Chapter 62 Heir Reborn
Richard Harrington sat in bed, propped up by pillows and holding a tablet in his hand as if he hadn't just supposedly survived a heart attack.
Richard looked up and a slow smile spread across his face, a look of deep satisfaction that made the monitors beside him beep with a steady, healthy rhythm.
"You made excellent time, Alex, I suppose the threat of losing Sarah’s little shop was more effective than any medical emergency could ever be," Richard said, his voice sounding strong and vibrant, with no trace of the gray weakness Mark had described at the cottage.
"I am not here to check on your health, because we both know you are too mean to die yet, I am here to tell you the price for my return to that building," Alex said, and he stood at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed, his eyes looking like two pieces of flint that had been struck together.
"The price? You are in no position to negotiate, the banks are waiting for a signature, and if I don't give it, your girlfriend is going to be looking for a new career by lunchtime," Richard told him, but his smile faltered just a little bit when he saw that Alex didn't flinch at the threat.
"The banks are waiting for a Harrington, and since you are currently 'incapacitated' by a cardiac event, I am the only Harrington they are going to listen to, so here is how this works," Alex said, leaning over the bed rail so his face was inches from his father’s. "I accept the permanent role at the firm, I will be the face of the leadership, but I want total, undisputed control over the legal department, and I want it in writing before I leave this room."
"The legal department? That is where all the power is held, Alex, you would be able to kill every project I have in motion," Richard said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone.
"Exactly, and the first thing I am going to do is fire Joseph Hayes, I want him escorted out of the building by armed security, and if I ever see his name on a Harrington payroll again, I will walk out and let the banks burn this place to the ground while I watch from the sidewalk," Alex said, and for the first time in his life, Richard looked at his son and saw a reflection that actually made him feel a chill of genuine respect.
"And what about Sarah? Do you think I’m just going to let her walk back in like nothing happened?" Richard asked.
"Sarah stays on the Veridian project, her contract is reinstated in full, and her debt is moved into a private trust that only I have the keys to, and in exchange, I will sit in your meetings and I will play the part of the perfect heir until the world believes we are a happy family again," Alex told him, and he pulled a pen from his pocket and held it out. "Sign the authorization, or watch the stock price drop to zero when I tell the reporters outside that you've lost your mind."
Richard looked at the pen and then at the cold, calculated mask that had become his son’s face, and he realized that he had finally gotten exactly what he wanted, even if it meant he had created a rival he might not be able to control. He took the pen and signed the paper with a flourish.
"Welcome home, Alex, I knew you had it in you," Richard whispered.
Three hours later, the scene at the Harrington Group headquarters was a whirlwind of motion, and Sarah stood in the lobby feeling like she was a ghost watching a play she didn't understand. She saw Joseph being led out of the side entrance by two large men in black suits, his face red with a mix of shock and rage as he yelled about his rights, but the security guards didn't even let him grab his briefcase. Alex didn't even look out his window to watch him go, he was already sitting in the executive suite, surrounded by lawyers who were jumping at his every command.
Sarah walked up to the top floor and found Helena standing by the elevators, looking as polished and cold as ever, holding a new set of folders that had Sarah’s firm’s logo on them.
"The locks have been changed on the Veridian files, Sarah, and while Alex has managed to keep you on the payroll, you will report directly to me from now on," Helena said, her voice sounding like a warning.
"Every design you make, every vendor you hire, and every penny you spend must be approved by my office, and if you step out of line once, I will make sure the board knows that Alex is letting his personal feelings interfere with company profit."
"He saved the firm, Helena, that’s all I care about right now," Sarah said, but she felt a heavy weight in her stomach because she realized that while the business was safe, the walls of the machine were closing in on her.
"He didn't save you, he bought you a different kind of prison, and you should look at him closely before you thank him, because the man who came back from that cottage isn't the one you went there with," Helena told her, and she walked away without waiting for a reply.
Sarah pushed open the doors to Alex’s office and saw him sitting behind the black marble desk, the light from the window making him look like a silhouette. He didn't stand up when she entered, and he didn't smile, he just kept reading a document until she reached the edge of the desk.
"Joseph is gone, the accounts are clear, and you can go back to the site tomorrow morning," Alex said, his voice sounding flat and professional.
"Alex, we need to talk about what happened at the cottage, we need to talk about what your father did," Sarah said, reaching out to touch his hand, but he pulled it back to reach for a telephone.
"We don't have time for that, Sarah, the press is waiting downstairs for the leadership announcement, and I need you to go to the vanity in the side room and fix your hair, because the cameras are going to be on us for the next hour," he told her, and he didn't even look at her as he started talking into the phone, giving orders about a merger in London.
She felt a wave of nausea hit her as she realized he was right, they were part of the machine now, and every move they made was being recorded, analyzed, and used as a piece of a larger game. They were safe from the bank, but they were trapped in a house of mirrors where they couldn't even have a private thought without it being a corporate strategy.
The press conference was held in the main atrium, and the air was thick with the smell of perfume and the heat of the stage lights. Alex stood at the podium with Richard on one side and Sarah on the other, and he spoke with a precision and a charm that made the reporters lean in, convinced that they were seeing the rebirth of a dynasty.
As the cameras flashed and the reporters started shouting questions, Richard leaned over toward Sarah, his shoulder brushing hers as if they were sharing a warm family moment, but when he spoke, his voice was a low, jagged whisper that only she could hear.
"He is more of a Harrington than I ever was," Richard said, and he squeezed her arm with a grip that felt like a shackle.
"He saved your little company, Sarah, but he had to give me his soul to do it, so now, let's talk about your exit strategy, because you and I both know you can't stay in this world forever without dragging him down with you."