want so desperately to see and yet never meet again.
Noah rolls his eyes and gets to his feet, then stalks to the door. I’m still frozen, both dreading and hopeful for what will happen once it opens.
Noah jerks the door open. And there she is. Jude Shaw, standing in the doorway, glaring at the lot of us.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jude
Northwood calls me into his office a week after the deal implodes with Old Abe’s. Ever since I’ve tried to contact Nathan, to apologize for the horrible nightmare this situation has become. He’s ignored every call. Has he even listened to my voicemails? Heard any of my explanations?
Does he know that I never intended for this to happen, that I’m sickened by what Northwood has done? I figured that after a few days to cool off, he would have realized that I had nothing to do with this. I mean, contacting his banker? Actually stealing his product? No way would I have been involved with that.
But I did fail to prevent Northwood from doing what he did.
And I never told him that Northwood threatened to fire me.
Or that Noah threatened to sue me.
Now it’s too late. He won’t take my calls.
Taking a deep breath to fortify myself against what will surely be a dismal meeting, I enter Northwood’s office. It’s designed in typical masculine style. Lots of wood, dark colors, bold furniture. An impressive bar stretches across one wall, where Northwood sits in one of the leather armchairs.
My brows raise before I quickly hide my surprise. I thought this was a business meeting, but he’s lounging at the bar instead of sitting behind his desk, drink in hand, staring out the full-length window at the Willamette below.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
His head turns in my direction. “Jude. Come in. Get a drink and then sit with me.”
Unease steals over me as I head to the bar and pour myself a vodka I don’t want. I haven’t been able to stomach bourbon since I left Georgia. When Northwood notices my choice of drink, his brows lift but he makes no comment. I slowly lower myself onto the seat he indicates, perching uncomfortably on the edge. My drink goes untouched.
Northwood studies me for a long moment, his eyes never leaving mine as he lifts his drink to his mouth. We continue to watch each other, the air tingling with anticipation.
When I can no longer stand the silence, I say, “Why am I here?”
He lowers his drink. “Today is a good day, Jude.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed. Do you know why?”
“No,” I say, trying to project a confidence I don’t feel.
He smiles faintly. “Today is a good day because it’s the day I give you your own subsidiary.”
My mouth drops open. “S-sir?”
Northwood hasn’t mentioned my promotion since we flew back to Oregon. I haven’t brought it up, either, thankful I still have a job.
Why is he giving it to me now? Just like that? No strings? It feels … odd. Anticlimactic. I’ve waited for this position for almost half a decade, and now that I finally have it, I feel … deflated.
It feels wrong.
His smile deepens. “Congratulations, Jude. This is a big day.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m honored,” I say slowly for lack of something better to say. It makes no sense for him to give this to me now. The deal fell through, he knew I was sleeping with Nate, and I’ve been insubordinate from the start. People don’t typically reward that behavior with a huge promotion.
“You’re welcome.”
I know I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking, but I just can’t help myself. I have to know. “Sir, I must confess I’m a bit confused. I figured you wouldn’t be giving this position to me, not after what occurred in Georgia.”
He cocks a brow. “Oh? And why is that?”
“Because you said I’d only get it if the deal was a success.”
“Ah,” he says. “And it was. So, you got it.”
Now I just gape at him. “What? It wasn’t successful at all. You told me you wanted exclusivity and instead you pulled the deal.”
That faint smile returns. “Oh, come now, Jude. Are you really telling me you never saw through that?”
“What are you saying?” I saw slowly.
He chuckles, then takes another sip. “You honestly thought I wanted exclusivity with a company that has no product? Do I appear insane to you? That was merely a pretext, a way to stall the deal until you gave me those final numbers.
“And it worked, didn’t it? You must have told King that’s what I wanted, yes? Oh, don’t look so shocked, Jude. Of course I knew that’s what you’d do. You’ve been sleeping with the man for weeks and yet I’m to believe you wouldn’t share my plans with him? You’ve always been so ethical, after all. Although it does appear as if you actually broke it off with him, which is quite interesting. I must say I was still on the fence as to whether you’d actually do it.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t insult me. The two of you called into that video meeting looking like you’d just rolled out of bed. I am not a stupid man, Jude, even if you swallowed the line that the video feed wouldn’t work on our end. But I decided I might as well use it to my advantage. It made everything easier, despite your many lies.”
“I never lied to you.”
“You surely did. First with the peaches. Did you think I wouldn’t find out that that brother of King’s went to Lipton for an emergency loan after the fire? And yet you’re leading me to believe that ‘there’s plenty of peaches, Charles?’ I don’t think so.”
“What did you give Lipton? He can’t legally disclose financial information about his clients. What did you do?” I say, barely controlling the fury in my tone. The idea that he’s known all along about my relationship with Nate and decided to use it against us physically repulses me. I feel violated in the worst way.
“I offered him the same thing King did: an equity stake in the new subsidiary. What else? You’d be surprised what people are willing to do when vast sums of money are involved.”
“But that makes no sense,” I say. “The deal fell through. You made it fall through. Are you telling me Lipton did all this for an equity stake of nothing?”
Charles smiles again. I shudder. “It only appears that way from where you’re standing, Jude. Now, how about we go to dinner to celebrate?”
“In what capacity?”
His smile stiffens. “In a personal one. To celebrate.”
My stomach twists in revulsion. Is this it, then? Is this the string? I get the promotion, but only if I go to dinner with him? “I’ve already told you that I don’t get involved with people at work. My own personal rule.”
“Oh, come now, Jude. Clearly, you’ve demonstrated you’re willing to bend that rule. You know I’ve always admired you. Why not bend the rule for me?”
Because I’d rather peel my skin off th
an date you!
“So are you saying that I only get the promotion if I agree to go out with you?” I say, not caring how stupid it is to provoke him. I don’t care. This a price I’ll never pay.
The smile turns to a frown. “No, Jude. Of course not. That would be highly unethical.”
Yeah, and he denied it only because I called him on it. But if I had never spoken up for myself and caved to the pressure, well, then he would have gotten what he wanted without having to deny it for the sake of propriety. It would have been on me.
Scumbag.
“I see,” I say, but I don’t. Not really. It makes no sense why any of this is happening. “So then you won’t mind if, for my first act as head of this sub, I add Old Abe’s to the portfolio.”
Something flashes across his face. “That won’t be necessary.”
I place my drink very carefully on the table next to me. “And why is that?”
Northwood climbs to his feet. I watch as he heads for his desk and begins typing. Turning the screen toward me, he motions me closer.
“You want to know how the deal was a success. Well, this is how.”
I stare down at the screen. It’s our homepage with an announcement about my promotion.
“It just went live five minutes ago.”
When I joined him for this meeting.
“Take a moment to read it, Jude.”
I edge closer, horror growing with each word I read. By the time I reach the end, I’m thankful I never drank any of the vodka. I would have hurled it right back up.
“As you can see,” says Northwood, turning the screen back toward him, “we no longer have use for Old Abe’s.”
I stumble back from him. “You never intended to sign him, did you? Nathan was right! You stole his product! This was your plan from the beginning. And you had me help you do it!”
“Jude, Jude. Did you really have no idea? It’s a ridiculously small company. Literally a one-man show. You yourself confirmed that when you told me he’s nearly out of product. One case left? Really, Jude? He’s nowhere near ready to distribute. And you think I’d seriously consider working with him? It’s farcical.”
“But you certainly believed me when I said it tasted exceptional,” I say bitterly.
He nods. “Of course. Your taste is without equal, Jude. Like I said, I am not a stupid man. If you say something is good, it’s good.”
“But you’re not above outright theft.”
“That’s fairly hard to prove, Jude. After all, my attorneys have attended all of our meetings and have assured me I never made an outright promise, never crossed the line into anything actionable. Why else would I always have them present?”
I laugh bitterly. “And here I thought the scope of the deception was mere exclusivity.”
He scoffs. “I had to tell you something so you wouldn’t suspect I really intended to steal the product. And you believed it, so very easily. Not even you, Miss Shaw, were that jaded in the end. It’s almost refreshing.
“All I cared about was how much stock he already had. Why else would I keep asking you this entire time for the answer? Since he has virtually nothing, it’s impossible for him to beat me to market. Not with my vast resources and connections. Now, even if he eventually does distribute Old Abe’s—such an annoying name—it will be as if he copied me. The irony.”
He laughs again, and it’s all I can do not to rake my nails down his smug face.
“I’ll never let you do this.”
Oh God. Oh my God. It is my fault this happened. I played right into Northwood’s hands. All the help I gave Nate, all the information I learned from his process—I reported all of that back to Northwood. He’s got it all. I thought it was due diligence. I thought it would help Northwood decide to cut a deal.
Instead, he used it to steal the product.
After dealing with my parents all my life, after dealing with Northwood, I thought I could foresee anything. I arrogantly believed I was helping Nate by telling him what Northwood really wanted in the contract.
But I actually did exactly what Northwood wanted me to do.
“I told you, I’ve told you many, many times, that I would never do anything illegal or unethical. And now this? I won’t be a part of it.”
Northwood shrugs. “It’s too late, Jude. It’s already announced.”
“So pull it from the website,” I snap.
“We’ve already sent out a press release.”
“I’ll go public. I’ll tell everyone what you did.”
He smiles, and this time it distinctly reminds me of a shark smelling chum. “Ah, but Jude, I wouldn’t advise that, actually. Not with all those non-disclosure agreements you’ve signed. And especially not since this is your doing, after all.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Well, it wasn’t me who learned everything about this product. It wasn’t me who stayed for a month in Georgia, amassing all the secrets of Nate’s label. It wasn’t me who wanted to add the product to our portfolio in the first place. And it certainly wasn’t me who got a huge promotion from this deal. That was you, Jude. All you. What do you think is going to happen if you go public now? Who would listen to you?
“Any outsider—any court—is going to look at this situation and see that it was all you. You must have been willing to do anything—even stealing a product—to secure that promotion for yourself. I merely put an end to the deal, once I found out about the problems Nathan was having with his loan. Not you. You overlooked that. It was you who stole the product, Jude. Not me. And the best part was, you didn’t even realize you were doing it.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jude
“You planned this all from the beginning,” I say faintly. “You set me up!”
He stares at me coldly. “You’ve always thought you were so much better than you really are, Jude. So much smarter. So much more talented. And sure, you’re talented. But did you ever truly believe you could best me?
“I made you. You are entirely a creation of my own making. I’m the one who hired you. I’m the one who honed those taste buds of yours. And you thought I would just let you make the decisions yourself? I own you. Any promotion, any control I give you in this industry is solely because I allow it.
“You are nothing without my support. Clearly, this deal needed to remind you of that. I knew you’d never steal a product, and since you found this one among our many unsolicited submissions before I could, I had to figure out a way to still have it while sidelining you. It was almost too easy.”
“That’s how you found all the other companies to screw over. They actually submitted to you in the first place!”
“Of course. What better way to find desperate companies ripe for the taking?”
“Nathan could take you to court. I’ll tell him everything, and he’ll sue you into oblivion.”
Northwood shakes his head, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I don’t think so. While he’s probably reading the announcement right now and assuming you’ve used him callously, I remember the way he looked at you. Any man can recognize that look on another man’s face. Complete captivity. You snookered him real good. Even in the end, after you must have ended it, he still couldn’t stop looking at you.”
Northwood salutes me with his glass. “No, he won’t come after NBI. Because doing so would also mean hurting you. Ruining you. And despite how much you’ve hurt him, the man appears to have a scrap of honor left. I’d even respect him for it, were he not so easily manipulable. And I have to say, it neatly neutralized any possible lawsuit he may have filed in retaliation. Not even I anticipated that. So again, I salute you, Jude. You’ve performed incredibly.”
I stumble away from him, disgust roiling in my gut. How the hell am I still working for this asshole? How did I ever last this long at NBI? For a stupid promotion? Really? Was any of that worth this?
I’m just like my parents. Dear God, I’m just like them.
All I’ve cared ab
out is my career. It didn’t matter that I knew for years that unethical shit was happening in this company. I never was involved. I never sullied my hands. So it was fine. I looked the other way all in the desire to get a promotion that, now that I have it, I hate myself for earning.
I’ve always despised my parents for stepping on others in their pursuit up the corporate ladder. I always thought I was better than them. So much more virtuous. But I’m not.
I’m just like them. Just as bad. Just as unfeeling. Just as selfish.
No wonder Nathan loathes me. At this moment, I loathe myself. My ambition has hurt the one man I’ve come to care about.
“I quit.”
Northwood gapes at me. For once, I’ve managed to surprise him. It’s cold comfort. “What?”
I take my employee badge out of my pocket and throw it on his desk. “I quit. Come after me all you want. I won’t work for you for another instant. Fuck you and your subsidiary.”
“This is a mistake.”
I glare at him defiantly. “I’ve never felt more conviction in my life.”
His face darkens. “You don’t seem to understand. You work for me for as long as I say you do. You will run this subsidiary, and you will do whatever I say to run it. No autonomy. No thinking outside of the box. And in return, I won’t hang you out to dry for stealing Nathan King’s product.”
Cold fear flashes through me, before I remember one thing, one person, who can put a stop to this nightmare. One person who can wipe the smug smile off this monster’s face.
Now I’m the one who smiles.
Northwood pauses, uncertainty flashing across his face that his threat has failed to cow me.
“Oh, I quit all right. And you won’t do a damn thing to me. Nor will you steal Nathan’s product from him. In fact, you better take that announcement down from your website and rescind that press release before word spreads too far. It’ll save you some embarrassment.”
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