The next morning, I took a day off work for the first time in my history at the Young Corporation.
My team could survive without me for the day. I had more important things to do.
“Syzygy is not a word!” Isabella slapped a hand against her thigh. “You totally made that up.”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “I’m afraid Merriam-Webster disagrees.”
“Yes, well, Merriam-Webster is a bitch,” she muttered. “Fine. You win. Again.” Her mouth formed an adorable pout.
We were on our third round of the game. Half-eaten pastries and two giant mugs of hot chocolate littered the coffee table, and flames crackled in the marble fireplace. Snow flurries danced outside the windows, carpeting the city in white.
After last night’s frigid stroll down the Brooklyn Bridge, neither Isabella nor I were in the mood to go outside, so we’d holed up in my apartment with food, drinks, and board games.
“If it makes you feel better, you almost had me,” I said, leaning over and giving her a kiss. “Qi was inspired.”
“Almost isn’t the same as winning,” Isabella grumbled, but her pout melted into a sigh when I deepened the kiss. She tasted like warmth, chocolate, and something wonderfully, uniquely her.
My hand slid up her thigh until it reached the soft cotton hem of one of my old button-ups. Seeing her wear my clothes kindled something primal and possessive in me; she looked so beautiful, so perfect, and so damn mine.
Isabella wound her arms around my neck. Our board game would’ve escalated into an entirely different type of play had my phone not rung, jolting us out of our embrace.
I paused at the caller ID, but I answered without betraying a visible reaction.
“Congratulations.” Richard Chu skipped the niceties and cut straight to the chase. “The company stays with a Young after all.”
And that was that.
After months of schemes, strategizing, and buildup, I officially became the next CEO of the Young Corporation not with a bang but with a short, simple conversation.
“Well?” Anxiety sculpted Isabella’s expression. I’d told her the vote was today; she must’ve guessed the purpose of the call. “What happened? What did he say?”
I finally allowed a smile to sneak onto my face. “I won.”
The words barely made it out of my mouth before she squealed and tackled me to the ground with surprising strength for someone so small.
“I knew it!” Her face glowed with pride. “CEO Young. How does it feel?”
“Good.” My blood heated as I framed her hips with my hands. It was hard to form a detailed answer when she was straddling me wearing nothing but a shirt and underwear. “But you feel better.”
Isabella rolled her eyes, though her cheeks pinked at my response. “Seriously? You’re thinking about sex right now? You just became CEO. This is what you’ve always wanted! Why aren’t you, I don’t know, popping champagne and jumping up and down with excitement?”
“Because you’re sitting on top of me, love.” I laughed again when she scowled down at me. God, I adored her. “In all seriousness, I’m happy, but I made my peace with the outcome before Richard’s call.”
When a vote got dragged out as long as this one had, the anticipation fizzled. Besides, I already had what I wanted right in this room with me.
“So are you two on good terms now?” Isabella asked. “He didn’t get caught up in the Russell thing, right?”
“Good terms is too optimistic of a term,” I said dryly. “But we’ve developed a mutual understanding.”
Richard and I would never see eye to eye on most things, but he was one of the few board members whom Russell couldn’t find dirt on, and he’d steered the board admirably through its recent storm. Meanwhile, I’d proved that I was willing to fight for the company and work with him, if only on logistics and making sure Russell and Victor got their comeuppance.
Victor’s membership at Valhalla had been terminated. The club frowned on member-on-member sabotage, and with Christian’s help, I hit pay dirt on the National Star. The tabloid had allegedly engaged in police bribery and phone hacking in pursuit of its stories, and it was under both legal and public fire. Chances were it would fold and take Victor Black down with it. I’d confront him in person, but he wasn’t worth a single second more of my time or energy.
When I told Richard, he’d laughed and offered me a congratulatory cigar. We didn’t like each other, but we respected each other.
“On that note…” I lifted Isabella and gently set her aside. “I have one more call to make before we continue our rousing game of Scrabble.”
She flinched. “Kai, I love you, but please don’t utter the phrase rousing game of Scrabble ever again.”
I was still wearing a grin when I FaceTimed my mother. She must’ve heard the news by now, but I wanted to confirm and see her reaction.
It was lunchtime in London, so I expected her to answer in her office. Instead, she picked up after half a dozen rings—a record long time for her—in what looked like a…bedroom? A bay window spanned the wall behind her, reflecting the night lights of a city that was very much not London.
“Kai.” My mother sounded flustered. “I thought you were taking the day off. What is it?”
“The results are in. I won.” I skipped to the more important issue at hand. “Where are you?” And who are you with?
The suite, the redness of her cheeks, the late hour…
Dear God, my mother had a lover.
My stomach lurched, threatening to expel my breakfast. I hadn’t felt this horrified since a visiting Abigail snuck into my closet a few years ago and rearranged my ties by length instead of color as a prank.
“Yes, I received the call earlier from Richard. Congratulations.” My mother’s face softened. “The company will be in good hands.”
For a split second, shock edged out my horror. Leonora Young was not the type of parent who coddled her children when it came to business. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this unabashedly supportive; no matter how much Abigail or I accomplished, there was always more. More accolades, more awards, more power.
This was the first time I felt like what I did was enough.
An uncomfortable warmth crept into my chest, only to vanish seconds later when a deep male voice joined the conversation.
“Nono, it’s eleven at night.” A flash of salt-and-pepper hair entered the frame. “Tell whoever’s calling—ah.”
The man next to my mother stared back at me with equal parts guilt, astonishment, and embarrassment.
My earlier horror returned, sprouting fangs and teeth. “Father?”
Edwin Young’s face flushed a vivid shade of scarlet. “Hello, Kai. This is, uh, unexpected.”
Across from me, Isabella’s jaw unhinged. Your parents? she mouthed. She looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or cringe.
I couldn’t bring myself to respond.
My parents. Together. In what was obviously a hotel room doing…
My stomach rebelled again.
“I realize this must come as a shock.” My father cleared his throat. At sixty-two, he was still trim and fit thanks to regular tennis games and a red-meat-free diet. “But your mother and I are, uh…we’re…”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Edwin,” my mother said impatiently. “I hope you’re more eloquent when you’re pitching to clients?” She faced me again. “Your father and I have resumed a romantic relationship. This doesn’t necessarily mean we’re getting back together, since sexual—”
“Stop right there.” I held up my free hand. The word sexual leaving my mother’s lips was enough to make me want to bleach out my ears. “I don’t need the details.” I focused on the city behind her. I hadn’t paid attention earlier, but the skyline was unmistakable. “Are you in Shanghai?”
Her cheeks colored. “Yes. I flew here earlier this week for a last-minute trip.”
I didn’t have to ask whether the trip was for business or pleasure. I hadn’t seen my mother look so relaxed and at ease since…ever.
An idea suddenly struck me. “Is this why you’re stepping down?” My gaze roved between her and my father, who was studying the ceiling with apparent fascination.
I couldn’t imagine my mother giving up her career for a man, but stranger things had happened. A month ago, I couldn’t imagine meek, mousy Russell Burton blackmailing half the board either.
“No. Not necessarily.” My mother fell silent for a moment, like she was debating whether to continue. “I had a health scare last year,” she finally said, her voice quiet. “Doctors found what they thought was a tumor in my throat. It turned out to be an imaging error, but the scare put a lot of things into perspective.”
A vise squeezed my chest. “You never told me or Abigail that.”
“It’s a good thing I didn’t, considering the doctor’s utter lack of competency.” My mother pursed her lips. “Obviously, I’ve switched medical teams since then, but I didn’t want to burden you or your sister before I had full confirmation. Your father happened to be in London the week after my misdiagnosis, and since I needed to talk about it but didn’t trust anyone outside the family…”
“We rekindled our relationship,” my father finished. “I still cared about your mother, even though we’ve been estranged. I didn’t want her to go through something like that alone.”
“It started platonically, but it was obvious there were quite a few unresolved feelings between us.” My mother blew out a sigh. “Long story short, we separated when we were young and stubborn. My priorities have shifted since then, especially with my health scare. I want to spend more time outside the office and with family. Besides…” A rueful smile crossed her lips. “I’ve been at the helm for a long time. Companies that don’t change risk stagnation, and it’s time for a CEO with fresh perspectives.”
I ran a hand over my face, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. Between my reconciliation with Isabella, the CEO news, and my mother’s double bombshell, my life had tilted so far off its axis I couldn’t think straight. However, it didn’t bother me as much as it would’ve a few months ago.
Companies that didn’t change risked stagnation, but the same could be said for people. My life had followed ruler-straight lines for over three decades, and a little chaos was good for the soul.
“Since it’s confession time, there’s one more thing I have to tell you.” I angled my screen so my parents could see Isabella, who greeted them with a weak smile and a wave. “I’m back with Isabella. And this time, we’re staying together.”
My mother didn’t look surprised. “I figured as much,” she said dryly. “Clarissa called her parents yesterday and told them a Teo-Young wedding isn’t in the cards.”
“I’ve never met you nor do I know when and why you broke up,” my father told Isabella. “But I’m glad you’re back together.”
Her smile carved dimples in her cheeks. “Thank you.”
Since it was so late in Shanghai, I didn’t drag out the conversation. I promised not to tell Abigail about my parents until my mother spoke with her and hung up.
Relief loosened the fist around my heart. Perhaps it was her vacation, my victory, or a combination of both, but my mother’s reaction to our relationship was surprisingly muted. Other than a few sighs and disapproving frowns, she’d refrained from her usual barbs. She must’ve realized her objections would fall on deaf ears, and Leonora Young was smart enough not to waste her time fighting a losing battle.
“That went way better than expected,” Isabella said as we started a new round of Scrabble. “It’s amazing how much sex can loosen someone up.”
I nearly spat out my drink. “Are you trying to traumatize me?” I asked, appalled. “That’s my mother you’re talking about.”
“Sorry, I thought you were already traumatized from seeing your parents in bed—” She broke off with a squeal of laughter when I pulled her toward me and pinned her to the ground.
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll hide all your thrillers until you read every word of The Divine Comedy,” I threatened. “The Latin translated version.”
Her laughter vanished. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
“If you do that…” She hooked her legs around my waist, her eyes glinting with challenge. Heat raced straight to my groin. “I’ll withhold sex until you put the books back.”
“Darling, we both know you would cave before I did.”
Isabella arched one brow. “Wanna bet?”
We never resumed our board game that day.
I was normally a stickler for finishing what I started, but hours later, when we lay sweaty and satiated in my bed, I didn’t care that we’d left dirty plates and a half-finished game of Scrabble in the living room.
After all, we had the rest of our lives to finish it.
