Filed to story: Katy and Brayden Cooper Novel
“Pendant Enterprises, your mother’s company, has a specific clause regarding the CEO position.”
I let out a short, sharp scoff. Of course it does. My mother’s company always had a million rules and clauses. My jaw flexes as my eyes shift from Mr. Park to the man sitting beside him-my father. And right next to him, the woman who pretends she’s invisible whenever I walk into the room.
I jab a finger at the paper. “So you’re saying I have to actually work there? Like, be an employee and show up at least once a week just to keep my title as CEO?”
BRAYDON’S POV
Mr. Park gives a small nod. “That’s correct. If you fail to meet the condition, your control and rights will automatically transfer to-“
“I can do it,” I interrupt, leaning back in my chair before he can finish.
Mr. Park blinks, clearly thrown off. He glances at my father, who looks less surprised and more irritated, like my answer just ruined whatever plan he had lined up.
I let my gaze flick to Bryan’s mother, her eyes darting away the second I catch them. Figures.
A slow grin spreads across my face as I chuckle under my breath. “What’s wrong? You both look like you weren’t expecting me to agree.”
“You do realize you’re still a student, and Pendant Enterprises is about five hours away from Boston?” Mr. Park says, slipping off his glasses and cleaning them slowly.
“Is that why you went digging through all the company bylaws to find this one?” I shoot back. “You were hoping I’d say I can’t do it, weren’t you?”
He exhales, shaking his head. “I’m simply acting as your family lawyer, Braydon. My job is to make sure everything runs smoothly. You’re in your final year of college and you’ll graduate in a few months. For now, it’s simply not practical to have you running a company your mother cherished without a full-time CEO.”
I tilt my head. “Is that what my father told you to say?”
My old man sighs, glaring at me from across the table. His mistress-yes, the same one who used to be my mother’s assistant, places a hand over his like I’m the one ruining their perfect day. The nerve.
“You see,” I continue, looking straight at Mr. Park, “my father is already acting CEO. So why say the company doesn’t have one? Oh, wait, because he can’t make any financial moves without my approval. Because I have the final say.”
Mr. Park starts to speak, his voice strained. “You’re looking at this from the wrong angle, Braydon. This isn’t about-“
“I have nothing else to say.” I cut him off, leaning back in my chair. “I said I’ll do it.”
His brows lift slightly.
“Once a week, right?” I ask. “Yeah, I can work something out with the academic advisor that handles athlete schedules.” I shrug, forcing a small grin. “How hard can it be to be in New York once a week?”
The air goes flat for a second, like someone drained the color out of the room and disappointment folds across their faces in slow motion. I can practically see the wheels turning in my father’s head, the same ugly calculus that’s always been there: how to get his hands on my mother’s company and pretend it wasn’t theft. Did they really think this would be easy? That I’d roll over? Cute.
Mr. Park clears his throat. “Braydon, you should think this through. No one is taking Pendant from you. Your mother’s will-“
I rise to my feet and loop my bag over my shoulder. “Instead of making me buy a plane ticket and miss my classes today, you could’ve called. This was a waste of my time, Mr. Park.” I start for the door, then stop and turn back, because I can’t help myself. “And for the record, tread carefully. I may as well fire you as our family lawyer. After all, you’re only here because of my mother.”
Before I can move, my old man slams his hand on the table. The sound cracks through the room, his body trembling with rage. Bryan’s mother gasps and presses a hand to her mouth like she’s watching a car crash in slow motion.
“I’ve had enough of you,” he snarls, hauling himself up. He points at me, the veins in his neck look bulging. “I’ve let you run wild for too long. Not anymore. It ends today!”
Slowly, I turn, my fist curling at my side. I’ve kept my temper because I hadn’t heard a word come out of his mouth yet. Now that I have, it’s different.
“What did you say?” I ask. “Run wild?”
“Sign this.” He jabs a finger at the file on the table. “Sign this or you’ll lose everything, even after graduation. I’ll make sure of it!”
A laugh slips out of me before I can stop it. It’s half disbelief, half anger. “You threaten me? Really?” I step closer until the table is a sliver between us. “Lose everything? What legal right do you think you have to threaten me? To take my mother’s company?”
He opens his mouth, throat working. “You won’t-“
“It’s hers!” I roar, every nerve in my body snapping to life. I slam my hand against my chest. “It belonged to my mother. Everything! You were nothing before she fell in love with you! And now…now you stand here acting like some kind of king?”
I tilt my head, my breath trembling as heat rises up my neck. “Tell me something,” I say, my voice cracking just a little. “Did you ever even love her?”
For a moment, something flickers across his face…something small like guilt, but it’s gone as quickly as it showed. His fists clench and unclench at his sides, jaw tightening.
“You cheated on her seven months into your marriage with her secretary,” I hiss. “And had another kid. Yet she stayed with you because of me!”
The words burst out of me and I blink, tears blurring my vision. My hand brushes my cheek, surprised to feel them there and I chuckle.
“She endured you sneaking around with your mistress because she wanted me to have a complete home. She thought keeping the family together would save me from growing up in chaos.” I gesture toward him, my voice cracking again. “And now you stand there and threaten to take things from the only reason you can afford that fancy watch on your wrist?”
His mouth opens, closes, opens again. Nothing comes out and his face trembles.
My gaze slides past him to the woman sitting quietly at his side. “And you,” I breathe out, my chest heaving. “You’re so irrelevant I can barely remember your fucking name. But I know exactly what you’re waiting for, the big slice of my mom’s pie, right?”
She flinches, looking away.
“The truth is,” I continue, “I’d rather die than let you have it. You think you’ve won something here, that you’ve got him?” I scoff, my tears mixing with a bitter grin. “You don’t. My dad’s a piece of shit and you deserve him, because you’re the same kind of worthless.”
The room goes dead still and my pulse pounds in my ears.
I turn to Mr. Park. “You’re right, I’m a business administration major and I’ll graduate soon. I’ve been respectful. I even agreed to the deal with my father so I can graduate the way Mom wanted, or I lose everything.” I let that hang for a beat, watching their faces blink at the reminder.
“But I know a little about law, too,” I add. “So if you step out of line, or help this man take a dime from Pendant, I’ll sue you both into the ground. Pendant’s worth thirty-five billion so 0.1% of that is all I need to make your lives very unpleasant. Consider that a friendly warning.I spin on my heel and head for the door, my bag swinging against my back. I pause, my hand on the door knob. “If you knew what tomorrow is, you wouldn’t have pulled this stunt today.
Assholes.”
Then I walk out.
KATY’S POV
“I should’ve considered robbing your closet instead of crying,” I say, rolling my eyes at Allie.
She’s been teasing me nonstop for the past ten minutes, ever since her feeding tube got removed and she regained her freedom to bully me. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Mrs. Katherine had to go and tell her that I’d been crying when she was out. Now, she’s acting like an adult holding candy just out of a kid’s reach. That kid being me.
She grins and pats my hand in a dramatic manner. “Thanks for hanging around, though.”
I exhale and sink deeper into the chair beside her bed. “It’s not like you’ve got another friend I don’t know about.”
She leans back slowly, careful with her movements, but the smirk stays. “Oh, please. I have plenty.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. Then a thought slips in and I stare at her, wondering whether to share.