her chair back and rose slowly. The shimmery gold gown she wore showcased an immaculate figure of a woman that didn’t look anywhere near her fifty-four years. Victoria Kingsley, the matriarch of the family and CEO of Kingsley Oil and Gas, glared back at her third son.
Remembering whom he was speaking to, Brice straightened, returning to his full height of six feet, his hands fisting at his side. “What I meant to ask, was how could you make such a decision without discussing it with me first?” Brice knew better than to ask such a ridiculous question, but in his current state of shock and disbelief he really didn’t know what else to say.
“Victoria, maybe I should—”
Victoria presented the palm of her right hand, stopping her sister, Elizabeth Kingsley, the more reasonable of the two when it came to handling their respective children by most accounts, from interfering and offering up what she knew would be a more sedated explanation for her decision.
Victoria exhaled noisily, collapsed her hands together and held them in front of her. “Let me see. The last time I checked, I was the CEO of Kingsley Oil and Gas and one of two—” she wiggled two fingers “—majority stakeholders. My decisions aren’t up for discussion unless I say they are. This is a notification period. Brooke starts tomorrow!”
Brice knew how his mother ran her company, but he still couldn’t understand how she could do something that she knew would be hard for him to handle. “I understand that, Mother, but this is my life we’re talking about.”
Victoria moved to the glass bar that sat in the corner of the room and poured herself a shot of Macallan whiskey. “No, what I made was a business decision. You’re making it personal, son.”
“So, your bringing Brooke back to work here isn’t personal?” he asked, his tone hard. Twenty-seven-year-old Brooke Kingsley was a tax attorney, finance wizard and Brice’s soon-to-be ex-wife.
Victoria took a sip of her drink. “Of course not. You know I don’t do personal when it comes to business.” Her eyes zeroed in on her sister. “Not anymore, anyway. Brooke is excellent at what she does and she knows our company. There are too many people coming after us. The IRS is just the latest. With Keylan going back on the road with the team and taking Mia, another one of our valued employees, with him—”
“Of course he’ll want his wife...his new family by his side. How many times did Alexander ever take a trip without you?” Elizabeth interjected, looking over her shoulder at her sister.
“I can remember one time in particular and so should you.” Victoria looked down at her bare ring finger and tossed back the rest of her drink.
Elizabeth turned away and muttered, “I do. Sorry, Victoria.”
Victoria poured herself another whiskey and her sister a glass of wine. “The point is we need people we can trust, helping with this fight.” She smiled down at her sister and handed her the wine.
“Are you sure you can trust her?” Brice knew his question was coming from a place of hurt and anger, but it was the only ammunition he had left.
Victoria returned to her seat. “May I?” Elizabeth asked.
“Please.” Victoria raised her glass.
“Brice, darling, I understand that you might be a little apprehensive about having Brooke around again, but we need her help. Maybe you two can work out your issues,” she replied, her smile faint.
Brice loved his aunt’s sweet spirit and he appreciated her glass-half-full approach when it came to most things, but this time he had to stand firm. Working with Brooke would be more difficult than anyone seemed to understand. Brice puffed out his chest and went stone-faced.
“If she comes back, I won’t work with her,” he announced.
Victoria sat forward, placed her drink on the table and leered at her son. The room’s temperature seemed to drop several degrees. “What does that mean exactly? Are you resigning from your role as CFO?”
“What?” Brice’s forehead creased. He didn’t know what he meant, but it certainly wasn’t that.
“Of course not, Mother,” COO Alexander quickly said, scowling at Brice, who stood in silence with his hands in his pockets. “Everyone just needs to calm down and take a breather.”
Victoria’s cell phone rang. She removed the phone from her Hermès bag and answered it with the brief statement, “I’ll be down in a moment.” Victoria rose from her seat and this time everyone followed suit, except her sister, who remained in her chair. Victoria returned her phone to her purse, leaned over and kissed her sister on the cheek.
“Have a nice evening, Victoria,” Elizabeth said with a half-smile.
“I always do. I trust you can—”
“I’ll take care of everything here,” Elizabeth promised.
Victoria offered Alexander her cheek, which he kissed before saying, “Everything’s going to be fine.”
Victoria moved to Kristen Kingsley, Elizabeth’s only daughter and their company’s vice president of general operations. “I expect those files on my desk first thing in the morning,” she instructed before giving her a hug.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kristen eagerly replied.
Victoria sent Travis, Kristen’s twin brother and one of two Kingsley heirs that didn’t work for the company, an air-kiss across the table. “See your mother home safely before you head back to that ranch of yours.”
“Always,” he promised.
When Victoria finally made her way to the door where Brice was now standing, she placed her right hand on his chest and stared up at him. Brice’s eyes scanned her face for any signs of what was coming but she stood stone-faced.
“The next time you threaten me with not doing your job, you had better have a letter of resignation to offer—otherwise, I will fire you, son. Understand?” Brice gave a quick nod. “Good.” Victoria dropped her hand, offered her cheek, which he kissed, and left the room.
“Dammit, Brice, what the hell’s wrong with you? You’re twenty-eight, not a goddamn impulsive eighteen-year-old,” Alexander scolded his brother, making his way over to the bar.
“Language,” Elizabeth stated, taking a sip of her wine.
“Pour me one too, Alexander,” Travis requested, taking his seat. “Aunt Victoria is an OG and she doesn’t play. I think she really would’ve fired you,” he concluded.
“I would have,” Kristen offered, collecting her things.
“Of course you would have, sis. You’re just like her.”
Elizabeth gave the evil eye to her bickering children. “That’s enough, you two.”
Brice leaned forward against the chair he’d long ago abandoned and dropped his head. He knew his brother was right; he was being impulsive. Brice couldn’t believe how quickly things had turned with his mother, all because of the emotions Brooke invoked that he still couldn’t control. How was he going to handle working day-in and day-out with her?
“Mother,
