King of Pride (Kings of Sin, #2)(76)

It was difficult to reconcile them with the cold Wall Street titan dominating the business papers and the quiet, melancholic woman before me.

“Thank you.” Alessandra’s smile took on a strained quality. She didn’t look at the mantel.

“Speaking of photos, we should create social media accounts, right? I’m not great at photography, but I can hire a professional…”

I went along with her obvious deflection. It was her marriage. If she didn’t want to talk about it, I wasn’t going to push her.

When I left her house another two hours later, it was late afternoon and I was riding high from our meeting. I had a shit ton of work to do on top of finishing my manuscript, but after getting fired, it was nice to feel useful again.

The ping of a news alert punctured my high as I entered the nearest subway station. I’d set up news alerts for my name against Sloane’s advice. I couldn’t help it; I needed to know what people were saying.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. I expected more tabloid rumors about me and Kai, maybe even someone who’d caught us together in Turks and Caicos. His staff had been the only other people on the island, but one never knew. Sleazy outlets like the National Star had eyes and ears everywhere.

But the most recent wave of headlines had nothing to do with our impromptu getaway and everything to do with me. Specifically, my family and my background.

Bile coated my throat.

Oh, fuck.



CHAPTER 29

Kai

Colin Whidby had been my primary liaison for DigiStream negotiations until his hospitalization and subsequent ouster. Charismatic, gregarious, and prone to hyperbole, he was the type of startup founder who graced magazine covers and was featured in viral interview clips.

Rohan Mishra was his opposite. Quiet, calm and methodical, the twenty-four-year-old wunderkind observed me with obvious skepticism.

I’d finally convinced him to agree to another sitdown, but our talks weren’t progressing any further than they had over email and videoconferencing.

“You have the user base and technology, but you don’t have the ability to scale as quickly as your business demands,” I said. “Your current audience is concentrated in the US, Canada, and pockets of Europe. We can take you global. Our presence in emerging markets—”

“I don’t give a fuck about emerging markets,” Rohan said. “I told you. It’s not about the money.

Colin and I built this company from the ground up. We dropped out of Stanford and worked our asses off to get it to where it is today. He may have been impressed by all the zeroes you’re throwing around, but I’m not. I’ve done my research, Young. You think I’m going to roll over and let some vulturish corporation sweep in and tear us apart the way you did to Black Bear?”

Goddammit, Tobias.

My jaw clenched. The ink hadn’t even dried on the Black Bear contract before he’d pushed through “significant restructuring.” Mass layoffs, destroyed morale. It was a mess.

“I’m not the one running point on Black Bear,” I said. “I assure you, DigiStream will be integrated seamlessly under my watch.”

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s you or someone else running point. It’s all the same.” Rohan shook his head. “You look out for your bottom line, not anyone else’s. With Whidby gone, the company needs stability, not more change.”

Frustration chafed beneath my skin.

Goddamn Whidby. I should get the phrase tattooed, given how many times it crossed my mind.

“Give me a list of specific concerns,” I said. “Layoffs, team restructuring, workplace culture.

We’ll hammer them out. We’ve been in negotiations for over a year, and you and I both know a merger would be a boon to both companies. This is a billion-dollar deal hinging on a few small details.”

“Small but important.” Rohan tapped his fingers against his armrest. “I’ve seen the tabloids, and

I’ve heard the rumors. Your selection as CEO isn’t guaranteed.”

My spine stiffened. I’d put out the most urgent fires while I was in Turks and Caicos, but there were plenty of smaller blazes left unchecked. My mother had found out about Jade Cay, which was why I’d been avoiding her calls all week. I had to follow up with Clarissa, who’d left me a cryptic voicemail over the weekend, and Paxton, who’d reached out again with an alliance offer. With the way things were going, I was seriously considering it.

“Honestly, I didn’t think you were the playboy type,” Rohan said, his eyes sharp. “Sneaking around with a bartender? Very unlike the image you’ve previously portrayed.”

Irritation hardened my jaw. If there was one thing I hated almost as much as losing, it was being called a fake. “I didn’t realize my personal life factored into our talks.”

“It shouldn’t, but given the mess with Whidby, I’m sure you understand why I’m hesitant to do business with someone who’s embroiled in scandal.”

“I was dating an employee, not doing drugs,” I said flatly. I used the past tense deliberately, if not truthfully. No one needed to know about my continuing relationship with Isabella until after the vote.

“She’s no longer employed at Valhalla, which renders the point moot.”

“Perhaps.” His fingers tapped faster.