Beauty and the Boss (Modern Fairytales #1)(50)

Especially after he opened up to her like that.

The door to his office swung in, and he didn’t bother to take his hands off his face. The only person who would walk in without knocking was Maggie. “What’s up?”

“That’s no way to greet your mother.”

Oh, just f*cking great. He lowered his hands and sat up straight, standing unsteadily. “Mother. What a pleasant surprise.”

“I bet it is.” She shut the door behind her and walked up to his desk. Before he could so much as come around to dutifully kiss her forehead, she tossed down a thick folder. “This is what you’re looking for. You won’t find it in those reports, or hear about it in a board meeting with a bunch of clueless investors.”

He glanced down at the pile. “Won’t find what?”

“The evidence that this company needs a merger with Reginald to keep running. I’ve kept it hidden from you because I didn’t want you find out how your father ran us into the ground, but I should have told you years ago.” She smoothed her hair. “It’s why I kept pushing you to marry Elizabeth. If you do, Reginald will save us.”

“How did you…?” He rested his hand on his hard thigh, his heart thumping so fast and hard it physically hurt as he opened the folder and glanced at the papers. “Wait. What?”

“When you called a board meeting, I was informed. They also told me you went over financials extensively, so it was clear what you were seeking.” With a manicured finger, she tapped the paper he’d flipped over. “These are the real reports. The ones no one but the two of us can ever see.”

He stared down at his desk blindly, his heart thumping a loud staccato in his head. “But how would no one else find out about it? All the shareholders, and board members… That doesn’t make any sense. They would have to know.”

“No, they don’t. Because I’ve kept it from them.” She collapsed in the chair in front of this desk. For the first time in his life, she looked defeated. Probably because what she’d done was illegal, and they both knew it. “I’ve hidden the truth from everyone. I only just told Andrew this past weekend.”

He shook his head. “But…how?”

“How did I keep it a secret? Or how did it all fall apart in the first place?”

He glanced at the papers in front of him, turning another paper over. Sure enough, a bunch of dire looking numbers stared back at him, and he tossed it back down angrily. “Both.”

“I’ve always been good at hiding what I want to hide, once I put my mind to it. At putting on a show. A good face.” She rubbed her forehead. “As for the other question, we lost everything through a series of bad decisions made by your father that led to financial ruin. We’re doomed, Benjamin, and need an influx of money if we’re going to survive.”

His heart thudded in his ears, and he tugged on his tie because, Jesus Christ, it was trying to f*cking strangle him. “I…see.”

“Do you?” His mother leaned forward, a penetrating stare latched on to him like a hawk. “Reginald agreed to bail out the company if you marry Elizabeth. We need her money. Gale Incorporated needs it, or it’ll die. And your father’s memory, with it.”

A heavy weight fell to the pit of his stomach. It felt a hell of a lot like responsibility laced with a healthy dose of dread. It also felt like the death of any hope of happiness with Maggie. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have tried to do something.”

She lifted a dainty shoulder. “I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought you would do your duty and marry Elizabeth, as you should have all along. But you went and picked that woman, and you’ve forced my hand. Don’t worry. Your ‘fiancée’ will bolt as soon as she discovers you’re poor. I have no doubt of that. Gold diggers like her always flee at the slightest scent of poverty.”

“She’s not—” He stiffened, rage pumping through his veins instead of blood. For the first time, he let himself feel anger toward his mother. And it was because of Maggie that he could do this—the same Maggie he was now going to lose. “You know what? Get the hell out of my office.”

“I understand that you’re upset, but that’s no way to talk to your mother.” She stood, smoothing her flawless business skirt. “I’ll go. But Elizabeth is stopping by in three hours. I told her you’ll be asking her to marry you, and I expect you to follow through.”

Rage blinded him even more, and he pushed to his feet, taking a step toward her. “How dare you tell her such a thing?”

“I dare because I have faith you’ll do the right thing, for once in your life.” She eyed him, her lip curled in disgust. “I raised you to do it. I expect it. So does your father. Or are you going to let him down again?”

Without waiting for an answer, she swept out of his office, shutting the door behind her. He watched her through the window that led out into the main office area—his attention on one person in particular.

Maggie sat at her desk, holding her head, looking as if she was about to cry. His mother stopped to speak to her, and she tensed.

Swallowing hard, he closed the blinds and ignored the gut instinct to go out there and make sure she was all right. Instead, he sat at his desk and picked up the papers his mother had dropped on his desk. Unfortunately, he found exactly what he’d been looking for all day long. He found the reason why his mother wanted him to marry up.