Fifth Avenue Devil

Chapter 30

Thirty

Nate

A fter a very long flight back, I said goodbye to Annalise. That was two days ago. And ever since, I’ve felt on edge. She seemed busy with work, while I was twisted up, snarled up on my own inner thoughts.

Why does Archer want to see me? And why did he tell me to keep the meeting a secret?

I haven’t seen Annalise since I got back. A mercy, since I’m keeping my rendezvous plans under wraps.

On the drive up to the Gellar mansion, I stare out the window at the luxurious beachfront properties that dot the rolling landscape of the Hamptons. In my mind, I try to explain to Annalise exactly why I’m choosing to see her father alone.

It’s a conversation that we haven’t had yet. Even in my imagination, it doesn’t go particularly well. I guess I can’t know whether I’ll have anything at all to tell Annalise until after the meeting.

The chauffeured SUV pulls up and I get out. Shading my eyes, I look up at the glass and steel frame of the mansion towering before me. It’s certainly impressive, standing out from the sandy terrain around it. But I note that it could be any beach house owned by someone wealthy. No outdoor furniture. No colorful rack of kayaks. The grounds are carefully groomed. Looking down to the shore, I see that even the sand has been smoothed out in a pleasing pattern.

The place has all the charm and quirkiness of a weekly corporate apartment rental.

In other words, there is absolutely nothing personal about it. Certainly nothing that would indicate that Annalise ever lived here.

Why is that, I wonder?

The sleek lines, and lack of color envelop me as a butler waves me into Archer Gellar's upscale beach mansion. The air inside the house is strangely stale; most of the sparse white furnishings look brand new. There is nothing cozy about the ultra-modern decor.

I’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone. How could anyone who would choose to live like this have produced a nice, fairly normal girl like Annalise?

As the butler ushers me to the back of the house, my head is on a swivel. There are no signs of Annalise anywhere. Not a single picture of the family on the walls. No personal items that could hint at her presence.

From what I've seen so far, the relationship between Annalise and her mother is frigid at best. Annalise hasn’t mentioned her relationship with her father, really. But Archer wanted to wager her in our last poker game, as if she was just some chattel to be owned.

The mere thought enrages me. So what the fuck am I walking into here?

"Mr. Fordham.” The butler waves me toward the grand metal staircase, suspended from a million thin wires. Walking up it seem like the butler is asking me to perform a death-defying feat. "This way, please. Mr. Gellar doesn’t like to be left waiting."

“I’ll just bet,” I mutter to myself.

I’m pretty sure that Annalise has already been here to see him. Knowing Archer, he will already be angry about something, though he has only been awake from the coma for less than a week.

As we reach the top of the stairs, I'm ushered into Archer Gellar's bedroom. The man himself lies in bed, swathed in silk monogrammed pajamas, propped up by a mountain of pillows. His wife stands beside him, holding a glass of water with a tight grip.

"Here, darling," she coos, offering the water to her husband.

"Get that away from me!" Archer snaps, slapping the glass away and sending water splashing onto the expensive carpet.

Monique makes a face like she’s smelled something bad. Without so much as a greeting to me or a move to clean up the mess, she retreats to a white sofa on the other side of the room. She picks up a magazine and pages through it, pointedly ignoring me.

Fine by me. I could do with less Monique Gellar in all aspects of my life.

Archer makes an attempt to sit up, but fails. I walk closer to the bed, feeling like an interloper in his private time. “Archer. Good to see that you’re still with us,” I say.

"Nate," he says. His voice is strained, but it drips with arrogance. "You’re late."

I’m not late. I’m actually a few minutes early. But that’s trivial. "You called me. I came," I retort. My eyes flicker around the room, searching for even the slightest indication of Annalise's influence. Surely there will be a family photo here?

But here too, her essence seems conspicuously absent.

I’m so captivated by Annalise. How can her parents be so unmoved?

"Let's get down to business," Archer grumbles. “I have to rest soon.”

"So what is it you want from me, Archer? What could possibly be so important that we had to meet in your bedroom? Surely it could’ve waited until you could dress yourself, at least.”

"Careful with that tone, Fordham," he warns, though I can see the glint of amusement in his eyes. Archer smirks, though it seems strained. "Very well. This is about my legacy and the future of Gellar Industries."

“What about your legacy?” I lean forward slightly. "Do you mean your daughter?"

That elicits a rough, raspy laugh. After a few seconds, Archer starts coughing. The cough turns into violent hacking and a nurse appears, summoned by the sound. “Do you need–”

Archer shakes his head, dismissing her with a flick of his wrist. “Fuck off,” he wheezes. “I’m…” He coughs again. “Fine.”

I cast a gaze over him. Has Archer been awake for a while and is just now seeing visitors? Or might there be lingering cognitive issues from the stroke and the following coma?

Clearing my throat, I push ahead. I don’t know what Archer wants from me, but I think it’s wise to defend what I’ve been doing. "You know, Annalise has been doing damn well as CEO while you've been... under the weather. I’ve been helping her get her footing. But she has a real talent for the job."

I let the words hang in the air and watch Archer's reaction closely.

A gravelly sound that might be laughter bursts from his throat. Archer glares at me, his eyes filled with nothing but contempt.

"Annalise?" he scoffs. "That little girl couldn't run a lemonade stand alone. Gellar Industries won’t last the quarter with her at the helm."

My temper flares. What he’s saying makes no sense. I clench my fists, struggling to maintain my composure. "Then why leave her in charge?"

"Maybe I wanted to see how long it would take for her to fail," Archer replies. "Or maybe I'm testing her mettle. Maybe I just wanted someone weak to hold my position so that I can take over again once I’m ready."

“Please,” I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. “I don’t think you are capable of thinking about a world without you in it.”

The tension in the room is palpable as Archer's cold eyes bore into me, his disdain clear. I brace myself for whatever curveball he's about to throw my way.

That’s why his next words are such a shock.

"Buy Gellar Industries from me, then."

My jaw clenches. I’m thrown, trying to keep up with him. "What?"

"You were responsible for its recent stock surge, were you not?" Archer smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “You obviously know how to run a company. So make me an offer.”

I purse my lips. "I’ve had little to no control over the stock price. I have plans to cut labor and move the company’s offices to a better building. But none of that has been put into place yet.”

“So you’re saying the stock just rose on its own by twenty dollars?” Archer scoffs. “I don’t think so.”

“Actually, it was your daughter’s efforts that led to Gellar Industries' sudden burst of success. She did it completely on her own."

"Annalise? Are we talking about the same person? She's far too weak to have led the company to success. That, or the stock rising is just a complete fluke."

“You’re so full of shit, Archer. Why can’t you give her the credit?”

"I know my daughter. And she doesn’t deserve a single thing!" he barks, his face contorting with anger. "Take the deal or leave it. Just remember, Nate. This opportunity won't come around again."

I want to strangle the man. Hell, if his wife weren’t here, I might actually do it. But I force a tight-lipped smile.

"I won’t make a large purchase without conferring with my money manager.” That’s not true, but I have to have enough time to game out every possible action and consequence.

"Fine," Archer snaps. His impatience is palpable. "You have twenty-four hours. After that, the offer is off the table."

My eyes widen. “You’re looking to unload your company in a day??”

He sinks back into the pillows. “I’m a sick man, Fordham. Now run along.”

I take that as my cue to leave. Without waiting for the butler, I jog back downstairs to the front door. My head spins.

Buying the company outright would save me a lot of hassle. But there’s no way that any board would choose Annalise as their CEO when I’m in the picture. I’m a rain maker in the business world. And the board members always, always go where they know the money is.

Annalise will be crushed if I take her position. But if I don’t… Cash might ruin the company just to make a buck. Can I put a stop to that? That’s currently unknown.

As soon as I'm in the backseat of my SUV, I whip out my phone and dial Cash's number. He answers after several rings and sounds groggy. "Nate? What the hell, man? It's early."

"I need you and Drew to meet me at Joe’s Diner in Manhattan. It’s urgent.”

“Urgent?” he repeats.

“Get your ass up and get there. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”

"Shit," Cash mutters. "All right. I'll call Drew."

After a very tense helicopter ride, I race down to the meetup spot. The neon lights of the diner cast a sickly glow over the grimy tables. I slide into a booth, waiting for Cash and Drew to arrive. My fingers drum impatiently on the tabletop.

My mind is still reeling from my meeting with Archer Gellar. What the hell am I going to do?

"Nate," Cash says. I look up as he and Drew slide into the booth across from me. Their eyes are alert, curious, and a little worried. "What's got you so wound up?"

"Archer Gellar just offered to sell me Gellar Industries," I blurt out.

"Are you serious?" Drew asks, his eyes widening in shock. “That’s… interesting.”

"Dead serious," I confirm, my jaw clenched. "But I told him I needed to think about it."

"Damn, Nate," Cash breathes. Excitement glints in his eyes. "If ViaLife buys Gellar Industries, we could take the valuable sonar technology and make a mint. Then the rest of the company would just be stripped and sold for parts. This could be huge for us, man."

"Or it could be the biggest mistake of my life," I counter. "The money would be good, sure. But Annalise will be out on the street. There is no way that this ends happily for her."

“What the fuck do we care?” Cash says, puzzled. “I know that you’re getting your dick wet, Nate. But… you can get what she’s giving you anywhere. Fuck her.”

“That’s not true,” I mutter. I hate hearing my brother talk about her like that.

Cash pins me with his silver gaze. “I asked you this once. I’ll ask it again. Are you going to marry this girl? Because if you’re not, it would be stupid not to buy the company.”

"Yeah. Since when did you start putting a woman before business?" Drew challenges, raising an eyebrow. "Buying and junking the company is the only fiscally responsible thing to do. You can't pass up this opportunity."

My mind races. Annalise's face flashes before my eyes. How could I ruin her life like that?

At the same time, can I really turn down this offer?

"Look, I know you've got a thing for Annalise," Cash says, leaning in closer, his voice low and serious. "But you can't let feelings get in the way of business."

"Feelings?" I scoff, trying to brush off the obvious truth. "This is about more than that."

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Cash rolls his eyes. "You're a businessman, Nate. Don't throw away the reputation you’ve earned over some girl."

"Annalise isn't just 'some girl,' Cash," I snap back. My temper flares. "She's special."

“ She’s special ,” Cash mocks. “Yeah. I know Nate, you bloodied my nose about her, that was a first. Gag. Here’s what I think. You called me here to talk you into buying Gellar Industries. And I’m here to tell you yes, go ahead.”

"Yeah. It sounds like you've already made up your mind, Nate," Drew observes. His eyes flash with mischief.

I slump down in my seat. Is Cash right?

“I need to weigh everything before making a final decision."

"Look, man," Cash says. He slams his palm on the table again for emphasis. "If you don't pull the trigger, I will. You can't pass up this opportunity."

That’s all the time that Archer gave me, anyway. Glaring at my brother, I say, "I need a day to think about it."

Drew leans in. "A day is all you have, Nate. Man up and do the deal. Don't let your pathetic little fee-fees screw this up for us."

“Fuck off.” I slide out of the booth, dropping a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “You don’t tell me what to do.”

I stomp out of the diner, Annalise’s face in my mind.