Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,54
his life. But now that she was here, nothing else mattered the way she did. “I screwed this up big time.”
“Yeah, you did. But you can fix it.” Nathan hesitated for the briefest moment before continuing. “I do need to know something.”
“What?”
“Are you happy about the baby?”
“I want both of them, Nathan. I want that so damn much I can’t see straight.”
“Then let’s get started.”
…
Holt stood outside Teddy Craddick’s office, still amazed at the irony of what he was about to do. He glanced down at the slim file in his hands and flipped through the already-memorized pages once more.
Damn, but the universe did have a sense of humor.
Teddy’s assistant waved him toward the door. “Please go on in, Mr. Turner.”
The inner sanctum of Teddy’s office was pretty much what he’d pictured, including the small putting green in the corner. Holt strode across it to shake the man’s extended hand. “Thanks for taking the time to see me.”
“I can’t deny I’m curious.”
“You willing to keep what we discuss in this room?”
Holt saw the interest flare in the old man’s eyes, and Nathan’s words came rushing back. He’s also not nearly the mover and shaker he once was. As Holt assessed Teddy through that new lens, he realized he’d been the one who had made the man larger than life. And he’d allowed his guilt to force his hand in ways it shouldn’t have.
On a deep breath, he dived in. “About twenty years ago, you and your wife lost some very valuable belongings. I can’t get them back for you, but I may have a way we can call it even.”
…
Holt settled into the conference room at Craddick Inc. The urge to check his watch was strong, but he put what was to come out of his mind. His mother would be taken care of and the Craddicks would be made whole. While he knew it didn’t fully absolve him of his silence, it went a long way toward making things right. What he cared about even more was phase two of his plans. Making everything up to Mayson.
If his emotions dealing with his mother were a blend of calm indifference and the dull relief things would finally be over, his anticipation at seeing Mayson again was sky-high. A light knock at the door indicated Teddy was ready for him and Holt stood, ready to do his part.
He and Nathan had coached the older man on exactly how he needed to play Eloisa, and as Holt walked down the hall toward Teddy’s office, he got a thumbs-up from Nathan where he hid with a team of NYPD detectives.
True to form, his mother was impeccably dressed, and Holt adopted a sneer as he walked into the room. “What are you doing here?”
“I was invited.”
From that moment, he and Teddy played her like a pair of virtuosos. Craddick laid out the deal on the table. Holt sweetened the pot.
Teddy discussed incentives and his need for a business partner, suggesting Eloisa’s connections might be more than suitable. Holt cut down each of her suggestions, frustrating her into making a mistake. And finally Teddy went in for the kill, suggesting he’d remembered Eloisa from an earlier meeting. Holt watched, fascinated, as his mother shifted from one technique to the next, tactic after tactic as she tried to salvage the meeting.
It was only at the end, when Holt presented Teddy with a check for the lost items, that they finally broke her. The cracks he’d seen in her composure in their latest dealings had been the final piece that had convinced Holt they might have an advantage over her. He’d been proven correct when she went into one of her wild outbursts, her increasing sense of entitlement her ultimate downfall.
…
He stared at his mother where she sat handcuffed and awaiting a trip to police headquarters. Teddy had given them a few minutes alone in his office, time Holt didn’t want or need. After three decades of living with her choices hanging over his head, he thought it almost poetic her downfall had taken such a short amount of time. He felt no remorse for the set up, only a fierce sense of relief.
Her eyes blazed with a blend of anger and hatred as she stared at him across Craddick’s office. “You set me up.”
Holt shrugged. “You should have left me alone.”
“I gave you everything.”
“No, Eloisa. I gave me everything. You’ve done nothing but try to take it away.”
She waved her hands at him where they were