Chapter Twenty-Two:
Lanie
Forty-eight hours after being dealt the crushing blow to my self-confidence and dignity, I sat at the table in the conference room across from Richter waiting for Ward Nelson to show up with his millions. The foundation was saved; Gina got her job back, but I felt like I'd lost the plot. Even sitting in this building didn't feel right anymore at all. I felt out of place, out of touch. Part of me wanted to take a job out of state for a while just to be out of the same city as Ian.
"GlobalCare is back on track, Lanie--or it will be when Ward hands over that check. What the hell has you so down?" Richter drummed his fingers on the table between us and I huffed out a sigh. It might not have come the way Ward wanted it to, but Ian and I had broken up. I did break up with him, but not for the money. I could never do that. I was going to tell Ward to fuck off. He was a sleazy man and I wanted nothing to do with his millions.
But if the relationship was going to end anyway, there was no harm in telling him I'd broken up with Ian for the money because we needed it. The foundation I believed in and was passionate about needed the money and besides, it was totally different from the way Ian had acted. He knowingly told a man he would trick me into falling in love with him for a million dollars. Who the fuck even cared that he, too, had fallen in love. The foundation of our relationship was a lie. I couldn't.... I just couldn't.
"I'm just disappointed the research trip got rained out." It was the only excuse I had and it was weak. When Richter told me he'd reschedule immediately--and he would tell me any second now--I'd have no logical excuse to be so upset.
But my soul was crushed, suffocated under a mountain of grief I couldn't carry on my own. I'd been too upset, too distraught to even tell Gina or Olivia yet, but it was coming. A girls' night like no other. We'd get white-girl wasted and rant about how wretched men were, maybe even drunk dial Ian and tell him off. I'd need closure.
"Nothing that can't be fixed..." Richter pulled out his phone and started scrolling. I'd done nothing but listen to him celebrate for the past few days. He called me so many times I thought I'd need to buy a dedicated work phone. "Ah look here, a break in the weather later this week. Want to go next weekend?"
The knife to my chest... I sucked in a breath to respond but I was saved by a demon dressed in a black suit with a beguiling grin. Ward walked into the conference room and winked at me and my stomach churned.
"Good morning," he purred as he sat down and unbuttoned his coat.
"Ward, you are the man of the hour. Why did you decide to give so much?" Richter was really in the dark. I squirmed uncomfortably, wanting to know the motive behind Ward's donation as much as anyone else.
He got a big tax write off for it, that was certain, but outside of that, there was a dark ulterior motive I didn't understand. I'd been so hurt by Ian's asinine behavior I hadn't stopped to realize the implications of Ward's involvement in this whole thing. I doubted he cared a lick about the environment or Richter's foundation at all. He was only here to fuck with Ian for some reason, and while that did not excuse Ian's choices, it at least made me feel like maybe we'd both been duped. Maybe I was just as stupid as Ian.
"Well, Ms. Gray here." Ward nodded at me before polishing a canine with his tongue. "Her research is phenomenal and I just knew she was the woman for the job. I gave her a condition to meet and when she followed through, I knew I could trust my money was going to the right place." I could almost see the cockroaches crawling between his teeth with their lies and manipulations.
I sucked in a breath to respond, knowing if I wasn't careful I'd say something I would later regret. But the door swung open and Ian and his friend Grayson burst into the room. He had a large white envelope in his hand and a look of determination on his face.
"Ian?" I mumbled and my body tensed as he approached.
Ward snarled like a rabid dog and Ian thrust out his hand toward Richter. "Mr. Gregory, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Richter stood and shook Ian's hand and I thought I'd throw up. If he came here to try to be heroic or prove some point I would throat punch him.
"I have a solution to your problems." He looked at Ward, then at me, but I averted my eye. "And I think you'll find it to be quite fitting. I know I do." Ian pulled a paper from the envelope and handed it to my boss.
Richter's eyes skimmed over the paper and he smiled stiffly, with his lips pressed together. It was the sort of smile a person gives when they know they're supposed to give it and they're not altogether thrilled.
"This is a generous donation, Ian. Thank you." Richter looked up at Ian with the same plastic smile and nodded.
"Half a million... I didn't need that Rolls Royce. That's not all." Ian slid a stack of paperwork from the envelope and dropped it on the table, and I noticed the stamp from a realtor on the top sheet. "My home, valued at over six million dollars..." I couldn't help but look at his face. There was pain in his eyes, compassion in his expression. He didn't look at Richter; he looked straight at me. "The deed is being finalized. I owe about two million on it, so that will be paid off first. I intend to keep around fifty grand as a down payment for a new home, but the rest is yours."
Richter made some unintelligible sounds as he sank into his chair and scooped up the papers to thumb through them. Grayson stood as a sentry by the door with arms folded over his chest. Ward, however, scoffed and rolled his eyes at Ian.
"Always the competition, huh, Ian? Do you have something to prove?" Ward crossed one leg over the other. I could see the signs of hatred all over him--knit brow, violent eyes, tense shoulders. He really did detest Ian for some reason.
"I have nothing to prove. My friend Lanie told me the foundation needed a donation and I was a fool not to do this earlier. I have no need for a multi-million dollar home just to show off in front of people."
Ward became more infuriated by the second, as if now even winning the competition he instigated was making him upset. I cringed when Ian used the word friend. I realized that there was more than met the eye between these two and while Ian's actions were detestable, I could see how easily it was for him to be provoked by Ward.
"How noble of you." Ward stood and buttoned his suit coat.
"Ms. Gray is a phenomenal scientist and her work will save the low country wetlands." Ian and Ward squared off, chest to chest. I glanced at Richter who appeared to be fascinated and entertained by it all. He had a half smirk on his face when he looked at me.
"Well, it sounds like GlobalCare is doing just fine then." Ward slid his hand into his pocket and I heard a clicking noise, like he had one of those fidget clickers. I didn't understand what was happening between them, but the silent storm passing lightning bolts between their eyes was getting more violent by the second.
"I know... Two of the city's wealthiest men donating almost five million each. Richter will be on the front page of the newspaper..." Ian inched forward and I noticed Ward's body stiffen. "After all, such a wealthy man like yourself giving millions to charity is bound to draw attention. Imagine how much more attention it would draw if you were to back out now..."
I finally understood. As I sat there and watched the two of them go back and forth I realized Ward had such a huge ego he couldn't stand it when people thought negatively of him. Ian's firm was in direct competition with Ward's. In fact, I'd learned during the process of getting to know Ian that he had worked for Ward once upon a time. I imagined that probably hurt Ward's ego when Ian left to start his own firm. Then he won the GlobalCare site build contract and Ian soared into the media.
Now Ian was putting Ward in his place once again. Forcing him to part with his millions and share the spotlight in a very public way with a very public revenge. Ward's free hand was fisted at his side, his eyes virulent. Grayson had a smug expression on his face watching the two of them. I didn't like the man at all, but clearly he and Ian had made up.
"Imagine..." Ward said coldly. He looked at Richter. "I'll have a courier bring the check tomorrow. I have something to tend to now." And then he walked out.
Ian turned to face Richter and took a cleansing breath. "I apologize that my donation came late. Sometimes you don't see the things that are most important until it's too late. I do hope this isn't too late to save GlobalCare. I do actually believe in Ms. Gray's research. I also want to partner with you to give five percent of everything brought in annually from Flex. Of course, we'll have a contract to discuss my oversight of the work so I can see progress and be able to follow along with the science."
Richter's face blanched as he stood and fumbled around for words still. "Mr. Gregory," he said, extending his hand, "I'm not sure what to say. Five million would have saved us and set us up for the next few years. Ten million plus a partnership?" He shook Ian's hand vigorously and nodded his head with a chin hanging loose.
"If you need a good accountant to help keep things in line, Mr. Thorne is an excellent source..." Ian nodded at his friend who merely smiled. "And of course, I'll offer the services of my firm any time."
"Thank you," Richter said, shaking Ian's hand again. "This donation is very generous. I'll be in touch to set up a meeting."
Ian nodded then without looking at me, turned and walked toward the door. Grayson, acting as his bodyguard, opened the door and gave me a look that said I was an idiot before following Ian out the door and closing it behind him.
"Woah!" My boss flopped in his chair almost speechless. He had a dazed look on his face as he ran a hand through his hair. "How on earth did you get both of those men to cough up so much money?"
The question made me nauseous. I hadn't done anything. It was the guile of one man and the extreme commitment and love of the other. Ian gave up his home and his car to save the job I loved so much, and he didn't do it to manipulate me or put Ward in his place. His continued involvement with GlobalCare in the form of a long-term contract for donation showed me he'd been listening, that my passion for saving the wetlands had rubbed off on him.
"Will you excuse me?" I asked Richter, but I didn't wait for his answer. I ran out of the conference room and chased after Ian. I caught up to him and Grayson in the parking lot and Grayson winked at me as he climbed into the car. "Ian, wait!"
I rushed, jogging down the sidewalk until I almost fell as I stepped off the curb. Ian caught me and held me up as I pushed my glasses back up the bridge of my nose.
"You okay?" he asked calmly. His hands shook. His palms were sweaty. It appeared that he was trying to be professional but we were beyond all of that.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, breathless. My eyes searched his expression and I noticed how he didn't pull away. His hands lingered on my elbow and hip.
