The Bride Goes Rogue (The Fifth Avenue Rebels #3)(88)

Chapter Twenty-Six




His hands were sweating.

Preston sat in the anteroom, leg bouncing, as nerves assaulted his insides. This had to work. He’d mapped out the entire plan in his head and it all hinged on this meeting right here.

He hadn’t been this worried since he returned from Harvard and learned his family was on the precipice of losing everything.

The office door opened. “Mr. Delafield will see you now, Mr. Clarke,” the secretary said, moving aside.

Preston rose and walked in. Lloyd was behind his desk, surrounded by papers. He didn’t bother to stand. “You have a lot of nerve coming here, Clarke. Almost as much nerve as when you shouted down my house the other day.”

“I apologize for that.” He lowered himself into one of the armchairs. “However, I’m not here to discuss your daughter.”

“I’m not sure what else we have to discuss.”

Preston folded his hands, took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to merge our companies again.”

Lloyd’s mouth fell open and stunned silence filled the room. “You . . . what?”

“Clarke Holdings and Delafield & Associates. I want to merge them together, as they were before.”

Lloyd stared across the desk, his fingers drumming on the wood. “Why?”

“Because I found someone I want to marry. A beautiful and smart girl I can’t live without—and I want to spend time with her, take her traveling. Raise children together. I want to build a life with her, not a fraction of a life, which is all I could give her if I continue running Clarke Holdings by myself.”

“This is about my daughter.”

“Yes. I’d like your permission to marry her.” The words weren’t hard to say. He no longer cared what Lloyd thought or anything about their history. The only person who mattered was Katherine.

Lloyd stroked his jaw. “Something tells me if I say no that you’ll pursue her, anyway.”

“Correct, but I know she’d prefer to have your blessing.”

“Have you ruined her?”

Preston shook his head. “She has ruined me. I love her more than anything else on earth. More than reason, certainly. And more than any grudges I’ve been holding.”

“I actually believe you.”

Preston reached into the satchel he’d brought, withdrew a brown folder and tossed it onto the desk. “A gesture of good faith.”

Lloyd lifted the cover of the folder, then his eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. “This is the deed to Twenty-Third Street.”

“I want you and Katherine to have it.”

“What about Manhattan Surety? The tallest building in the world?”

“I told Manhattan Surety I no longer own the land. Whatever they decide to do now is up to them. If it falls through, there’ll be other buildings and other projects.”

Katherine’s father gestured to the deed. “Are you trying to bribe her? Because I’m not certain it will work. She’s put in an offer on a piece of land in Brooklyn.”

That was fast, but he’d expect nothing less from Katherine. When she set her mind on a task, it was accomplished. No doubt she’d already comprised lists of things that needed to be done.

“Not a bribe,” Preston said. “If you say Henry sold it to you, then I choose to believe you. Therefore, I never had any legal claim to the property.”

“Until we merge the two companies together, of course.”

Preston held up his palms. “If you want to exclude existing assets from the merger, I would agree to that stipulation.”

“You’re serious.”

“Absolutely.”

“I don’t know what to say to all of this.” Lloyd leaned back in his chair. “What happens if Katherine refuses the marriage proposal? Will you renege on the offer to join companies?”

“She won’t refuse.” He tried to sound confident, though doubt plagued him. There was every chance this wouldn’t work, that he was handing over his entire family business to Lloyd Delafield for nothing. “But I’ll honor our deal, no matter what happens with your daughter.”

Lloyd still didn’t look convinced, the skepticism plain in the creases on his brow. “What makes you think I wish to hand over half of my company to you?”

“Three reasons. First, because I’m turning over half of mine to you in exchange. Second, you’ll want more time to spend with your new bride.”

“And the third?”

“I’m about to become your son-in-law.”

A small smile tugged at the other man’s mouth. “You certainly have confidence, I’ll give you that. Fine, I accept on one condition. If Katherine agrees to marry you, we’ll merge the two businesses.”

The knot between Preston’s shoulder blades eased ever so slightly. That was one mountain scaled. “Excellent. I’ll have our lawyers get in touch.” He stood and reached out to offer his hand. “I look forward to working together.”

Lloyd smirked and rose out of his chair, then shook Preston’s hand. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, son. Whatever happened between you two has hurt her. I haven’t seen her this sad since her mother died.”

That news tore through Preston’s gut like a dull blade, causing him to wince. “I have a lot to atone for, but no one is more determined when they set their mind to a task.”