I swallow hard, wishing there was some moisture in my mouth because it's so dry. All I can utter is, "I agree."

She sizes me up again, tsks, and turns to my father, announcing, "I'll be in the truck when you're ready to leave." She throws darts at me with her glare, then leaves.

The tension only grows after she departs. My father continues scowling like he wants to kill me. Alexander's sympathy has turned to disgust.

My father finally states, "I'm naming Alexander CEO."

Alexander asserts, "No, you're not."

Shocked, my father spins to him. "Excuse me?"

Alexander lifts his chin higher. "I am not moving my children to Dallas."

"You don't have to. You can come into the office a few days a week," my father claims.

I snort, interjecting, "Do you have any idea what goes on here, Dad? It's not the same company as when you stopped coming into the city ten years ago."

He snaps his head toward me. "I suggest you be quiet before I throw you out on your ass and cut off your trust fund."

I shut my mouth, my insides continuing to quiver, and I try to regulate my breathing. I don't put it past him to do that. And I wonder how I screwed up so badly, when a few weeks ago I almost had everything I ever wanted.

It's not worth it without Georgia next to me.

He turns back to Alexander. "I can't trust him. I need you to step up."

Alexander shakes his head. "No, Dad. My kids have lost enough. I'm not moving them to Dallas, and I won't travel here a few days a week, coming back and forth, so I barely see them. They don't have a mother; all they have is me."

"That's not true. They have the rest of us," my father states.

"It's not the same. I'm their only parent, and I am not stepping into the CEO's shoes. I never wanted that position anyway. This is what Sebastian wants. He's the one who's capable of fulfilling the role. He's the one who should have it, no matter how stupid he is."

"Thanks," I mutter.

"Yeah, no problem. But you know you're a jackass for doing what you did to Georgia," my brother hurls.

"Noted."

My dad stands there, not used to being told what's going to happen from one of us. We normally just do what he says. He finally spins and assesses me. I think he's going to cave, but then he throws another wrench into the situation. He informs me, "I will not have somebody running our legacy who can't be trusted. I'm not stepping down as CEO."

My entire life feels like it's going away very quickly. I've now lost everything. I've lost the position I've worked so hard for and the only woman I've ever actually loved.

Dad studies me closer.

I finally ask, "Is there anything else?"