“So, as you can see from the way your grandfather set things up, Freeman is to step down as vice president the moment you arrive in the office tomorrow.”
Jace jerked his head around. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes, the sooner you take over the better.”
Jace lifted a brow. “What’s the hurry? The company isn’t going anywhere, is it?”
“No, but it needs your leadership. Granger Aeronautics has been operating in the red over the past year.”
Jace frowned. His grandfather hadn’t mentioned anything like that to him. “Red? But why?”
“Richard didn’t know why,” Vidal said, shaking his head. “He wasn’t getting contracts like he used to and was being outbid on a number of projects.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Caden said. “I’m no business brain, but I would think someone as astute as Granddad would have found the problem and—”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” Dalton said, leaning closer to the table where they were sitting. “Are you saying that Granger Aeronautics is going under?”
“It’s headed that way unless the three of you can find a way to stop it from happening.”
Caden looked pissed. “And how are we supposed to do that?”
Jace heard the anger in his brother’s voice. Although they hadn’t said it, they were wondering the same thing. Had their grandfather made them promise to try to achieve the impossible? Try to save a company that was already failing?
“I say the three of us vote to get rid of it. Stuart may know someone who might be interested in a merger and—”
“No!” Jace said, turning on Dalton, with nostrils flaring and his gaze resembling a glacier. “Damn it, we gave our word, and we’re going to keep it.”
“By doing what?” Dalton stormed back. “Making things worse? What did a few summers teach us at that place? Not jack shit.”
Dalton drew in a deep breath and made an attempt to cool his anger before adding, “You’re talking about a corporation with close to a thousand employees, Jace. Last I heard, Granger Aeronautics was the fourth leading employer in Charlottesville. We owe it to those employees to do right by them and not screw up any pensions they have coming. If we don’t make things right, they lose it all. Do you want that?”
No, that wasn’t what Jace wanted, but he couldn’t understand how easily Dalton could give up without trying. “Granddad was right about you, Dalton. Things did come too easy for you, and you do act entitled. Now you’ve made your billions, but even with that, you didn’t work hard. It was through investments. I think you’re afraid of a little hard work.”
Dalton was out of his chair in a flash, knocking it over in the process. He got in Jace’s face. “I happen to believe in working smarter, not harder.”
Vidal moved forward to intervene before words were replaced with fists. However, Caden touched Vidal’s arm and shook his head. As far as Caden was concerned, if it came to Jace knocking some sense into their baby brother, then so be it. It was probably about time someone did. Apparently, Dalton’s billions had gone to his damn head.
“For once, will you think of someone other than yourself?” Jace asked. He was so angry he felt fury race through his bloodstream.
“And just who are you thinking about, Jace?” Dalton snapped. “Clearly not Granger’s employees. Maybe you see this as your break to finally leave that pissy job you hate back in California. Well, fine, you do that and move your ass back here. But how can you expect to run a company when you couldn’t even keep your marriage together?”
Now that was a low blow, Caden thought, shaking his head. Leave it to Dalton not to fight fair and bring in the personal. He was tempted to break things up, but he knew they both needed to let off steam...say what had to be said. Then he would have his say.
“My marriage has nothing to do with this.” Jace moved closer to Dalton.
“Doesn’t it? And by the way, I never liked your wife.”
“And she never liked you!”
“Okay, I think enough has been said,” Caden said, finally stepping forward. He stood next to Jace and faced Dalton. “Jace is right, Dalton. The three of us gave our word. Granted, when we did so, we weren’t aware of how bad things were, but Granddad loved Granger Aeronautics. He knew the situation the company was in, and if he died believing the three of us working together could fix things, then I plan to die trying. Now, are you in or not?”
Dalton faced off with his brothers. One against two. It wasn’t the first time, and he knew just as sure as there was a sun in the sky that it wouldn’t be the last. And the bitch of the matter was that he loved them more than anything else in the world.
He’d loved the old man, as well, and the two of them had squared up their differences in the end. But what Jace and Caden were planning to do was crazy. Hell, he’d assumed they would be walking into a company that already had its shit together and, in a few months, they could haul ass. Dalton had figured that Jace would stay at the helm, but Dalton would return to England and Caden to his music and concerts. Dalton had accepted that on occasion they would have to make trips back for board meetings or special events. But never in his wildest dreams had he expected to inherit a company ready to fold. The thought of remaining in Virginia and at Sutton Hills for more than a week or two was beginning to make him nauseated.
“Well?” Caden said, when Dalton hadn’t yet answered.
Dalton frowned, ready to tell them that, hell, no, he wasn’t in and planned to leave that night to return to London. But deep down, he knew he couldn’t do that...even as much as he wanted to. He, Jace and Caden had made a pact fifteen years ago, on the day their father was found guilty, that they would not let anything ever come between them, and today Dalton sure as hell wouldn’t let it be Granger Aeronautics.
He lifted his chin. “Yes, I’m in.”
“Good,” Caden said, fighting back a smile.
Dalton’s anger that had flared so quickly diffused just as rapidly. “Vidal wants us in the office tomorrow, and I refuse to wear the one suit I brought with me.”
“Stop whining,” Jace said. “We need to walk into the company meeting tomorrow and present a united front.”
“We have a problem.”
The three brothers turned to stare at Vidal. Jace and Dalton had forgotten he was in the room. “What kind of problem?” Jace asked.
“While the three of you were sorting out your little disagreement, I got a call. It seems Freeman has decided he wants to keep his position and is rallying the troops.”
Caden frowned. “What troops?”
“Stockholders he thinks he can win over,” Vidal said, his voice filled with irritation. “He’s called a stockholders’ meeting for tomorrow. He wants them to vote to keep him at the top, claiming the three of you lack experience and that he’s the one who can get the company back on solid footing.”
“Can he do that? Stay on as top dog?” Dalton asked, not sure just how that worked. He’d made billions by investing in companies, not trying to run any of them.
“Yes, if he has the right number of stockholders on his side. There are only a few, but those few hold enough voting shares that can be used against you.”
Caden frowned. “I don’t see how. Jace has inherited Dad’s voting shares and the three of us have a number of our own.”
Vidal loosened his tie, and Caden had a feeling he wouldn’t like what the man was about to