Page 16 of Four Money (Ever and Always 1)

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Cooper’s voice rose along with his eyebrows. He glanced at Trent, then began to type furiously, taking notes. “Yeah. I just got the email. I’m going to review the documents. Can I call you back if we have additional questions?”

A pause hung in the air, everyone being still and quiet at once, which was kind of a miracle. “Thanks so much. You’ve been a huge help. Yes, Westford, Arman, and King will be representing Trent in this matter going forward.”

They would be? Trent took another sip of whiskey. He was pretty sure he couldn’t afford a team as qualified and competent as them without digging into his savings for his business. He stood, crossing to Cooper and squeezing his shoulder. “I appreciate your help, really I do. But that’s not necessary. I can figure this out on my own.”

“No, I don’t think you can.” Cooper swiveled his chair toward Ford, Brady, and Josh, who were waiting for a debriefing. It was easy to imagine them ruling a boardroom or a courtroom as they focused their combined attention on their staff member. “There’s a trust with some very specific stipulations in here.”

“How big of a fucking disaster did he leave me?” Trent groaned.

“It’s complicated,” Cooper said as he flipped through the electronic documents in front of him. “But…at a first glance…it looks like it’s going to beveryworth your while to get this sorted out. And fast.”

“I didn’t give a shit about my father’s money when he was alive, why would I want it now?” Trent sliced his hands through the air, wishing he could cut off the pain his father could cause him, even from the grave. “What do I have to do, promise I’ll benormaland leave my wicked ways behind me?”

“Kind of.” Ford nodded as he peeked over Cooper’s shoulder. “You’d have to be married or over twenty-five to inherit what he’s set aside for you.”

“So that bastard thought poly was some kind of phase I’d grow out of? Fuck him!” Trent wasn’t a violent sort of guy, but he wished he could chuck his glass across the room and relish it shattering. He didn’t need distractions. All he had to do was put his head down, work hard, and focus on his goals to achieve them. “Why are we wasting our breath talking about this when I could be downstairs on the casino floor making more money to start my business myself?”

It just might take a while, time his competitors could use to reverse engineer his technology if they caught even a hint of what he’d dreamed up. Several players in the industry were close on his heels, with enormous budgets and full research and development teams. Worry that they would catch up or pass him ate at him every day.

“Why couldn’t he have held on another three damn months? I’ll be twenty-five in June.”

“How much money do you need to fund your patents and the start-up costs for your solar and battery technology?” Cooper asked.

“Too much.” Trent squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I might be too late to market by the time I have it.”

“Whoa, is that the business Lorenzo was referring to earlier?” Brady asked. “That could be a big fucking deal.”

Owen and Lorenzo were staring at him with twin worried gazes. They knew how much this meant to him and how deeply his family could fuck him up on a personal level, and now on a professional one, too.

“Itwillbe.” Trent crossed his arms. “When I do it. On my own. Without my father’s dirty money and sacrificing things I can’t live without. I’m not going to change who I am. Not even for this.”

“Hold on.” Holly put her feet on the floor and leaned forward. “No one’s saying you have to actually change. Just do what it takes to meet the trust’s qualifications.”

Trent scoffed. “Oh yeah, where am I going to find some random woman to marry me tonight? Are you volunteering?”

Though he’d said it to prove a point, he couldn’t deny that part of him didn’t hate that idea as much as he should.

Holly blinked a few times in rapid succession then sat back, her mouth snapping shut. Yeah, that’s what he’d thought.

Everyone else surrounding them was so quiet he could sense the faint thump of the bass through the soundproofed walls.

“Guys, that’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.” Owen spread his arms. “Maybe you should think about it.”

“Exactly how much money are we talking about here?” Holly asked.

Cooper squinted, then said, “After taxes and legal fees, I’m guessing seventy, give or take.”

“Seventy thousand dollars?” Holly’s eyes went wide. “Trent, you could do a lot with that. It would be a huge head start on your dreams.”

She was sweet, and entirely too naive for the sort of bullshit their well-meaning friends were trying to entangle her in.

Josh sidled up next to Ford and glanced between Holly and the screen twice, as if to make certain of what he’d read. Then he whistled. “Not thousands, Holly.Millions.”

The drink nearly slipped from her fingers, but Andi was there to catch it and set it on the table beside the couch. Holly’s pretty eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Millions? Of dollars?”

Trent cursed. He’d resisted temptation once in his life already. Could he do it again, now that he knew the stakes? What if he didn’t do this and someone beat him to finalizing the revolutionary solar technology he was on the cusp of perfecting?

All he had to do was get hitched for ninety days, and he’d have a shot to realize his dreams. Besides, assuming she even go for it, he’d get to spend more time with Holly while he took the next step toward his goal. Maybe it was the whiskey talking, or the eager expressions on his friends’ faces, but he was finding it hard to remember why this was a terrible plan.

---