Page 2 of Chosen By a Billionaire (Rags to Romance #24)

Harrison Bainbridge the Fourth stood at the mirror tying his tie the way he’d been tying it for what felt like all of his forty-one years on earth.

It felt so ritualistic that he wanted to sling that tie from around his neck and toss it.

But he was a creature of habit. Routine, he felt, kept his life uncomplicated. He kept on tying.

His house manager, Allan Durbee, entered his bedroom and stood at the opened doors of his dressing room. “Good evening, sir.”

“Good evening.”

“Mr. Davenshaw has arrived. He is in the parlor, sir.”

Carter Davenshaw. The chief financial officer of Bainbridge Capital Trust, Harrison’s corporation.

A man he’d known since their boarding-school days at Eton when their rich parents preferred to ship them off to England rather than raise them themselves.

Whenever Carter asked to come over after hours, Harrison knew it was going to be bad news.

Bad news. Another routine in his life he could do without. “Thank you, Allan.”

Samual nodded, backed out of the dressing room, and left.

As soon as he did, Harrison stood still, leaned his head back, and then moved it around to get those stress kinks out.

But it didn’t work. It never did. No more than those sedatives his doctors kept prescribing him to get through the night.

He still had a low-level headache. But he kept on doing those stress-relief exercises, and taking those sedatives, all the same.

A creature of habit, he was. But he knew that wasn’t a good thing either.

He took one final look at himself in the mirror. He was a big guy with a body that was more muscular than slender. And just under six feet tall. And supposedly handsome by most standards, although he didn’t see it. And rich. What would he do without money? It was all he had.

He grabbed his wallet and his phone and headed out of his bedroom, down two corridors to the landing, and then all but ran down the spiral staircase of his ten-thousand-square-feet Manhattan penthouse.

He purchased it nearly a decade ago for a quarter of a billion dollars, and he purchased it for one main reason: it was close to BCT. It kept him near his money-maker.

He stood at his parlor doors for several seconds.

The corridor was empty of any of his enormous household staff, which he appreciated, but it didn’t stop his sense of dread.

His sense, like every day lately, that life was nothing more than a series of movements.

Of getting from point A to point B. Of going through the motions of life rather than living it. And it was his own damn fault.

He exhaled, put on that charming smile he was known for, and flung open the parlor’s double doors.

“Hello Carter,” he said as he closed the doors. He began extending his hand to his CFO as he made his way across the room. “So good to see you again.”

“Liar,” Carter said with a smile of his own as the two men shook hands.

“But I’ll take it.” Carter was shorter than Harrison and was more slender than muscular.

He had thinning brownish-blonde hair, a thin beard, and horn-rimmed glasses that made him look like a nerd.

Most in their circle believed he made his way through Princeton because of his towering intellect and helped Harrison to get through too, but both men knew it was the other way around.

“Have a seat,” Harrison said. “Would you care for something to drink?”

“No drinks for me.” Carter sat down. “The night is still young and I’m still on the clock.”

“Like hell you are,” Harrison said with a grin as he unbuttoned his suit coat and sat down too. “You probably stopped by a bar on your way over.”

Carter laughed. “So it goes,” he said.

The parlor was an old room filled with colorful French provincial furnishings and lavish wall trimmings.

None of it was Harrison’s taste, but to change it would upend the historical reverence he was supposed to have in each and every piece.

Since he didn’t care either way, he kept it as it was the day he purchased it.

But he knew Carter didn’t come to his home for the fun of it. “Bottom line?” he asked him.

Carter looked at his boss, whom he viewed as tall and elegant and flawlessly dressed. Always perfectly put together. But after what he’d been through, how could he be? “Your father is retiring.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“And he has made clear that he’ll be turning over complete control of Bainbridge Oil and Gas to either you or Felix.”

“That I already know as well.”

“One of you will be named the winner and either propel the family fortune forward, or set it backwards,” Carter continued. “But my sources are convinced that Felix has a clear advantage.”

Harrison should not have been surprised.

He knew he and his father weren’t on the best of terms. But he was very surprised.

His father knew he was far and away the better choice and the only man truly capable of propelling Bainbridge Oil to far greater heights.

“I would have thought Father was smarter than that. What gives my kid brother the edge?”

“He has what you appear to be allergic to having: a family. A wife and children. Stability. You don’t even date anymore.”

“You don’t know what I do,” Harrison snapped back. His private life was and would always be his private life. Not even his father would have the satisfaction of worming his way into that aspect of his life.

“You’re right, I don’t know of course. And I’m sure you get around.

I’m sure of that. But it’s been quite some time since you last brought a woman with you to any event we’ve attended.

So I can only base my observations on what I see.

Just as your father is going to base his decision on what he sees. ”

Harrison exhaled. He knew it too. “What do you suggest I do to regain, or gain , the upper hand? I haven’t time for games. I have an empire of my own to run.”

“And it’s a considerable empire, to be sure.

You’re among the top 500 richest men in the world.

That’s an astonishing feat. But your father is among the top 10 richest men in the world.

If you take over his vast fortune, and manage to keep your own, you will catapult to number three.

The third richest man in the world. That’s worth fighting for. ”

Harrison didn’t respond, but Carter knew he had hit a nerve. Harrison had always been averse to being second-best.

“You’re the eldest son,” Carter continued. “That company should be yours by rights. But it’s not. You’ve got to fight for it like you’ve had to fight for everything you’ve ever received in this life. Felix gets everything handed to him.”

“Felix is weak,” said Harrison. “I cannot imagine Father leaving that kind of responsibility, his legacy , in the hands of a weak man like my kid brother.”

“But he will, Harrison. Felix is a social butterfly. He’s stable.

You’re a loner. You do more work in an hour than your brother does in a month, but nobody sees it.

You stay behind the curtain. Felix is out there.

His name gets in the papers. He’s a known fixture among the blue-bloods in every high society from here to Chicago.

You have that whatever happened to Baby Jane type of notoriety.

Big in your youth: a star is born. But what have you done for them lately? ”

When he was a younger man, he was the brightest star. But that was before everything happened. “You’ve laid out my shortcomings,” Harrison said. “You haven’t laid out any solutions.”

“Because there are no easy solutions. You and Felix will be at your father’s estate for his retirement party next month, and he’s going to make his choice.

I just want you to be chosen. Unlike your father’s company, your company is bleeding right now.

We’re on the ropes. If there’s no drastic infusion of revenue we will have to begin the onerous task of liquidating assets. It’s just that bad.”

Harrison sat there. Nobody had to tell him how bad it was. He lived and breathed BCT. But he’d seen bad quarters before and rebounded. But Carter was right. How many more rebounds did they have left? “You’re refusing to get to the point again,” he said.

“Okay, I’ll just come out and say what needs to be done,” said Carter.

“You’ve got to get engaged. And I mean like yesterday.

But certainly before you go to his retirement party next month.

As of right now, Felix is on the leaderboard.

You have ground to make up. Having a sweet, tender lady on your arm would go a long way with the old man.

Because I personally believe he wants a reason to choose you.

You’ve got to give him that reason. He wants a family man to run Bainbridge Oil.

Having a nice fiancée to show up with just might tip the scales in your favor if that’s what he feels is lacking about you. ”

“There’s a lot he feels is lacking about me. I doubt seriously the fact that I don’t have a woman is at the top of that list.”

“But it’s on the list.” Then Carter stared at him. “He doesn’t still blame you, Harrison, even if you still blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You wasn’t even--”

“Right! Move on.” Harrison made the order in a tone that made clear he was not discussing that. At all.

Since Carter knew he was beating a dead horse anyway, he moved on. “I do have one solution.”

Harrison looked at him. Why didn’t he say that in the beginning? “Is this solution a secret, or do you plan to share it with me anytime soon?”

Carter hesitated, but he said it. “We spoke with Gweneth.”

Harrison leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

“Hear me out please, Harrison,” Carter said quickly.

“You need a fiancée. Say what you want about her, but she’s perfect for the role.

HB knows Gweneth and adores her. He’ll see right through it if it’s some random woman you show up with.

At least give Gweneth a try, Harrison. Nothing beats a failure but a try. ”

“A try is only an attempt. It beats nothing,” said Harrison as he rose to his feet.

Which Carter knew was a dismissal. He stood up too. “Will you at least consider her?”

Harrison did not respond. “I’ll show you out,” he said, and headed for the exit.

Carter was accustomed to being shown the door whenever he delved too deeply. But then Harrison stopped and turned as Carter walked up beside him. “Any new report from the doctor?”

“I spoke with him yesterday. Your father remains in the same poor health. The good news is that he’s not going anywhere in the next few months. He’ll be around for his retirement party. The bad news is that he won’t be around in the next few years. That, his doctor says, is a certainty.”

A sadness washed over Harrison. He loved his father even if they’d been at odds for most of his life. “I haven’t seen him since that night. I wouldn’t begin to know how to even . . .” Harrison began rubbing his forehead.

“He’s forgiven you, Harrison. He told me so himself.”

“He hasn’t told me,” Harrison said bluntly and opened the double doors. “Which is the sum and substance of my relationship with my father, now isn’t it? Good evening.”

Carter exhaled. He’d never understand that man as long as he lived.

He was, in many ways, just like his father.

“I told Gweneth I’ll need your approval before we move forward.

I already told her you’ll find a nice fat ring to put on her finger for her troubles.

You’re still having your dinner party the week before your father’s retirement bash, correct? ”

“As of right now, yes.”

“Then think about it and let me know at your dinner party. You’re due at your father’s estate the Thursday after that. It’s only fair that we give her at least that time to pack and prepare herself. This isn’t going to be easy for her either. But she’ll do it for you. She still loves you.”

“Don’t.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t oversell it,” said Carter. Then he exhaled. “We have so much riding on you taking over Bainbridge Oil. So much, Harrison.”

“Stop worrying about that,” Harrison felt a need to say to his friend. “If it’s to be, it will be. Stop worrying.”

“And still work for you? Not possible,” Carter said, Harrison smiled, and then Carter left.

Harrison stood at the door watching his CFO make his way along the corridor toward the foyer.

Gweneth , he thought. The idea of her back in the conversation was another shock to his system.

His father. Felix. Now Gweneth too? And all at once?

He shook his head and headed for his private elevator. All he needed.