Power of the Witch

by Deanna Chase

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brian and William Knox strode into the sleek office of Robert Manchester, both of them ready to spit fire. Since they were actual fire witches, there was a distinct possibility of that reality coming true.

  “Manchester,” William Knox barked. “What is this nonsense about a lawsuit unless my son marries your daughter? Why in the bloody hell would you want a man who doesn’t love her to put a ring on that finger?”

  “Your son embarrassed her and our family,” Robert barked back, using the exact same tone. It was as if they’d taken the same class in assholery. “He will do something to get her out of this mess, or we’re going to have a major problem. I will not let my daughter be the laughing stock of Orange County.”

  Brian stood back with his arms crossed over his chest. It was like watching two roosters in a pen, preening before a cock fight. Egos like theirs were just one of the reasons he’d left LA and moved to Keating Hollow. He couldn’t believe he’d been called back for something so incredibly stupid.

  “Your daughter made up lies for an endorsement deal,” William said. “Don’t think I didn’t find out about that six-figure payout she received for endorsing that bedding line. If you take this to court, that will come out. What do you think will happen when the court records show there never was any wedding? She’ll be repaying that money, probably with some damages. Drop this, have your daughter issue a retraction, and we can all go back to taking care of business.”

  “She didn’t lie.” The short, balding CEO of Manchester Corp said as he stood and walked around the desk. He opened the glossy copy of Cali Style and flipped to the article in question. After clearing his throat, he said, “The direct quote is ‘Yes, we’ve talked about marriage. I’m thinking a fall wedding.’ What about that is false? We have talked about the two of them getting married. Multiple times. And Cara has always said she’d like to get married in the fall on the beach.”

  “The we in that sentence implies she’s referring to my son, Manchester. You’re talking semantics while I’m talking about integrity. We won’t stand for this.” William took a step closer and snagged the magazine out of Manchester’s hands. “You and I both know she crossed a line. If you want to battle it out in the courts—”

  Brian cleared his throat, already losing his patience. “This entire thing is ridiculous. I’ll be issuing a statement to the press that we aren’t engaged, that we never were, and that Cara and I have always merely been family friends. And I’ll leave it at that. It implies the interviewer got it wrong, and we can all move on with our lives.”

  Manchester narrowed his eyes. “That is not how this is going to go down. For now, we’ll do nothing. A few months from now, we’ll leak that the engagement is off and that will be the end of it.”

  Brian briefly wondered if that might be the easiest option. He didn’t give two figs what southern California society thought of him. If Shannon hadn’t been a factor, he might have just said yes, gotten everything in writing, and left town without any intention of ever working with the bastard again. But he did have Shannon to consider. Or at least he had been close to having her before this fake news blew up in his face. And he fully intended to win back her trust. He couldn’t do that if he had to lay low and act like she was someone he had to keep in the closet.

  “I’m dating someone,” Brian said. “I won’t hide that, and I won’t let your daughter insinuate that I was cheating either. So that scenario just isn’t going to work for me.”

  “William,” Manchester said, staring Brian’s dad down with a pointed glare. “Talk some sense into your son. No one wants a scandal here. What’s the big deal, anyway? So, he spends a few months laying low. This doesn’t have to be such an ordeal.”

  Brian moved closer to Manchester, his body vibrating with anger now. “The only reason my father is here today is because you threatened a lawsuit against his company. He isn’t here to negotiate on my behalf regarding what I will or won’t do where your daughter is concerned. Got that? Whatever you have to say, you say it to me or not at all.”

  William Knox let out a tiny grunt of approval and said, “I think it’s best if we dissolve the partnership we started, Robert. It’s clear we don’t share the same values. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the necessary documents.”

  “You can’t do that!” Manchester yelled, his face turning so red it appeared as if he might pop a blood vessel. “We have investors to answer to and projects in the works.”

  “You might have investors,” William said, “but I don’t. Or at least none that have actually put money down yet. This deal wasn’t set in stone, and you know it. You’re banking on the fact that you think we need this. We don’t. There are other ways to achieve the same goal, other businesses that would love to partner with Knox Corp.” He turned to his son. “Brian, you ready?”

  Brian stared at his father, open-mouthed. He hadn’t expected his dad to cut ties with the man completely. They’d known each other forever and had talked about this partnership for years. No matter what his father said, it would be a blow to the company to dissolve this venture now. The only possible reason William Knox was walking away was because he couldn’t stomach working with Manchester after this interaction. Was it the way he’d treated Brian, or was it the threat of a lawsuit? William Knox hadn’t gotten to be a top CEO by being a fool. Any man who impulsively threatened frivolous lawsuits was one who couldn’t be trusted in business, no matter how long they’d known each other.

  “I’m ready.” Brian made eye contact with Manchester. “I’ll give Cara until Saturday to set the record straight. If she doesn’t, I’ll be making my own statement.”

  “Saturday!” Manchester cried. He started to rant about needing more time and that Cara was heartbroken over the entire thing, but Brian ignored it all as he followed his father to the door. He would not be manipulated.

  “You made your bed, and now you’ll have to lie in it,” Manchester called after them. “I hope you have plenty of money for legal fees because I’m going to fight the dissolution of the partnership with everything I’ve got, Knox! And your son is going down with you for services paid but never rendered.”

  Brian paused in the doorway of the man’s office and glanced back one last time. “Your deposit will be refunded to you by the end of the day, sir. Consider our contract null and void.” Then he closed the door behind him and didn’t say another word until his father pulled into the parking lot of the Knox Corporation building.

  “Do you think you can get out of that partnership without any legal tangles?” Brian asked.

  His father shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll meet with legal as soon as I get back into my office.”

  Brian forced himself to not slump down in his seat like he was a sullen teenager. He hadn’t done anything wrong here. There wasn’t anything to feel guilty about. Even so, he hated that something related to his personal life was causing trouble with his father’s business. “Is there anything I can do?”

  His father barked out a laugh. “Yesterday I would’ve said to date Cara and see if you could make a match.”

  Brian bristled, ready to argue, but his father put his hand up, stopping him. “Today my advice is the exact opposite. Stay away from her and Manchester. They are both unstable. I don’t know why I didn’t see that side of Robert before. I guess I always admired his aggressive style in business dealings, but this is the first time I’ve seen him make it so personal. We will not be partners with someone like that.”

  The tension in Brian’s neck eased, and he felt about ten pounds lighter than he had when he woke up that morning in his parents’ house. There were still business consequences to worry about though. “How serious do you think he is about suing us?”

  “It’s probably not an idle threat, but he’ll likely drop it when it gets close to actually being heard by a judge. This is just a tactic to see if he can get us to budge by costing us a lot of money. Don’t worry about it. I’ll put the Knox Corp legal t
eam to work on it and have them cover any filings against Knox Designs as well.”

  Brian had expected his father to offer his resources. It would’ve been out of character for him not to. Robert Manchester wasn’t the only CEO who was protective of his child. But Brian couldn’t allow that. He was a grown man. He’d take care of his own issues. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that, but I can handle it.”

  William Knox raised both eyebrows at his son. “You don’t want me to cover what is guaranteed to be a few years’ worth of legal bills because my business partner tried to screw you?”

  “When I left Knox Corp, I told you that I’d take care of myself. And I have. There’s no reason to change that now.”

  His father let out a bark of laughter. “Stubborn mule. You’re just like me. Now I know your company is going to be a huge success.” His expression turned serious as he peered at his son. “Listen, Brian. I want you to know that I heard you. I took off on my own as a young man, too. There was no way I was going to let my old man help me. I wanted to prove myself, and I had to do it on my own two feet. I get it.”

  “But…” Brian said with a small laugh. “There’s always a but.”

  “But I can’t let you take on the cost of any legal action that is brought on by Robert Manchester. This is on me and your mother for pushing an issue we had no right to push. Let me take responsibility for that. Please.”

  Brian stared at his father for a long moment. Then he slowly nodded, understanding that this was his dad’s way of apologizing to him. “All right. Thank you.”

  “No thanks necessary. Now let’s go get lunch.” His father hopped out of the BMW and was waiting for him near the garage elevators by the time Brian caught up.

  William Knox launched into a conversation about the latest marketing campaign for the hotels, and it was clear they were done discussing Robert and Cara Manchester.

  Chapter Sixteen

  After lunch, Brian said goodbye to his father and went outside in the warm summer sun to wait for Cara. He’d promised he’d talk to her before he left town, but he’d also already ordered his Uber to the airport so the meeting would be cut short. There just wasn’t that much to say. He was taking a seat on one of the sidewalk benches when Cara rushed up to him.

  “Oh, thank goodness I didn’t miss you,” she gushed as she sat down next to him. She was out of breath and looked like she’d been running.

  “Cara, I don’t think we have much to talk about,” he said, ice lacing his tone. “I’ve already told your father everything you need to know.”

  “I came to apologize.” She stared up at him, her blue eyes doe-like. “I made a mistake, and I want to know if you can forgive me. I didn’t mean to cause so many issues.”

  “You told the world that we were getting married when we weren’t even dating,” he all but yelled at her, already completely out of patience. Between the impromptu flight down to southern California and the meeting with her father, Brian was over the whole thing.

  “Shh!” She glanced around warily and then bit down on her lower lip.

  “I don’t have to be quiet,” he said. “I’m not the one who made up a story just to secure an endorsement deal.”

  She hung her head, not even trying to deny her actions. “It was a… mistake.” Her head popped back up, and there were unshed tears standing in her eyes.

  “Cara, I can’t do this right now. My ride will be here soon.” Brian stood and checked his phone to see when his ride would actually get there. Dammit. He’d have to endure her for another four minutes.

  One tear fell down her cheek, and it was all he could do to not scream. This woman needed a therapist or something. She thrust a folded piece of paper at him. “Here. Look at this.”

  He let out a sigh but did as she asked just to pass the time. He unfolded it to find his own handwriting and a doodle of a cartoon man and woman getting married.

  The text said: To Cara, the pretty girl in art class. Since our parents seem determined to pair us off, how about we make a pact that if we aren’t married by the time we’re thirty-five we’ll just marry each other. Circle one. Yes or No.

  The yes had been circled with a red marker, and there was a lip-shaped lipstick imprint below the handwriting.

  Oh, hell. Brian was already thirty-six, and since she was a couple of years behind him, he supposed she was about to turn thirty-five. Why had he been such a flirt in high school? He’d completely forgotten about the note until that very moment. Obviously, it was just the high school shenanigans of a boy looking for attention. He distinctly recalled writing a couple of similar notes to a few other girls he’d known. One in junior high and one in college. At that age, he’d obviously liked having backup options.

  “This was just a teenager’s joke,” Brian said gently, handing the paper back to her. The fact that she’d kept it all those years made Brian uneasy. Had she been carrying a torch for him since they were kids?

  “I know,” she said quietly. “It’s just that our parents were going on about us getting married last time we were all together, and you made a joke about what our kids would look like. And I started thinking maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.”

  He’d made a joke about their kids? It was possible, he supposed. He often made jokes about things he found uncomfortable. And he’d always been uncomfortable with the family expectation and pressure to merge the two empires through marriage.

  “Anyway, then this spring you said I could stay with you for Jacob’s wedding and I… I had that interview shortly after we made those plans, and I was so sure we were finally going to start something this summer. I got completely carried away. I owe you an apology.”

  He stared down at her, completely stunned. The entire situation was so surreal.

  “I know I sound crazy,” she said, turning away from him. “I promise you I’m not going to turn into a stalker or anything. I just… I let my daydreams get away from me. I’m sorry.”

  “All right,” he said quietly, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to demand she issue a retraction, call her father off, and then make sure she stayed the heck away from him and Keating Hollow. But he said none of those things because she was shaking like a leaf and he didn’t want to cause her anymore pain. Instead, he held his arms out for her and folded her into a hug. “It’s going to be all right, Cara. This will blow over, and one day no one will remember or care about it.”

  She let out an incredulous huff of laughter. “Yes, they will.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Things are insane down here, and there’s always a new story to latch onto. Next week by this time, another reality television star will have shoplifted something, and that will dominate the gossip sites.

  Cara pulled back and looked up, giving him a small smile. “You’re a good guy. You know that?”

  “I try. But it gets me in trouble sometimes.” He let her go and stuffed his hands back into his pockets.

  “I will make this right, Brian,” she said, staring at her feet again. “I just wonder if you could give me a few weeks before I make the announcement.”

  “I can’t pretend to be your fiancé, Cara. I have someone in my life. I won’t hide that. The press is already all over it, calling me a cheater and hounding her.”

  She grimaced. “Silas Ansell’s sister. I know. I didn’t mean to cause problems there.”

  “Well, you did. She won’t return my phone calls right now.” His voice was sharper than he’d intended, but there was no point in hiding how angry he was about this whole thing.

  “I’m sorry.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “The only reason I asked is because I… um, need to make another announcement at the same time, and it will be really good publicity.”

  Was she really asking him for a favor after all the trouble she’d caused? “You can’t be serious. So it’s all about you again?” he asked, in a tone laced with both exhaustion and irritation. He glanced around for the Toyota Camry that was supposed to be picking him up.
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  “No, I…” She clamped her mouth shut and muttered something to herself. “Right. I did just make it all about me. I’m sorry. It’s— You know how this town is. All publicity is good publicity.”

  He disagreed and couldn’t wait to get home away from the crazies. Then he eyed her, wondering exactly what she was up to. “What’s the publicity for? Not another endorsement that is tied to the fake engagement, I hope.”

  This time she at least had the decency to flush when he called her out on her ridiculousness. “No. Nothing like that.” She glanced around as if checking to make sure no one was listening. Then she lowered her voice and said, “I’m going to be on that reality show where people are locked in a house for ninety days with the cameras rolling twenty-four hours a day. My participation is still under wraps, and I’m not supposed to say anything just yet. But if I make an announcement that our engagement is broken right after the lineup comes out, it will really help me with the fans. I thought—”

  “Holy shit,” he muttered to himself. She was quite possibly insane. It also meant that perhaps she had a really good shot at winning the show. Not that he cared. He just wanted to go home. “Listen, Cara. Do whatever you want to do. I’m going home. I’m going to work things out with my girl. If the gossip blogs write about us, it is what it is. I’ll make my announcement indicating we were never a couple whenever I feel like it. All right? I’ll expect you to announce that we were never actually engaged and that we’ve gone our separate ways within two weeks. And if you can get your dad to back off the lawsuit, in return, I promise to never say anything else to the press. Deal?”

  “Deal. I’m pretty sure I can make that work for me even if you do announce we aren’t engaged.” She beamed and held out her hand.

  What did she mean by ‘make it work’? His head started to ache, and he considered not shaking with her. He didn’t even want to touch her. But he wanted a gentleman’s agreement, so he took her hand, shook it, and then strode off to the Toyota Camry that had finally arrived to take him to the airport.