Ryan found his father in the gazebo, having breakfast.
He paused at the top of the stairs leading down to the grounds and surveyed the scene, taking advantage of the fact that Bradford was too absorbed in reading The New York Times to notice his presence.
The gazebo had been built strategically to provide a stunning view while enjoying a meal, a colorful riot of deep reds, bright pinks, sunny yellows and fresh greens. A fountain in the shape of a cupid occupied pride of place in the garden.
He drew in a deep breath, the scent of roses thick and heady in the air.
How ironic that the man who’d set his life in turmoil be surrounded by such beauty. Ryan’s mouth twisted at the thought, anger and bitterness trying to claw their way out of his tightly leashed emotions. The confrontation with Lola earlier plus the knowledge of how deep his father’s attempt to manipulate his life still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He glanced at his watch and set off down the stairs.
“Mind if I join you?” he pulled out a chair and sat without waiting for a reply.
Bradford peered over the top of the paper and arched a brow. “I thought you were supposed to be on a flight to Maui?”
“I’ve got two hours to kill, so I thought I’d do some catching up first.” Ryan shrugged, leaning forward to pour himself a cup of steaming coffee. His stomach reminded him he’d had nothing to eat since last night and he grabbed what looked like a bacon sandwich and took a bite.
“Ah, I see.” Bradford closed the paper and began folding it methodically. He set it down and reached for his own coffee cup, cradling it in both hands as his gaze raked over Ryan. “To what do I owe this visit?”
“Oh I’m sure you know why I’m here.” Ryan leaned back in his chair, returning the scrutiny. Bradford was already dressed for work, looking like the sleek, successful businessman. “Didn’t you want feedback on the little errand you sent me to do? Surely, you would like to know if you’ll be getting a Gosling for a daughter-in-law?”
Ryan saw a nanosecond of irritation cross Bradford’s face before he resumed his usual inscrutable expression.
“Well, well. So you actually know how to obey orders after all.” Bradford chuckled mirthlessly at his own joke, the sound mocking. “Ms. Bhaat must be exceptional in bed to make you so ready to jump hoops for her. Better be careful, Son, no woman is worth the trouble.”
Ryan gritted his teeth and fought the urge to reach across the table and wipe off that smirk from the bastard’s face at the disrespectful way he talked about Sam. It would be a punch well-deserved, that was certain and would teach Bradford a much needed lesson.
Taking a deep breath, he forced tense muscles to relax, keeping his expression carefully blank, reminding himself why he was here. He needed to protect Sam, to make sure Bradford didn’t pull any stunts while he was away and destroy her reputation.
Oh, he wouldn’t fire Sam outright, that much was certain, but there were underhanded ways the bastard could make her life miserable until she was forced to quit and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
He leaned forward, putting steel in his expression. “Don’t celebrate too early, old man. Yes, I went to see Nicky…thanks for the idea by the way, but I didn’t go because of some half-assed threat. I simply took advantage of the situation to clarify some things.”
“What things?”
“The fact that you’ve been using my assistant as your personal spy.” Ryan said, his voice dropping several degrees.
Bradford’s eyebrow arched. “If you’re talking about Lola -”
“Who else would I be talking about?” Ryan cut in.
“I did not ‘use’ her.” Bradford went on as though Ryan hadn’t cut in. “She came to me with information, unsolicited information, but useful. I would have been a fool not to take what was offered.”
Much as he hated to admit, Ryan had to concede the point to his dad. Lola had mentioned that both times she’d been to one to go to Bradford, not the other way around. The thought of her betrayal sent a wave of pain through him and he rose, needing to vent his frustrations. If he didn’t have to catch a flight, he would have gone to the gym to let out his anger on a punching bag.
Speaking of flights.
A peek at his watch had him grimacing. He needed to finish off this conversation and get a move on with the rest of his plan.
“Look, I don’t have time to argue with you,” he crossed back to the table and resumed his seat. “Now, I want you to listen to what I have to say.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I’d like to let you know that I’ve given your offer to get back together with Nicky a great deal of thought and I’m sorry to say, there’s no way in hell that’s ever gonna happen. What’s going to happen, instead, is that you will leave Sam alone – and when I say alone, I mean you will continue to treat her as a valuable employee and with the respect she deserves. You will not do anything to make her feel uncomfortable or undermine her efforts in anyway. None of your sneaky, underhanded tricks to get her fired or quit.”
Bradford let out a laugh. “You forget who holds all the cards in this game, son.”
“Oh no, dad, you’re the one who’s forgotten something really important.” Ryan had the satisfaction of seeing his father look confused. “Because, as it stands, I do hold all the cards in this game. And I know how to play dirty.”
A cold smile crossed his lips and he continued.
“See, I know how much Silvercorp means to you, how much you crave the idea of passing on all this to the next generation, just like your father passed it on to you, and his father before him and so on.”
All color drained from Bradford’s face and he stared at Ryan in disbelief. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh yes, I would, father.” Ryan gave him a smug smile. “If anything happens to Sam in any way that puts her career at risk, then you will have to deal with the knowledge that when you’re finally in your cold, hard grave, I will sell off every stone, everything that has to do with Silvercorp until there’s nothing left.”