SWNOVELS Ruthless Knight: Chapter 1
I loathe Mondays.
The only thing worse than that dreaded first day of the week is a Monday morning meeting summoned by my grandfather—head honcho here at Grayson Inc.
But it’s not him who concerns me. My grandfather is undoubtedly one of the few people I can stand in this world and the reason I choose to still work here. I’d even go as far as calling him my idol.
My problem is the others—my father and Bastian, my half-brother. AKA the sharks.
I’m early, the first one here. Not because I’m eager. It’s more the case of knowing how to position myself for the upcoming battle I expect from today’s meeting.
For me, that position is sitting here in the last chair at the end of the long, walnut-top table in the executive boardroom. A room that has hosted countless disputes amongst the Grayson men.
While waiting for the others to arrive, I’ve contemplated what changes today might bring. We’ve all been dying to hear the latest update about my grandfather’s retirement.
He made the announcement of his departure a few weeks ago. It came as a shock as most people believed the infamous Bradford Grayson would never part with his beloved multi-billion empire.
I never saw it coming, and he gave me no clues. But maybe there was a reason for that—he knows I’ll leave when he does.
And I will. That’s the plan. Although I’ve worked my ass off for years to earn my stripes and become the senior development and investment manager, leaving has always been the plan. I will never lower myself to work for my father.
My brother Jericho, and I are planning to branch out and set up our own property development company. We only work here out of respect for our grandfather.
As if the weather has sensed my sullen mood, the rain starts pouring down. It turns the scene through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows into a mass of gray.
Footsteps sound on the marble floors outside the boardroom door, then it opens, and in walks my father, tall and proud with his graying head lifted like a king who’s about to address his subjects.
His sharp blue eyes, which mirror my own, rivet to me with distaste, and just like always, he looks at me as if I don’t exist. I’ve had years to perfect the subtle art of not giving a fuck, so I look at him the same way.
Whilst eyeing him up, I note there’s something off with him. It’s in his eyes. There’s something about his usual confidence that’s waning.
Grandfather enters next with Bastian at his side, who looks like a younger, blond replica of our father. The only difference is that he has grandfather’s lean build and medium height, so while Jericho and I are six feet four, he’s five-nine.
Grandfather tucks a lock of his white hair behind his ear and addresses me with his habitual nod, but Bastian gives me the same I-wish-you-weren’t-here stare I got from our father.
Bastian sits next to Father, and Grandfather moves to the head of the table to assume his post. In his hands is a large manila envelope, which he places on the table before him.
“Good, nearly everyone is here.” Grandfather speaks in a stern voice and glances toward the door.
As if on cue, Jericho walks in. At least he showed up.
He’s the rebel and the more outspoken between us. At twenty-nine, he’s a year younger than me, but we look like twins and have a similar temperament.
Unlike the rest of us, who are suited and booted, Jericho is wearing a black button-down shirt and slacks. Knowing how much our father hates his tattoos, he’s also made a point of rolling up the sleeves so we see the inky black dragons crawling up his forearms.
That’s my art on his arms. In another life, before we hit our twenties and joined the host of America’s richest men on Wall Street, Jericho and I owned a tattoo parlor in the Bronx.
Our lives are so different now that those years feel like they happened to people we used to know.
Jericho walks over to sit next to me, solidifying the us-against-them tension filling the room like a cloud of thick black smoke.
When we look at each other, I can almost hear his disparaging thoughts. He doesn’t want to be in this meeting any more than I do, but we’re here.
Grandfather straightens and stares at each of us in turn.
It’s strange, he seems younger than his sixty-nine years and more at ease than I’ve ever seen him in all the seven years I’ve worked here. Perhaps it’s because he’s leaving.
“I know I’ve been quiet about the plans for the company following my retirement, but I’ve had a good reason for this.” He glances at me again and makes a point of ensuring I am watching him. “I’ve been thinking about the best course of action to secure the legacy I’ve made for Grayson Inc.”
Interesting. The general assumption was that when he left, my father would take control of everything. Hence, the reason Jericho and I would be leaving.
The one solid thing everyone knows about our dear father, Tobias Grayson, is the bad blood between us. He’s made it clear on several occasions that Bastian is his only legitimate son.
He continues to deny Jericho’s and my existence. I’m sure if he could go back in time, he would skew the results of the paternity test Grandfather made him take, which proved him to be our father. The asshole knew full well we were his. While we inherited the dark hair and olive skin from our mother’s French ancestry, we fucking look like him.
“What exactly does that mean, Grandfather?” Bastian asks with raised brows.
I can’t fault him for the question because I want to know too.
“It means I’m shaking things up.” Grandfather nods.
One look at my father and his sour expression tells me he’s already gotten the memo on whatever this is.
Over the last few weeks, he’s practically been walking in the clouds like the god he thinks he is. It would appear that Grandfather’s plans have trimmed my father’s ego down by several notches.
“In what ways?” Bastian’s inquisitive tone reveals his panic, showing he’s clearly worried about his plans to gain power.
Grandfather pulls in a breath and steeples his fingers on top of the table. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Park Avenue branch for the last year. I’ve noticed that it is on par with us here. In fact, as it governs the branches worldwide, it does so much more, and the scope to expand is vast.”
He’s right. Anyone paying close enough attention would have picked that up.
I work across all branches of Grayson Inc. From New York to Hong Kong. My marketing analysis two years ago predicted Park Avenue overtaking us here at the flagship.
“As such…” Grandfather sets his palms down flat. Almost like a sign to show the decisions we’re about to find out has been finalized with no exceptions. “I’ve decided to divide the company and make them separate entities. The branch here at Wall Street will remain the headquarters under the Grayson Inc. brand, and Park Avenue will become Graysons L.P.”
Jericho and I exchange curious glances while Bastian goes pale. Father’s expression remains the same, confirming he knew what was happening beforehand.
Given the fact that Bastian was just as clueless as Jericho and me, I’m guessing Father was given the news sometime this morning, leaving him no room to give Bastian the heads-up.
“With that said,” Grandfather continues, “on my departure, your father will automatically take over things here at Wall Street, but I’ll be giving Park Avenue to one of you three brothers. Whoever receives that role will become the new CEO, and the brother who comes in second place will become the CFO. The CEO will receive seventy percent ownership of the company and the CFO thirty. I’m sure you can imagine with the growth of the company, those numbers are exponential.”
Fuck me. This news…
It could change things. Change plans. My plans.
“And how will that be decided?” I speak for the first time since ordering my coffee earlier at the building’s onsite café.
Grandfather looks at me. “You’ll have to work for it and prove yourself worthy of the role. Essentially, you’ll have to impress me.” He switches his gaze from mine and looks at Bastian and Jericho. “You’ll all have to compete.”
“You can’t be serious,” Bastian sneers, shaking his head. “Compete?”
“Yes. This is what I believe is fair. You are all leaders in your own right, but I don’t believe this is something I should just hand to you, so the best way for me to choose is for you to show me you want the role.”
Bastian glares back at him and then looks at our father, who responds by cutting him a hard stare. “Father, don’t you have anything to say about this?”
“I have said everything that could be said.” His mirthless tone is dripping with such potent disdain, I can just imagine what went down after Grandfather dropped this bomb on him. “Your grandfather’s decision is final.”
“Indeed.” Grandfather takes back control of the conversation. “And my decision is not up for any further discussion or compromise. As there is a lot of work to be done across all branches of Grayson Inc., I have set the date for my retirement to eighteen months from today. During the time I’m here, I will select the new leaders and train everyone in the ways I would like for the continued success of the company. The leadership of Park Avenue will be chosen based on your performance in the past and all that you do between now and my departure. This is not to say that it will take eighteen months to impress me or prove yourself. It will depend on what you do. Do you all understand?”
We nod. Slowly, hesitantly, but surely. Jericho and I exchange glances again, and I can tell he’s thinking about this new shift in the tide.
“Perfect.” Grandfather clasps his hands. “That’s it from me. I will meet with each of you in due course.”
Father and Bastian are the first to stand. Jericho and I, next.
“Knight, can you hang back, please?” Grandfather asks, garnering probing stares from Father and Bastian.
“Of course.”
I receive harder stares before Father and Bastian proceed through the door.
Jericho leans in. “Guess you’ll tell me all about it later.” His tone is amused, the slight hint of his French accent sounding more distinct than mine.
He saunters away. When he goes through the door, I make my way to Grandfather, stopping in front of him with my brows raised.
With the others gone, he assumes the easygoing persona he uses when it’s just the two of us hanging out.
“You certainly know how to shake things up.” I incline my head and look him over, wondering what he wants to talk to me about. My grandfather is a man of many mysteries. Being with him sometimes feels like trying to figure out a hundred and one clues in an escape room.
“It wouldn’t be like me not to do something. This is the grand finale, son.” The corners of his lips lift into a proud smile, but then seriousness returns to his pale gray eyes.
“It definitely is.”
He regards me as if he’s looking for something deeper inside me. “The main question is, did I stir you?”
There we go. This has to be the mystery part I was waiting for.
“Maybe. I wasn’t expecting you to split the company. That’s a huge decision.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time. It made good business sense. But you would have guessed that, right?” His stare becomes increasingly inquisitive.
“I did.” I offer him a smile.
“I know you and Jericho will leave when I’m gone.” His tone is open and transparent. “Given the terrible relationship you have with your father and Bastian, leaving is the logical thing for you boys.”
It’s no surprise he figured that out. “Is that what you want to talk to me about?”
“Yes. And no. I can’t stop you from leaving. But I can try. I know the worth of good men when I see it. You, in particular, have helped me take this company to the next level.”
We’ve been close all my life, and he’s more like a father to me, but he’s always been firm, so compliments like that are as rare as diamonds being found in someone’s backyard.
“It should be you.” Grandfather continues with a nod. “You should be CEO of Park Avenue.”
I blink several times, processing his words. So few things excite me these days, and there are even fewer things I want. I’m a man used to taking ruthlessly, so I never lack for anything, be it the latest vehicle on the market or the most gorgeous woman wrapped in the silk sheets of my bed.
But this… this is different.
I want this.
“If that’s how you feel, why don’t you just give it to me?” I search his face, looking past the lines of age embedded deep in his skin, each one telling a story of the journey taken to get to where he is today.
“I want to give everyone a fair chance.” His expression loosens, taking the edge off the conquering leader he shows the world. “But, I suppose, I’ve always had a softer spot for you, Knight. You’re the eldest, yet I know if I were to leave everything to your father, he wouldn’t give you, or Jericho, anything.”
“He can hardly stand the sight of us.” That’s a hard truth I had to learn at an age when a boy needs his father most.
“That’s why I’m taking the reins, but I must do it fairly.”
“I understand.”
“Good. But…” He brings his hands together again, touching each finger to the other one by one.
“But what?” He’s piqued my interest.
“Fairness doesn’t stop me from telling you what would impress me.” Something wicked dances in his eyes and he picks up the envelope before him. “This would impress me.”
“What is it?” I stare down at the envelope as he opens the seal and takes out a picture of a hotel resort. It’s beautiful but worn down by my standards.
The surrounding scenery tells me it’s in the Hamptons.
“This is Sunset Cove,” he replies.
“In the Hamptons?”
He smiles. “Yes.”
“Is it for sale?”
He shakes his head. “No, son. This building isn’t for sale. The owner isn’t selling, and even if it were for sale, we’re not buying it.”
From the conspiratorial stare he issues me and his cryptic words, I suspect there’s more to this story he wants me to find out.
“So, if we’re not buying it, you somehow want me to take it.”
He chuckles. “You’re a man after my own heart.”
He reaches into the envelope again and takes out another picture.
This one is of a stunning young woman with long platinum hair and silvery-blue eyes that look like slices of the sky on a clear summer’s day.
She has a heart-shaped face with light freckles dusted over her nose. Her lips are the kind of porn-star plump you can’t help but imagine sliding around your cock.
The sun-kissed skin on her elegant neck looks like buttermilk, and I’m honestly stunned this picture of a woman I don’t know has managed to illicit such a reaction from me, much less any.
“Who is this?” I tear my gaze away from her and look at my grandfather.
He’s smiling wider. “This is Aurora Wright. The current owner of Sunset Cove. I’m sure you can find whatever means you see fit to strike a deal with her.”
I nod. “Okay. I’ll do it.” There’s nothing I can’t do, even if that means striking a deal without money on the table. Everyone has a price.
“Perfect.” Grandfather’s face brightens and he taps his knuckles on the table. “Knight, if you get this, I’ll give you the company. You’ll be the CEO of Park Avenue. It will be the start of your own empire.”
That’s all I need to hear. Power is the perfect bait for a man like me.
Becoming CEO of the Park Avenue branch of Grayson Inc. is something more valuable than anything I could have conjured.
My eyes drift back to the beautiful young woman I’m about to meet.
Things have definitely just gotten more interesting.
Aurora Wright. I certainly look forward to meeting you…