Page 50 of Sincerely Not Yours

The elevator door shut, sealing Gigi away from Harris, and a profound emptiness settled over him. He’d known the risk of telling her the truth about SheTime, but he hadn’t expected the gut-wrenching reality of her pulling away. For a moment, he considered going after her, running down seven flights of stairs to head her off on the first floor. He wanted to say something, anything, to make her stay and hear him out. But she said she needed space.

He had to respect that, even if it tore at him.

Gutted, Harris turned and walked back into the restaurant. The dining room was a numbing hum of holiday cheer, with families and friends gathered around tables, their laughter mingling with clinking silverware and glasses. The Christmas tree in the center of the restaurant glittered with ornaments and lights, a stark contrast to the darkness he felt inside.

His father had already taken his seat at their reserved table and was engaged in a lively conversation with a couple of board members. Watching him go about his business as though nothing had just happened made Harris’s blood boil. Did he get high from getting his way? From manipulating everyone around him? At his breaking point, Harris decided he’d had enough.

As he approached the table, his father looked up, his expression shifting to one of mild curiosity. “Did you get that handled?” he asked, his tone laced with disapproval.

“What would you like me to handle?” Harris replied, forcing his voice to remain steady and clear, projecting down the long table for every board member to hear. “The fact that you’ve underpaid and undervalued one of our best employees? That you’ve limited SheTime’s growth because of your own stubbornness? That you’re essentially blackmailing your own sons to get your way?”

His father leaned back in his chair, looking shocked at the accusations, but Harris stood firm at the head of the table. Every board member turned their head, giving Harris their full attention. Dean shifted in his seat, looking ready to stand up and jump into the conversation, but Harris didn’t want him to be the peacemaker. Their father needed to hear what Harris had to say. He’d crossed so many lines and Harris wouldn’t let him continue to, for both Gigi’s and Dean’s sakes.

“You’re completely out of line,” his father replied sternly. “This is what happens when your personal life interferes with business. You need to think with your head, not your heart.”

Harris clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his temper in check. He would not let his father commandeer the conversation or disrespect Gigi. Besides, his father didn’t have a leg to stand on. He’d demolished all his relationships, always putting work first. He didn’t know what it was like to think with his heart.

“First of all, my personal life is none of your business,” Harris started. “Those decisions are mine to make, and I don’t need your input. Second, you can’t understand a business by solely focusing on numbers and spreadsheets. You need to understand and support the people behind the business. That’s what has the most potential to affect the numbers. You have a very creative and passionate marketing director and team, yet you haven’t given them the tools or support for real growth.”

“Are you serious?” His father scoffed. “Passion and creativity don’t pay the bills, Harris. You know that.”

“No, I don’t know that,” Harris replied. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you actually supported your team, gave them room to grow, the numbers would follow. Instead, you want to control every single decision. Why won’t you consider or support thoughts and plans that aren’t your own?”

His father’s expression hardened. “You’ve been back here for a month and think you know everything, don’t you?”

Harris stared at his father, determination brewing inside him. “I don’t know everything, but I know Gigi could step into the director role with SheTime and easily double the business in a year. She could grow it tenfold in a few years, given the right support. I also know that Dean doesn’t need my help to take over Ryan & Ryan. He’s got more passion and experience with the family business in his pinky toe than I ever have. And if you’d get out of his way, he could actually apply his own ideas, which are fresh and new and also have the potential to greatly increase sales.”

His father glanced from Harris to Dean and back again, and Harris challenged him with a stare. If he opened his mouth and lashed out at Dean next, Harris was certain he’d snap. Every protective instinct was on high alert.

“But if you read through my entire revised proposal, you’d know all of this already,” Harris pressed his dad. “Did you share the revised version with the board?”

The board members exchanged curious glances and his father’s face flushed red. His mouth tightened into a thin line, but he kept silent. It was all the answer Harris needed. He knew his father well enough to know he’d hashed through every detail Harris had lined out. It was likely why he’d been so triggered when he saw Harris and Gigi together. He’d been wound up by Harris calling him out, and latched onto the first thing he could hold over Harris’s head.

“I don’t think—” his father started, but Dean stood abruptly, cutting him off.

“I’ll send it out for the board to review,” Dean said, looking down the table at Harris, grit and admiration in his eyes. “I agree with every point Harris laid out in the revised proposal, except one.” Harris guessed what Dean was about to say. There was only one angle they couldn’t agree on—that Harris would step away from Ryan & Ryan. “I want to run the businesswithHarris. I think we’re better together, and despite the way our father brought Harris back, I am grateful to have had this past month together. And I hope I can convince Harris to stay.”

The brothers shared a look that hit Harris in the chest. In a strange, twisted way, their father’s manipulations had brought Harris and Dean closer. He could see himself staying and working alongside his brother. Yet Harris had little confidence that their father would ever relinquish control of the business, even after retiring. Moreover, Harris’s feelings for Gigi were growing stronger every day, and he wanted a future with her. They couldn’t sustain a professional and personal relationship, and he knew which of those he wanted to continue.

Giving Dean an acknowledging nod and a strained smile, he addressed the table. “Please review the proposal and let Deanand Mr. Ryan know what you think.” The board members nodded, some more enthusiastically than others, but Harris knew he’d made his point. Without waiting for a response from his father, Harris stepped back from the table. “Excuse me. I’ve got something very important to address.”

Turning and walking away, a sense of resolve hardened within him. He wouldn’t let his father’s narrow-mindedness dictate his actions. He had to fight for what he believed in, for what he knew was right.

And most importantly, he had to make things right with Gigi.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gigi spent the rest of the day in her apartment by herself. She didn’t tell a soul what happened, mainly because she still couldn’t believe it. The deception hadn’t fully set in. Was her internal compass broken when it came to love? Did it mistakenly tell her she was going north when she was actually pointed south? Grabbing a few more tissues, she slumped into her comfy armchair near the window, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.

Sighing, she tilted her head back, setting it against the backrest. She looked up at the beige ceiling, analyzing what had happened. She’d stupidly fallen for her boss, and he’d deceived her in the worst way possible. He’d captured her heart and was eliminating her job . . . taking her independence and livelihood. Dumbfounded, her gaze slid to the window. She followed atrickle of snowflakes as she tried to understand how she’d let her life fall apart.

Was she the most naïve woman in the world? She’d thought they had something special, that Harris cared about her. She’d been dreaming of what their life could look like together. But instead of finding her happily ever after, she was sitting in her apartment, alone. Not even a cat to keep her company. Then Gigi thought of Rudy, and that sent her into another fit of tears.

She sniffled, wiping her nose and telling herself to buck up.

You have amazing friends. You have a wonderful nonna and sister. You are strong. You’ll be fine, no matter what. You’ll figure it out. You always do.

She repeated her thoughts, trying to soothe her heartache and worries, knowing she had a wonderful life and a solid support system. Yet, there was still something inside her that wanted Harris, that yearned for a partner to share her life with.

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