Page 63 of Secret Offer
The valet pulls up to the curb with my car and I get behind the wheel and slot myself into rush hour traffic, praying I can make it to the Tisdale Corp offices quickly. It’s a three-mile drive but it can take up to forty minutes, and nothing says unprofessional like showing up late for your first day of work.
As I head south on 9th Ave toward Midtown, my phone rings over the car speakers. Expecting it to be my father calling me back, I almost press the button on my steering wheel to pick up the call. But the name that pops up on the dashboard touchscreen makes my blood run cold.
Sebastian.
The name hits me like a kick in the stomach. Gripping the wheel tightly with both hands, I listen to the sound of the ring as my blood boils. There was a time when I would have fallen all over myself to pick up a call from Sebastian Argos, but not anymore. Fuck that.
I’m not at his beck and call anymore. He ghosted me, he can suffer the consequences. Punching the decline button, I straighten my spine and give myself a pep talk.
I’m ready to take on this job, ready to prove I’m an asset to the team, and I am not backing down. This is my path. Iwillbe taken seriously, and Iwillexceed everyone’s expectations.
Fired up now, I hit the mic button and tell the Bluetooth to dial my father’s number one more time. It rings once and then goes straight to voicemail. Dammit. I hang up before it connects, clenching my jaw in frustration. Why won’t he take my calls?
A place in the family business has been promised to me since I started high school. When my father realized that I was serious about working for the Tisdale Corp, serious about learning the ropes of team ownership, he bent over backwards to teach me everything he could about what he does. I want nothing more than to be a part of the company and work my way up. It’s what I’ve dedicated myself to for years already, tirelessly and unapologetically. So I don’t understand why, now that the time has come, I can’t even get my dad to discuss what my first job will be.
Is it such a low position that he’s avoiding telling me? Is he starting me off in the mailroom, or as a personal assistant? If so, I’ll go with it. I’ll work my ass off and earn myself a promotion ASAP. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to climb the ladder. I’ve told him that, time and time again.
Maybe I really do have to be standing right in front of him in his office, pouring out my heart, in order to convince him that I’m serious about this. If that’s what it takes, I’m in.
I drive into the parking garage and hand my keys to a valet, hustling for the elevator.
It’s a long ride up to the thirty-fifth floor. Looking down at myself, I smooth my hands over my pantsuit and pick a few nonexistent pieces of lint from my blazer. My heart is in my throat when the elevator doors slide open. Lifting my chin, I walk straight past the reception desk, breezily informing theadmin sitting there that I’m here to see my father and nodding at the few employees I recognize.
I don’t miss the shock on their faces as they take in the sight of me in my professional clothing, carrying a leather portfolio. The curious looks only get worse as I march down the hall and enter my father’s executive suites. His administrative assistant, Miriam, sits in the foyer behind her massive desk. She looks genuinely surprised to see me, too.
“Blair, good morning.”
“Good morning. I need to speak with my father.” I nod my head at his closed office door.
She looks apologetic. “He’s in a meeting right now—I told you earlier he was all booked up today. I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll wait,” I say, dropping into one of the chairs.
“Well…that’s fine, I suppose. Is he expecting you?”
“He definitely should be.”
Miriam blinks, as if she’s not sure how to respond.
I smile. “It won’t take long. I’ll just try to catch him for a few minutes once he’s finished.”
If I were anyone else, she’d be chasing me out of here. But I’m the owner’s daughter, so she just nods and goes back to working on her computer. Settling back in the plush leather chair, I cross my legs, exhale, and wait.
I can barely catch the rise and fall of the voices coming from behind my dad’s office door. He’s clearly talking to another man, one who sounds younger than him, but that’s about all I can figure out. I angle my ear toward the door in a vain attempt to make out what they’re saying, but it’s futile. And Miriam keeps glancing up at me as if to make sure I’m not going to barge my way in, so all I can do is smile innocently at her and pretend to be absorbed in something on my phone.
I’m surprised she hasn’t called Dad to let him know I’m here. But I haven’t seen her pick up the phone, so he must haveexplicitly asked not to be interrupted, which only happens when he’s meeting with someone extremely important.
My pulse picks up. Are we signing a new player? Did we trade for someone we had our eyes on for months? Did one of our draft picks decide not to take our deal?
The phone on Miriam’s desk rings, and she picks it up. A moment later, she says, “I’ll be right down to sign for it.”
Giving me one last glance, she gets up from her desk and heads out of the foyer. I don’t know how long she’ll be gone for, but this is the best chance I’m going to get to eavesdrop. Which is hardly even eavesdropping when we’re talking about the team here. Plus, the Tisdale Corporation is a family business, and I’m family. Every decision that my dad makes will affect me, too.
I tiptoe across the room and flatten myself against the wall outside Dad’s office door, then hold my breath as I strain to hear what’s being said. As the second man starts talking again, I realize that his voice is familiar. Really familiar.
“Come on, Ted,” Dad cuts him off, and it all clicks into place. “You want to play the game, you’ve got to ante up. You knew that going into this.”
“It’s not about the money. This just isn’t the competition I signed up for.”
