I explain my impending task.
“He can’t demand this of us.” Cal rises from his chair and starts pacing.
Declan runs a hand across his stubble. “You heard the lawyer. We either go along with it, or my ability to become CEO is null and void.”
Cal’s eyes grow wilder with every ragged breath. “Fuck! I can’t do it.”
“What could possibly be worse than losing your percentage of the company?” Declan smooths out his suit jacket.
“Losing my dignity?”
I give him a once-over. “That still exists?”
Cal flips me off.
Declan leans back in his chair as he takes a sip from his tumbler. “If there’s anyone who has a right to be pissed, it’s me. I’m the one who needs to marry someone and impregnate them to become CEO.”
“You know babies are created by having sex, right? Is that something your internal software is capable of learning?” Cal’s pushing for a fight he can never win. Declan prides himself on his reputation as America’s most untouchable bachelor for a reason other than sleeping around.
Declan plucks Cal’s letter from the floor and gives it a bored glance. “Alana? Interesting. Wonder why Grandpa thought it would be a good idea for you both to reunite again.”
Alana? I haven’t heard that name in years. What does Grandpa want Cal to do with her?
I reach out to grab the letter from Declan but Cal rips it out of his hand before I have the chance.
“Fuck off. And don’t speak about her again,” Cal seethes.
“If you want to play with fire, then prepare to be cremated.” Declan tips his glass at Cal. His gaze flickers between the two of us. “Regardless of our personal thoughts on the matter, we don’t have a choice but to proceed with Grandpa’s terms. There’s too much at stake.”
I will never allow our father to obtain our shares of the company. I’ve waited my entire life for the ability to control The Kane Company with my brothers and I don’t plan on losing against my father. Not when we’re fueled by something far stronger than the need for money. Because if there’s one lesson we learned from Seth Kane, it’s that love may come and go, but hate lasts forever.
2
Rowan
My new assistant, Martha, is a Dreamland veteran who has worked for all the Directors of the theme park, including my grandfather. She’s handled my transition with ease. The way she knows everything about everyone has been a bonus, making me breathe easier considering my move to Florida.
Because of Martha’s key intel, I know how to find most of the Dreamland employees all in one place to formally introduce myself. I’m able to secure my choice of a seat because I made sure to be the first one to arrive for the morning meeting. I pick the perfect spot in the back of the auditorium where the fluorescent lights don’t reach, cloaking me in much-desired darkness. Sitting away from curious eyes will allow me to observe how the crew interacts and how the managers resolve problems.
Ten minutes before the meeting, everyone files inside the space and fills the countless rows of seats. Whatever energy I give off has the employees avoiding the back row for the more preferred seats in the front and middle. There’s only one person who braves the seat in front of me. The older gentleman stares at me like I’m inconveniencing him by sitting in his territory, but I ignore him.
Spotlights at the front of the room focus on Joyce, the daytime crew manager and Dreamland house mom. She has a helmet of white hair and blue eyes that scan the entire room like a drill sergeant. I’m not sure how she knows my location, but her eyes land on mine and she nods with pressed lips.
Joyce taps her clipboard. “All right, everyone. Let’s get started. We have a lot to cover and little time before the first guests arrive.” She sets the meeting agenda and moves through countless questions with confidence. She barely breathes as she discusses the July schedule of parades, festivals, and celebrities visiting the land.