Yeah, fuck it.
“Mr. Kane?” I tap on his shoulder.
“Yes?” He looks down at me with a raised brow. Ugh. The way he stares at me has this strange ability to make me feel two inches tall.
“I wanted to say that although you might be considered a good businessman, you’ve done it at the expense of being a terrible, verbally abusive father. And one day you’re going to look back on your life and regret the way you treated your children, and I hope it hurts you as much as you hurt them. So fuck you and fuck off.”
I swivel on my heel and catch Martha staring at me with a big grin and a thumbs-up. I’m sure to blow her a kiss on my way out the door while using my other hand to give Seth Kane the middle finger.
There’s no other way I would want to spend my last official workday at Dreamland.
50
Rowan
I thought once I left the board room, the panic would hit me. But as I sit in my office, waiting for Grandpa’s lawyer to finish with the vote, I feel a strange sense of calm wash over me.
I’ve accepted my fate, regardless of what the board decides. If I don’t receive my company’s shares, I can still stay on as the Director. My brothers will be pissed, especially Declan, because of the fallout with my father. I get that, but I did everything possible on my end to gain the upper hand.
Instead of going with my original presentation with the best of the Alpha and Beta team ideas, I went with my gut intuition. It was a stressful change, but Martha helped me power through. And damn, I did not expect my secretary to be one of the votes. I can’t believe she hid that from me while helping me with the presentation.
At least I can guarantee myself one vote.
And maybe two.
Zahra seemed moved by the entire thing, but I wouldn’t hold it against her if she decided I wasn’t worthy of the position or the power associated with the shares. While I’m annoyed my father let out that secret, I think it was his way of letting me know that he is aware of our stakes. Somehow his letter from Grandpa must have said more than I bargained for.
There’s a knock on my door. Martha opens it and pops her head in. “Your father would like a word with you.”
“Let him in.” Might as well get this over with.
My father strolls into my office.
“Have a seat.”
He remains standing. “I don’t plan on staying long.”
I raise a brow. “Here to gloat?”
He shakes his head. “No. I want to tell you that I’m proud of you.”
I wait for the other half of the statement picking apart where I went wrong. The silence grows as I come to the realization that he really only wanted to say that.
“Why?”
He ignores me. “I wish you the best of luck running this place. I’ll expect you at the next board meeting, ready to deliver a more concise presentation regarding your budget plan for all of this.”
Did I really win the approval of the voters or is this some joke to string me along?
“What are you saying?”
“Your grandfather would have been proud of the man you’ve become.”
Another message.
He exits my office with a nod, leaving me to stare at the spot where he stood, wondering how the hell I pulled that off.
The lawyer enters my office soon after my father and confirms what I already know. The committee approved of my changes and he will be contacting me next week to discuss my finances. It feels surreal to finally put all this behind me. I’m looking forward to actually getting things done rather than discussing it.