The Merger

Chapter 41

Lucas

"So glad you made it, man! It's good to finally meet in person."

"Yeah, of course. This is a sweet house you got. I feel like I've been here before," Gary said as he lifted his drink toward the house.

After Lucas had found out his dad invited a few clients to the party, he followed up with Gary with an invite. As much as Lucas would've preferred meeting over a round of golf, his schedule was getting busier the closer they got to completing the merger.

"Oh, maybe you have! I was just thinking I feel like we've met before in person. You look very familiar." Lucas squinted trying to put his finger on it.

"Did you go to Harvard?"

"Ahh yes! I did! What year were you?"

"The same year as Talia Nassar."

Lucas nodded before scrunching his brows. Gary knew Talia? Then it hit him like an unwanted riptide. This could very well be the Gary that Talia had talked about. The one that broke her heart. His fists clenched for a moment and he tried to recover his grimace. "Oh, so you know Talia already?"

"Yeah, we used to date. And fuck, of course." Gary chuckled but Lucas kept a straight face.

Picturing her with any other man made his stomach sick. Even though Talia and Gary were ancient history, Lucas could do without the image. "I hope it's not weird then that she's Co-President with me. If you need to switch companies I understand." Lucas kept his voice as calm as possible but his mind was spinning.

What the fuck? What are the chances? Why didn't I look into him more?

If Talia saw Gary, it'd likely bring up unwanted memories, and things were just starting to get back on track with them. The flirtatiousness and little touches throughout the game with her were like small pumps of air into the balloon of hope of them finally being together. Waiting for her to give him an answer had tested his patience like nothing else in his life. And after that small kiss they had shared, there was now a real, tangible hope for something more.

Forget buttering Gary up, Lucas was now ready to convince him why Legacy Wealth would be the worst option for him. He glanced around, making sure Talia wasn't close by when Gary's voice pulled him back.

"No, all good. I heard through the grapevine that you guys are competing for CEO so it's only a matter of time before it's just you that I'll be working with."

Lucas made a face. "What?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Talia doesn't seem like the type to lead a company. I know she's sort of a leader now, but what she's doing is different from a CEO."

Lucas' nostrils flared. "Well, there's a fifty-fifty chance between us and even if she were to stay on as President, she'd be working with all of our clients, including you."

Gary scoffed. "Yeah, that's a load of shit. I'm calling it now. You'll get the position and then Talia will quit or get fired because she wouldn't be able to handle it."

Lucas' jaw clenched. He kept telling himself to calm down and not make a scene, but this asshole was practically begging to be punched.

"What?" Gary raised a brow. "Does that make you mad?" His eyes grew wide and then narrowed before he added, "Are you guys fucking?"

"Who's Lucas fucking?" A voice called out too loudly from the side.

Lucas turned to find one of his old friends, Andrew, whom he hadn't seen in years, approaching with another guy next to him. He had met Andrew in college. They would see each other every few years for random events, but would always get into trouble when hanging out. The gangly guy liked to drink. A lot. And when Lucas was around him, they'd always end up out drinking like there was no tomorrow.