Page 71 of Secret Offer
“Didn’t we talk about not counting your chickens?” I say.
He scoffs. “Blair Tisdale is hot, loaded, and she comes with a professional baseball team. There will be so many chickens, Sebastian. So. Many. Chickens.”
He glances at his laptop again and I steel myself as I wait for him to notice the bidder lineup. But all he does is wink at me and stride away. Taking a deep breath, I clear my throat and call him back.
“Theo, wait.” It’s now or never. “Nate, Becker, I need a word before this gets started.”
My other partners turn away from what they’re doing and look at me.
“What’s up? Something wrong with the auction?” Theo sets his glass down.
“Not wrong…” I start.
I’ve struggled with how to deliver the news, but there’s simply no good way to drop a bomb like this, so I decided I’d go with my gut and just speak the truth when the time came. Now I wish I’d rehearsed something in advance. I don’t even know where to start. The gravity of what I’ve done has never felt so weighty as it does in this moment.
“So what then?” Nate prods.
I look each of them in the eye and then say, “There’s going to be a fourth bidder today.”
Becker’s gaze snaps to mine. “I didn’t authorize a fourth bidder.”
“What the fuck? This wasn’t in today’s meeting notes. How did I miss this?” Theo’s flustered as he clicks around on his laptop, Nate leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen.
“Because I just added him,” I say.
Becker gives me a cool, knowing stare. “It’s a risk. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I nod. “I do. And I’m going to cash out my partnership stake.By the end of this evening, I’ll no longer have a vested interest in the Quattuor Group. This situation was a violation of our rules, and of the clients’ trust.”
“And ours,” Becker adds.
“Which I apologize for,” I tell him sincerely. “I’ve compromised the business and our reputation. That’s why I’m resigning, pending the results of the auction.”
Pending, because that’s the risk I’m taking—the risk that I might not end up the highest bidder. Someone else could outbid me and take Blair away forever. I wouldn’t necessarily have to resign in that case, but only if my partners don’t unanimously vote to fire me for this conflict of interest.
And if I do win Blair, it will only be on a technicality. I won’t force her to marry me. She can walk away a free woman if she chooses.
“Regardless of how the auction shakes out, I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right with all of you,” I add. “Professionally and personally.”
“Wait.” Theo looks back and forth at us like he’s watching a tennis match. “The hell is going on? Am I missing something?”
Nate crosses his arms. “I think Sebastian’s trying to tell us that he fell for the match.”
I shoot Nate a grateful look and nod. “I informed the client that I plan to make the final bid. He was…surprised. But he came around.”
What struck me most during that phone call was how Mr. Tisdale didn’t seem to care about how Blair would feel. After I told him in no uncertain terms that I loved his daughter, he asked if I’d take care of her, said he had to know for sure that she’d be safe with me. But he said nothing about her happiness. Only her security. As if his own daughter doesn’t deserve so much more.
“But you can’t—can he even do this?” Theo asks, turning to Becker.
“Doubt I could stop him if I tried,” Beck says.
“I mean, can he quit, though?” Theo looks back at me. “I don’t want you to quit, man. Nate, do you want him to quit?”
“How—when did this even happen?” Nate says, ignoring the question, but before I can explain, my laptop chimes, signaling that the bidding is about to begin.
I lean forward on the table, adrenaline racing, eyes glued to my screen. My three competitors—Polansky, Bingham-Cavendish, and Sharp—have all logged in and verified their information. I do the same, and my generic gray and white avatar pops up, showing me as a contender.
“What’s your plan of attack?” Theo asks.
