I wasn’t sure I could trust it, but it was at least a promising start.
He let out a shaky breath. “I’m fucking pissed. Makes me wonder if my dad knew about it.”
I had no doubt Warren knew about it. The man was shady as hell. Marcel had already found plenty of instances of Warren’s nefarious business practices, which was one of the reasons I felt zero guilt at taking over his business. He was a snake who lied, cheated, and would steal if he could get away with it.
York Capital’s investment partners were in much better hands without Warren York and people like Desi Martinez at the helm.
“Tell me about Duckworth,” I said, changing the subject.
“First, tell me what you’re trying to do that requires his help.”
I almost snapped at him that I was the one who gave the commands, not him. But I reminded myself of what I knew about negotiations—that I would get further if I gave a little. If I let him think he was winning.
“I have purchased the real estate covering almost a city block in Hell’s Kitchen. The only remaining building I need to acquire is owned by Duckworth and houses his law firm. He refuses to consider any purchase offer. The man won’t even take a meeting.”
Ellison looked interested. “What do you want to build? Housing? Retail?”
I didn’t want to disclose all the details of the project to him, so I simply said, “Mostly office space with retail on the ground level and a few residential spaces. The problem is, Ian Duckworth’s building is in the center of the block. The project can’t move forward until he agrees to sell, and so far, he’s not even coming to the table to negotiate.”
“He’s not easy to do business with, especially real estate business,” Ellison agreed. “There’s a reason for that.”
When it looked like he wasn’t going to elaborate, I almost made a snide comment to encourage him to spill the beans. Thankfully, he finally continued.
“He’s been burned before. Badly.” Ellison studied me as if trying to decide how much he should say. “None of this is public information, so I’d appreciate you keeping it to yourself.”
His words surprised me. Why the hell would he trust me of all people with anything? He shouldn’t have. I was no more loyal to retaining his secrets than a stranger off the street.
He proceeded to tell me a story of Ian Duckworth’s brother, best friend, and law partner cheating him through a series of complicated real estate investment deals.
Ellison leaned forward, his passion on the topic obvious. “Imagine being swindled by someone you trusted. Imagine finding out you were used in such a way.”
“I know what it feels like to be used,” I reminded him in a low voice.
His eyes snapped to meet mine, and the air grew thick between us the way it had done several times since meeting each other again yesterday.
“You’re wrong,” he said breathlessly. I could almost see the pulse fluttering in his neck. This subject seemed to make him nervous, which I found entirely too tantalizing. “I… I truly am sorry for what happened to you, Grey. But I wasn’t—”
I shook my head to stop him. “So, Duckworth,” I said, clearing my throat. “What did he do?”
Ellison grabbed a shiny red apple from the bowl on the conference table and sat back. “He swore off doing that kind of business investment anymore. I guess he realized his wealth was already large enough he didn’t need to risk it that way. He doesn’t even take investment tips from my dad. He eventually married a wonderful woman named Binnie McArthur, who’s helped him relax a little.” He grinned. “She’s fiercely protective of him and would rather give up all their money than see him upset again.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked.
“Ian and Binnie are my godparents,” he said before taking a bite of the apple with a big audible crunch.
I stared at him. The lone holdout on the most important project of my career was Ellison York’s godfather. Of course he was. The room around me wavered in my vision. Suddenly, I felt like I was right back in that storage closet, discovering yet again that Ellison York held all the power.
And once again, he was going to do his best to ruin my future happiness. And why wouldn’t he? I’d treated him like shit. I’d made him feed me, for fuck’s sake.
I blew out a breath and tried to come to terms with the loss of my Hell’s Kitchen project. I fully expected Ellison to encourage Duckworth to continue holding out on me. It would be sweet revenge for what I did to his family.
“And if you want,” he continued, shocking the hell out of me. “I can put in a good word for you.”
8
Ellison
“Begin by seizing something which your opponent holds dear; then he will be amenable to your will.”
~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War
I could tell, as I told the story of Ian’s hesitations, that Grey didn’t trust me. It was a blow to my confidence in dealing with him, but not an unexpected one.
“I’d have to talk to him before they leave town, though. They’re going to the Hamptons for at least a week.”
“When are they leaving?”
“Any day now, probably. They host a house party there every September for their wedding anniversary,” I explained. “It’s like… like if your grandmother wanted to try recreating a mashup between The Great Gatsby and a family reunion at the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod. Or maybe a Downton Abbey house party… oh, who cares. It sounds like a total bore, but it’s actually really fun. I’ve only been a few times since college. I usually have to work. But I went a lot growing up and remember loving it. I learned how to play croquet and backgammon.”
I could tell by the look on his face, Grey wasn’t impressed.
“How nice for you,” he drawled. “I had similar summer fun growing up. It involved hanging our neighbors’ clothes out on the line on washing day when brownouts left the dryers inoperable. A penny a shirt added up when you hung out laundry for most of the people in the building.”
I was an idiot. Our upbringings had been horribly different to the point I would never be able to truly understand how he’d grown up.
“We should go,” I blurted without thinking. “To the house party. It’d be the best way to get to know Ian personally. You can try to build trust with him or at least get to know him a little. It might help.”
Okay, now I was an even bigger idiot. What the hell was I thinking? And why was I offering this gift to the man who was trying to steal my family’s business?
Grey lifted an eyebrow at me. “Go? To the Hamptons?”
“Never mind,” I said quickly. “That’s a terrible idea. Forget I said anything.”
I shoved the apple in my mouth to give myself time to think. Grey wasn’t the type to let an opportunity like this go.
“I don’t think it’s a terrible idea,” he said slowly. “I think it’s an excellent idea. How do I get an invitation to the house party?”
“You don’t,” I said after swallowing the apple. “Only their closest friends and family are invited.”