“Let’s take a seat.” I indicated to the couches in the living room before I sat down on the long sofa. I made sure I left a spot for Thorn so he could sit beside me.
Ms. Alexander sat on the couch across from me.
And Thorn sat beside her.
I hid my surprise well, but I still wasn’t prepared for his actions. Did that mean anything? Or had staying home for so long messed with the cogs in my head? “I understand Thorn has been the mutual messenger during our discussions. He’s done a great job handling my companies during my leave, and I can’t thank him enough. But I’m glad we’re having this conversation face-to-face.”
“Me too.” She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap. Just as I was poised, she didn’t seem nervous at our interaction. She held her own very well. “Thorn has been a wonderful mediator. Bringing us together was a great executive decision. We both have contributions we can make to this idea. Together, I think we can make an energy company that will rival anyone who opposes us. You have the experience to turn this technology into a brand, and I have the knowledge to make the technology forever evolving. No one else will be able to copy us because by the time they catch up to my last design, I will have two more products on the roadmap. We can make a great team.”
Ms. Alexander was a scientific genius, and she didn’t doubt her abilities. I liked her confidence, and I liked that she got straight to the point.
Thorn spoke next. “Ms. Alexander is looking for an equal partnership. You both have distinct strengths that could be deadly when they’re combined together. It’ll allow each of you to work on the things that interest you most. I’ve gotten to know each of you separately, and you’re both the most extraordinary businesspeople I’ve interacted with. I truly believe you’ll make the perfect team.”
Ms. Alexander gave him a gentle smile, the kind that reached her eyes.
I smiled too, but my eyes were on her.
“So, let’s do the most difficult part,” Thorn said. “Percentages.”
I already knew what I wanted. “Sixty-forty. The reason being, I’ll be investing a great deal of my money and resources into making this technology a global phenomenon. I have all the right contacts, the branding power, and the expertise. This will allow Ms. Alexander to focus on her work exclusively.”
Thorn immediately shifted his eyes to Ms. Alexander, predicting she would have an immediate response.
“It needs to be fifty-fifty,” she said politely. “I understand your reasoning, and in most situations, it would make sense. But when we handle this kind of technology, I want to be part of the decision-making. I want to make sure my inventions are being used in a way I agree with. If we do it your way, then you’re simply buying me out. I really want to work with you because I know we’ll do great things, and I also respect you, so I’m not trying to be difficult or greedy. For me, it’s not about money. It’s about involvement. It’s about partnership.”
She could be pulling a number on me, but I believed in her sincerity. I’d put a ridiculous offer on the table to buy her out, and she didn’t blink an eye over it. Everyone cared about money, but perhaps she didn’t care as much as most people did.
“It’s important for me to make an impact on the world. I don’t want to be forgotten in your shadow, Ms. Titan. I want to be viewed as an equal contributor. I want the world to see two smart women working together and making a difference. It’s my legacy—and that’s the most important thing to me.”
I held her gaze as I considered what she said. My investment in solar energy had already done very well, but it was bound to die out without her new innovations. I was used to doing everything on my own, but in this sector, it wasn’t possible. I needed someone with the right scientific background—and she was the best in the business.
I could argue back and forth to get what I wanted, but I suspected it wouldn’t change the end result. Moving forward, I would be relying on her input most of the time anyway. She understood the technology far better than I did. “Fifty-fifty.”
She immediately smiled.
“Fifty-fifty of this new company we’ll merge together. It has no effect on any other institution I own, even if it’s a conflict of interest. Those are my final terms.” I didn’t foresee a conflict of interest at that moment, but I didn’t know what would happen in the next twenty years. I could invest in a competitor’s product if I wished.
She could argue against that, but she already had a great offer on the table. She asked for the sundae she wanted, and it would be risky to push for a banana split instead. My fierce reputation preceded me, and people didn’t make the mistake of misinterpreting my niceness for weakness. If I compromised, it was suicidal to push for more.
But Ms. Alexander made the right decision. “We have a deal.”
Chapter Two
Thorn
Once the meeting was finished, I returned to the office a few blocks over. Autumn went back to her complex on the other side of the city, and we parted as business partners rather than lovers.
I’d been at the office for a few hours and had just finished a meeting with Titan’s assistants when Titan called. She called straight to my cell and bypassed her own employees.
She and I hadn’t discussed the meeting with Autumn yet, and I knew that was the subject of the conversation. “Hey, I think that went well.”
“I agree. She’s a smart woman.”
I knew Titan could read people with surprising accuracy. She didn’t take long to break down someone’s character, even in a short conversation. She picked up on subtle clues,
