The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 1) (15 page)

“My personal life is none of your business,” she said through clenched teeth. “And you have no right to discuss it with me.”

“Oh, but I do have that right. I have a personal and professional interest in your relationship because you are running my company and you are fucking my brother,” Gabe said quietly. “So what’s in it for you? You’ve got what you wanted. And Duncan might actually demote you for being involved with Stephen. So why are you with him?” Gabe asked. His eyes ran over her curiously. There was nothing sexual about it, but it gave her the shivers nonetheless.

Before she could answer, his phone rang. “Gabe Maxfield,” he said as he picked it up. After a few minutes, he was pinching the bridge of his nose. “I see. Thank you for letting me know.”

With a sigh, he hung up the phone and turned to her. “Stephen tried to broker a deal with Alliance Incorporated on behalf of Duncan Enterprises. It didn’t go well,” he said evenly. “Apparently he punched someone at the meeting.”

Angie went cold. “My God. If Alliance goes public with this…”

“They won’t. The CEO is a good friend of someone on our board, and the spokesman has assured us that it won’t go public,” Gabe said. “If you want Stephen, he’ll no doubt be at a bar. There are several within walking distance of his hotel. I’d start there.”

Feeling her chest clench with anxiety, she turned.

“Angie,” Gabe said in a low voice. It stopped her cold, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder. “When I said that Stephen is like Duncan, I wasn’t exaggerating. Choose your next move very carefully. I stand with him on trying to save this company, but my family is a goddamn wreck, and I will not be dragged down with it.”

She’d never seen Gabe like this before. The cold truth was clear as day in his words. She would have to choose between Duncan Enterprises and the Maxfield family. Her career would depend on it.

But she wasn’t a Maxfield. And because of that, she could see the situation a little more clearly than Gabe could. “I won’t let anything stand in the way of my career. I’ve worked too hard for this. It’s a choice I made for the betterment of my family, and now that they’re fine, it’s a choice that I make for myself,” she said quietly. “But your family is in this mess because you’ve always picked your careers over your hearts. You can stand there and say that you’re nothing like Duncan, but if you choose Duncan Enterprises over your own brother, then I’d say that like it or not, you’re exactly like your father.”

“And how is that any different than what you’re doing?” Gabe called out.

“Stephen doesn’t mean anything to me,” she lied.

And with that, she spun on her heels and left. She should have gone back to work, but she wasn’t going to leave Stephen out in the cold. She wasn’t going to be like his family. Because when she walked away from him, it would be with a clear conscience.

She found him in the third bar that she checked. He was hunched over the sleek black counter-top with a glass of ice pressed against his forehead. For a moment, he looked nothing like the Stephen Maxfield she’d spent her nights with. He looked like a lost little boy.

Straightening her spine, she marched over to him and wrenched the glass out of his hand. “What the hell?” he said as he bolted upright.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Alliance?” she hissed as she slammed the glass on the counter. “I could have helped you.”

“Helped me?” he snorted. “You’re only here to help yourself. You’ll stick with Duncan until the bitter end.”

“You overhear one conversation, and you think you have me all figured out? If you had answered your phone calls, you would have known that I was trying to line up more jobs. I’m trying to save this company!”

“Sure you are. Wouldn’t want to be responsible for the death of Duncan Enterprises,” he said as he drummed his fingers on the counter. The bartender set another glass down, and Stephen knocked it back.

“No, I don’t. And I won’t apologize for that. You’ve been gone, Stephen. I’ve put everything into this company, so sue me if I don’t want to see it burn.” Turning to the bartender, she waved her hand across her throat to indicate that Stephen was cut off.

“Yes, but I heard what he said last night. If you stick with him, he’ll make all of your dreams come true,” Stephen slurred.

“God, you’re drunk,” she said as her lip curled in disgust. “I am not having this conversation here. You cannot keep acting on your own and expecting results. Everyone in the business world knows that you don’t run Duncan Enterprises. And they all know that there is no love lost between father and son.”

“He may carry more weight, but I am better than him,” Stephen snarled.

“Then prove it,” she snapped. “Sober the fuck up, and help me. Stop letting your emotions get the better of you.”

Stephen’s smile slowly spread across his face. “Help you? You’re such a hypocrite. Don’t think I haven’t been paying attention to you. You put this company first every time. Over your family. Over yourself. Don’t judge me for being the lone wolf, sweetheart. You’ve been going it alone for some time now, and it looks like that’s not going to change.”

His words hurt her. She thought about her family. The way her mother begged and pleaded to see her. But it was different for her. “Don’t you dare compare us,” she whispered. “I raised my siblings. They would not be where they are now without me. And there is nothing wrong with wanting something for myself.”

Stephen slowly stood and moved so that he was only inches from her. “And what is it exactly that you want?” he said as he ran his fingers under her chin. “The company? Me?”

She jerked her head away. “Can’t I want both?”

“Sure. You can want anything and everything. But you can’t keep half-assing it. Prove to me that you’re in this hook, line, and sinker. Prove to me that I mean more to you than Duncan.”

“What makes you think you do?’ she asked softly.

“You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t mean something. You would have left me to drink myself into a stupor.”

“I’m here because I’m angry with you,” she countered.

“No. You’re not. And all you have to do is admit it. You mean something to me, Angie. And I want to make this work. Let me take you out to dinner. Let me not be afraid you’ll freak out every time I touch you at work,” he whispered as he placed a hand on the small of her back.

For a moment, she closed her eyes. Wouldn’t that be nice? She could touch him any time she wanted. She could wear a nice dress and hold his hand over the dinner table. She could go home with him in the afternoon and relax with him on the couch.

But she’d risen above the rumors about Duncan because they weren’t true. How would she do it with Stephen?

“I don’t do ultimatums,” she said coldly. “And if you really cared for me, you wouldn’t put me in this position. You’d accept me for who I am.” Pushing his hand away, she stepped back. “Goodbye, Stephen.”

As she walked out of the bar, tears burned her eyes. She’d lied to Gabe. And now she wasn’t sure that she was any better than the men of the Maxfield family.

S
tephen drove
out to Half Moon Bay and looked at the house that was nearing completion. After Suzanne had left him, he’d started building it. In his mind, he saw himself setting up the structure for a new life. He’d loved Suzanne, but in the end, he hadn’t been able to show her how much she meant to him. After she left, he’d vowed that he wouldn’t be that man anymore.

But as he stared at the house, he realized that nothing had changed. Maybe that was why he couldn’t bring himself to finish it. The light grey siding had already been installed, and the windows gleamed under the sunlight. But the unfinished door still rested against the house, and the bundles of tile and hardwood were still in their boxes. The house could have been—should have been—finished months ago.

And now he was exactly where he was when he started the house. Only, instead of losing Suzanne and Ben, he’d lost Angie and the Maxfield family. Gabe had counted on him, and he let him down. He’d let everybody down.

He’d bought the land on Half Moon Bay because it overlooked the Pacific Ocean. It was hard to get away from the beach in California, but unlike many of the natives, he never grew tired of the ocean. No matter how many times he looked at it, he would always feel so small. And that was good. It was good to be reminded that there was something bigger, older, and far more powerful than he would ever be.

Since he had nothing better to do, he decided he might as well work on the house. With a sigh, he set up the workhorses and waded through the pile of materials until he found the stain. Setting the door up, he pulled out a paintbrush and went to work. Slow even strokes back and forth.

As he finished, a car pulled up in the drive. Frowning, he looked up see Nathan and Ben getting out of the car.

“Hey, Dad!” Ben called out cheerfully as he waved.

“Ben? What are you doing here?” he said as his son ran to him. Bending down, he scooped him up into a big bear hug.

“Uncle Nathan picked me up from the bus stop. He said we were all going to hang out this afternoon. I didn’t know we’d be working on the house! So cool! I’m going to pick out my room!” Delight danced in his eyes as he ran to explore the house.

Flabbergasted, Stephen turned to Nathan. “How did you know that I was here?”

“One of the guys from Maxfield Construction called and said that they’d finished dropping off the materials that you’d ordered,” Nathan said quietly. “I figured you be out here working. You’ve done a lot.”

“Well, the last time you were out here, I was pouring concrete in the dirt. That was quite a while ago,” Stephen said with a shrug. “I figured that I don’t have anything else going on, so I might as well finish it.”

“Neither do I at the moment. How can I help?”

Stephen turned to survey the house. There was still a lot to do. Nathan could have helped with the tile in the kitchen or the cabinets in the bathroom. There was still carpeting and painting left to do. But there was something even more important that Stephen wanted to get done.

“Grab those two by fours,” he said as he pointed to the pile, “and help me carry them around back.”

Nathan wordlessly helped him gather the wood, then Ben joined them. As Stephen divvied up the tools, they started nailing the boards together. After a few minutes, another figure came around the corner. Stephen straightened to see Gabe, still in work attire, standing there, surveying them. Then, without a word, he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a hammer.

As Stephen helped Ben hold some of the frames and Gabe started pounding away at the nails, Nathan grabbed a pencil and began drawing on the plans. Stephen didn’t say anything. His brother was the best designer he knew, and if he saw something that needed changing, then Stephen wasn’t about to argue.

The hours passed, and eventually the sun went down. Stephen flicked on the project spotlights, and they worked well past dinnertime. Finally, the men stood back and surveyed their work.

“It looks like the one we grew up with,” Gabe said.

Stephen smiled. The back patio of their old house was always Stephen’s favorite place. That was where their father barbecued, where their mother read to them, and where the boys played ball and wrestled. But when Duncan had enough money, they tore down the patio and completely renovated it. It quickly became an adults-only entertainment area. No kids allowed.

He’d always missed that old place. He hadn’t even realized when he’d started building the house that he was replicating it.

“It should be sturdy enough to add a second level to the bottom,” Nathan said with a frown. “And our fire-pit was tacked on, but you can do a permanent one now. Plus this will give us room for the old benches that used to be there.”

“This is so cool,” Ben breathed. “My friends and I are going to love this.”

“Good,” Stephen said with a smile as he reached out and ruffled his hair. “But you can’t play any video games out here.”

Ben shrugged and gave his father a grin. “That’s okay.”

Gabe and Nathan joined Ben, and they all stood and stared at Stephen. He nodded at them. “I couldn’t have done this without you, guys, thanks,” he said softly.

“Maybe it’s time for the Maxfield men to stick together,” Gabe said softly. “We’re more like him than we let on.”

“Or than we’d like to admit,” Nathan said bitterly. “But we don’t have to fight it. We can embrace it. Duncan Maxfield could do anything he put his mind too, and so can we.”

Stephen threw his head back and laughed. “Even if that means changing the mind of one Duncan Maxfield?”

“Even that,” Gabe said with a smile.

They turned and watched the moon’s reflection over the water, and just like that, Stephen knew what he was going to do. If Duncan was burning down the company for his family, maybe it was time he let Duncan know what his family wanted from him.

* * *

A
ngie sat
in her car outside Duncan Maxfield’s home. He wasn’t expecting her, and the house was shrouded in darkness. Gabe’s and Nathan’s cars were nowhere to be seen. She’d left Stephen. Left him broken in a run-down bar, and that was enough to leave her shaking.

What was she doing with her life?

She’d driven here because this is where she came with all her problems. But up to now, all her problems had always been work-related. Duncan couldn’t help her with this one. So what was she doing here?

Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she called her mother’s number. “Angie?” her mother asked softly as she answered the phone. “Angie, what’s wrong?”

Exhaling a deep sigh, she couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “How did you know something was wrong?”

“A mother always knows. Now tell me. I’m all yours.”

“Everything,” she whispered. “Everything is wrong. Duncan is sabotaging the company. Gabe thinks I’m just like Duncan, and Stephen doesn’t trust me because he thinks I’m helping Duncan.” She rested her forehead in her other hand. “How did everything go so wrong?”

“It doesn’t matter what they think, Angie. It only matters what you think,” her mom said soothingly.

“I told Gabe that I didn’t love Stephen,” she whispered.

“So you lied?”

“God, I don’t know,” Angie cried as she shook her head. “None of this was supposed to happen. I was on my way to be CEO of Duncan Enterprises, and now it’s all falling apart.”

“None of that has anything to do with whether or not you love Stephen. Maybe it’s all falling apart because you refuse to be true to your heart.”

“But this is what I’ve been working for my whole life,” Angie said fiercely.

Her mother gasped. “Oh Angela. That’s not true. Before the accident, you were all heart. You were the little girl who was going to conquer the world with love. But then your father died, and I lost the ability to walk. You lost your mother that day, and it took me years to realize it. And in those years, you raised that family better than I ever could. And when I came back to you, it was too late.”

“What are you talking about?” Angie said. “I helped out, but you’ve always been there.”

“That’s not true, and you know it. I try to be a good mother now, but you were there when it counted the most. Even now, my children go to you with their problems. Oh, they love me. I know that. But you raised them. And in doing so, you’ve lost your idea of self.”

“But this is me,” Angie protested. “This is what I want to do.”

“If it’s what you wanted to do, you would not be calling me and crying. My love, you’ve proven to everyone but yourself what you’re capable of. You think you’ll be happy at the top, but I’m afraid you’ll realize how lonely it is up there. And it will never be enough for you.”

Angie thought back over the last few years of her life. Duncan Enterprises and whiskey. That was it. Sure, she showed up to family functions, but if her phone rang, she was gone. If it didn’t ring, she felt cheated. She went on dates, but the men rarely darkened her door, and none of them ever made it past the third date.

She’d put her whole life on hold for Duncan Enterprises, and soon she’d lose that as well. “What do I do?”

“Believe in yourself, Angie. Be true to your heart
and
your head.”

Slowly, Angie lowered the phone and disconnected the call. Be true to her heart
and
her head? Clenching her fists and narrowing her eyes, she reached for the door handle and pushed it open. She may not have known what she was doing here at Duncan’s house, but she wasn’t leaving until she had her say.

She slammed the car door. Marching up the front steps, she banged loudly on the front door of the house. “Duncan. Open up!” she shouted.

After a moment, the door opened, and he stood there on the other side staring at her. “Now you listen to me, old man. I have given you and your damn company my best years. I was here for you when your sons were not, and I don’t give a damn how fucked-up your family is. If you think ruining this company is your only way back to salvation, then you haven’t learned a damn thing. Those men are united against you to save Duncan Enterprises, and if you doubt that for a second, then you know nothing about them. This company isn’t just you. It’s their mother. It’s their childhood. For Gabe, it’s his whole life since he left college, and for all of them, it’s their future. If you take that away from them, you’ll really be the monster they think you are. It’s lonely at the top, but it’s only lonely because you’ve made it that way. You want to save your family? Let them in. That’s all. Admit that you love them, and let them in.”

Her chest heaved as he continued to stare at her. She had no doubt that she sounded like a madwoman. She probably looked one too. But for once in his life, Duncan Maxfield was speechless.

“Good night,” she nodded awkwardly as she turned and moved down the steps. She knew that he watched her all the way out to her car. And for the first time in a long time, she didn’t care what happened tomorrow.

She’d finally done something that made her proud of herself.

* * *

“
A
ny chance
we could revive the Alliance deal?” Nathan queried as he leaned over in the chair. Gabe, rather than hiding behind his desk, perched on it while Stephen leaned against the wall and watched his two brothers.

They weren’t running their own projects anymore. They were working together. And so far, it was failing miserably.

But they’d only been at it a few hours.

“I doubt it,” Stephen sighed as he raked his hands through his hair. “Even if Fine didn’t make this company sound completely unbalanced, me punching him probably did the trick.”

“Never could contain that temper.”

Stephen straightened as Duncan slowly hobbled into the office. Nathan stood immediately. Only Gabe stayed where he was and he eyed their father suspiciously. “Nice of you to make an appearance,” he said slowly.

“It is my company,” Duncan said.

“Not really,” Stephen said with a cheeky smile. “Gabe’s been doing most of the work. You’ve mostly been undoing that work.”

Duncan didn’t respond as he sank into the chair behind the desk. “I hate this place,” he said sourly. “Your mother always hated it. Now I see why.”