The Billionaire’s Tenacious Boss (The Maxfield Brothers Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

makeover here. We want to ensure we've looked at all the angles before we sell two-thirds of the company. And if you're not comfortable with that, you're welcome to sell your shares and move on."
    After a few more moments, he hung up the phone. "I see you still don't quite understand how to knock," he said.
    "Gabe, what the hell are you doing? If board members start selling shares, Angie could get the upper hand. Is that really what you want?"
    "I want the best for Duncan Enterprises, and I won't let board members rush me into a premature decision." He calmly stood and straightened his tie. "Why are you so angry?"
    "She's impossible," he hissed.
    "Yes, well perhaps that stubbornness is why she's getting the CEO position instead of me."
    There was no anger in Gabe's voice, and that alone deflated Stephen's rage. After all was said and done, Stephen intended to leave, but this was Gabe's baby. He would stay whether he ran it or not. "Why am I here?" he repeated, more gently this time.
    "I already told you. You're here to help me find another way to save the company."
    "You don't need me for that. And you don't need Nathan."
    Gabe shrugged. "Like it or not, you're still a part of this company. Now if things had stayed the same, I wouldn't care if you and Nathan never showed your faces around here. But cutting off two-thirds of this company is a helluva lot like cutting two brothers out of a family. And for some strange reason I thought maybe you'd want a say in that. But if I'm wrong, feel free to go back to whatever miserable life you were pretending to lead."
    "My company is just fine," Stephen argued. He'd never heard Gabe speak so harshly before. What was going on?
    "We outbid you for seventy-five percent of the projects that come in. I doubt your company is doing ‘just fine’." Gabe checked his watch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to go too."
    "Why isn't Duncan here?" Stephen asked.
    Gabe shrugged. "Maybe he figures we'll kill each other, and save him the job."
    Stephen slipped past his brother as he held the door open. With an uneasy feeling, he watched Gabe stride down the hall. When had they become strangers? Gabe and Nathan had been the best men at his wedding, and now he didn't even feel comfortable giving him more than a handshake. Of course, his marriage hadn't lasted either.
    But maybe, just maybe, he could do one thing. Maybe he could repair his relationship with Gabe. Feeling more determined, he retraced his steps back to Angie's office. She was on her way out. "What now?" she grumbled.
    "When you're finished with your meetings tonight, we're going to sit down and go over the reports," he said easily. "And you're going to explain to me why you feel this is the only viable option."
    "That's going to take hours," she said, as she stared at him.
    "Make whatever arrangements you need to," he said stiffly. Her jaw dropped, he turned and walked away without another word. If everyone wanted him to act as if he was part of this business, then that's how he would act. He was more like Duncan than he liked to admit.

6
    T he last employee had left hours ago, and Angie thought regretfully about how she’d skipped lunch. One thing had led to another, and her thoughts kept roaming back to her family and then back to work, and she’d never gotten a chance to go down to the deli on the corner. The oatmeal she’d had for breakfast hadn’t lasted long. Her stomach growled loudly, and she flushed.
    “Sorry. I skipped lunch.”
    Stephen sat back and sighed. “It’s fine. We’re not getting anywhere anyway,” he said, and threw himself back in his chair. In that brief moment she realized the cool, confident man had slipped away, replaced by a vulnerability she hadn’t noticed before. She felt as though she were seeing beneath his customary poised façade for the first time, and now what she saw was a disappointed boy. He wasn’t getting what he wanted, and she half expected him to start pouting.
    “I tried