Page 52 of Hate On
Roman
“How didthe meeting with Gibson go?”
Roman looked up to see his father standing in the doorway of his office. Waving him in, Roman leaned back from the desk. He’d just gotten in from the meeting a little over an hour ago and was still processing everything, but he had enough to tell his father. “He’s trying to hold out, thinks he can get us to give him a bigger piece of the pie.”
“Fat chance,” Michael said, coming in to stand in front of Roman’s desk. He wore a steel gray Armani suit and looked very much like the CEO of one of the best jewelry dynasties in the world. His graying hair, the lines on his face only served to give him a patrician air. His voice was rich and vibrant, the kind that could catch the attention of a crowd and hold the people mesmerized as he spoke. “If he wants cheap prices, he can find cheap jewelry. If he wants quality, he has to accept it comes with a price.”
“That’s more or less what I told him.” Roman lifted a shoulder, unconcerned. Gibson and Roman would come to an agreement. It was just a matter of time.
Michael nodded, smiling. “Exactly what I’d expect from you, son. How did he take it?”
“A lot of gesticulating and talking about how there’s a lot of fish in the pond, blah, blah, blah.” Roman just shook his head. “But he came to us for a reason. He wants what we have to sell him.”
“Any idea what his reasons are?” Michael asked.
“Some,” Roman hedged, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to go into detail with his father just yet. He was still uneasy about the close call he’d had that morning, with his father showing up so closely on the heels of Julianna’s departure.
Michael Montrose likely knew about the deal that had precipitated the initial contact from Omega, but Roman didn’t know if he’d connected the two. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep working on him. With Templeton moving out of the game, we’re his number one goal.”
His father’s eyes narrowed slightly and he inclined his head.
Roman swore mentally because he knew his dad wasn’t going to let it go. He’d caught the scent. Therewasone other player in the game, one that rivaled Montrose Jewelers and was just a step or two higher than Templeton Legacy. If Gibson wasn’t reaching out to Castle, it was for a reason.
“Why do you think he reached out to us in the first place, Roman?” Michael asked, slipping a hand into his pocket.
Roman bit back a sigh. “Rumors are his top competition out on the West Coast has reached a deal with Castle Jewels. They’ll be selling a limited number of pieces in their top stores by the end of this year—the line will debut with the Christmas catalog, with a larger showing to be debuted come Valentine’s Day.”
The two top-selling periods in the industry.
A taut silence stretched out between them, lasting just a few beats before his father nodded, almost pensively. In a soft voice, he said, “I want you to make this deal happen, Roman. If he needs high-end quality, then we’re his best bet and he knows it. You’ve got him over a barrel, so don’t let him slip away. I can count on you for this.”
It was a statement, not a question.
“I’m working on it, Dad.” Roman met his eyes with a steady smile.
On the heavy granite slab that served as Roman’s desk, his phone vibrated. Roman barely glanced at it, more interested in wrapping up the conversation with his father than anything.
“Gibson has to fly back within the week, but we might have drinks again before he goes, and regardless, he’ll be giving me a call. He knows we’re the ones he’ll be dealing with. He’s just trying to hold out for a better deal on his end.” Roman shrugged. “I already gave him the best he’s going to get. He just needs to suck it up and accept it.”
He glanced down at his desk as the phone vibrated a second time.
His father did the same.
Almost in unison, they glanced up, meeting each other’s eyes and the look on his father’s face had Roman wishing he’d grabbed the damn phone on the first vibration.
It was too late now.
His father’s face had soured like somebody had shoved a lemon into his mouth and Roman knew exactly why.
Julianna’s face smiled out at him from the screen of his phone and it wasn’t just some shot he’d saved from a business card or a picture he’d downloaded from some corporate website either.
He’d taken it one morning after they’d finished making love, when her face was soft and sleepy, a warm smile on her lips. She was lying in his bed, the sheets tumbled around her, her hair disheveled. Although there was nothing at all revealing about the picture, it was decidedly…intimate.
“Julianna.” Michael shot Roman a look, face tight. “Just why is Julianna Castle calling you?”
The phone vibrated again and Roman scooped it up from the desk, shoving it into his pocket before looking back to his father. Meeting his father’s gaze, he debated on how to answer.
Did he lie?