Page 110 of Emergence and Ascendance

"Thank you so much. I appreciate you getting me here in one piece."

"It was my pleasure." He reached into his pocket and handed over a card with his driving service name, his name, and phone number. "Just give me a call when you're ready. I'll be waiting nearby…"

I quickly shook my head. "That won't be necessary. I can get a ride."

Christian had chartered his family's jet for my flight to New York and promised to have it ready to bring me back to Crescent Falls. He also arranged for a driver to get me to the meeting.The least I could do was handle getting myself back to the jet later this evening. At the moment I wasn't sure what time that would be since I wanted to spend time with Alex and have dinner with Tezni before heading back. Christian made sure to let me know any time was possible. I simply needed to allow a two-hour heads up for the jet to be on the schedule for the flight.

"It's very necessary. Mr. Devereaux had specific instructions for me to be available for you during your time here in the city. I plan to do exactly that." He offered a smile but his declaration was firm.

"Thank you…" I glanced at the card to find his name. "Johnson."

"You're very welcome. He tipped his head and headed back to the vehicle. "I can be here in about twenty minutes from the time you call. Have a great day, Ms. Whitney."

"You too."

I had a feeling Christian tossed out a lot of money and equal amounts of threats to ensure Johnson understood his position. I smiled, shaking my head as I pushed through the glass doors and entered the lobby of Whitney International. The security greeted me with a smile and so did Sonja who worked the reception desk that checked in visitors. I took the elevator to the twentieth floor of the building and stepped off feeling like I was home. No matter what issues I had with my father, I grew up here in this building.

As children, me, Alex, and Valerie visited the office with our mother, coming to see our father. As teens, the three of us did summer internships here. Once I completed my MBA with a focus in Project Development, I took over Whitney's development division but only because Alex still had three years left of college. My position was supposed to be temporary but Alex refused to do what our father wanted and take over after he completed his MBA.

Regardless of the things I didn't like about this place and the memories it held, Whitney International was home.

"Hey, Scot." Elaine, my brother's assistant, was the first person I ran into in the hallway. She offered a bright smile but it dropped seconds later. "Are you here for the board meeting?"

"I am, why?"

"Oh, you weren't on the list of attendees. Alex didn't mention you would be here and your name wasn't on the list your father sent out. I assumed that was because you were working on that new project. How's it going by the way?"

Alex wouldn't have informed her because that meant my father finding out. My father wanted me in the dark because he wanted the board to vote without input from me. His plan was to influence their decision and force me to deal with whatever they decided, which meant he would get his way.

"Great, actually. The purchase is finalized. My team is scheduled to begin clearing the land as soon as I get back."

"Scot, that's great. Your mother would be so proud of you."

My heart clenched but I smiled and nodded. She would. She was the only reason this was even possible.

"Thank you." I cleared my throat. "Is my father in the office?"

The meeting wasn't until two so it was possible he wasn't coming in until later. I wanted to catch him before the meeting to try and talk some sense into him before. It was a long shot but at least worth trying.

"He is. Came in about an hour ago."

"Perfect, thank you. Is Alex here yet?"

"En route. I just talked to him about ten minutes ago. Would you like for me to let him know you're waiting?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm going to see my father first. Alex should be here by the time I'm done."

She nodded. "I'll let him know you're in the office when he arrives. It's good to see you, and congratulations. We're all very proud of you."

Not everyone.

She headed in one direction and I went in another, speaking to employees as I moved through the office to the left corner of the building where my father's office took up three quarters of the floor. Everything about him had to be a presentation of power and wealth. It was annoying but I was used to him.

As soon as I entered his office, he frowned at me. "Should have known Alex couldn't keep his damn mouth shut."

"Why would he have to? This is a board meeting and I'm a member of the board. If you called a meeting about an issue with the development branch, then I should have been the first name on the list since I'm over all operations."

"Not since the meeting is about your incompetence with mishandling the Whitney name."

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