The Billionaire and the Matchmaker

“We were supposed to meet in your office to go over the newest quarterly reports. Your secretary said you were giving a tour of the facility,” Henry Knight grumbled as he adjusted his tie and stepped further into the conference room. His gaze swept up over his son and settled resolutely on his face. “Knowing how valuable your time is, I expected to find you down here escorting Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg. Imagine how disappointed I was to find you wasting your time with some woman.”

Michael’s field of vision tilted violently in front of his eye

s as rage filled his head. Emily wasn’t just some woman. She was everything to him. His cheeks burned bright and he forced himself to take a calming breath.

“Dad, I’m sorry that I forgot our meeting, but that was Emily Sevenson. It was her family’s business that inspired much of the transformation of Spark into the success it is today.”

“Sevenson?” Henry’s brow wrinkled in thought. “I know that name. Wasn’t it Sevenson Selective that matched your mother and me? They used to be matchmakers for the elite.”

“Yes,” Michael nodded, eager for his father to understand. “Don’t you see? We owe so much to Emily.”

Henry’s lips twisted into an unimpressed frown. “Didn’t I just read in the paper this morning that her business had gone under? As far as I’m concerned, we owe her nothing. She couldn’t maintain her own business, so she certainly would bring nothing to the table for ours.”

Blood rushed through Michael’s ears. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the roaring sound to abate. This was just like his father to downplay anyone else’s achievements. It had been this very attitude that had sent his sister halfway across the world to work in some nasty diner while she pursued a modeling career. It had driven his mother into finding friendship and comfort elsewhere, filling her days with volunteering and endless fundraising.

How he wished they could’ve had a normal home. One filled with laughter and love. But the man standing in front of him was too broken to allow that to happen. He’d been unhappy his whole life and wanted everyone else to feel his misery, at the cost of their own happiness.

“Dad, I won’t discuss this with you any further,” Michael said, closing his hands into fists. “Emily is important to this project and I alone decide what my time is worth. I apologize again for missing our meeting. I will have my secretary reschedule.”

He strode toward the door, intent on leaving, when Henry’s hand wrapped around his upper arm.

“Don’t go mixing business with pleasure, son,” Henry growled as his dark eyes studied Michael’s face. “I saw the way you looked at her. You weren’t just giving her a tour. Leave your personal business outside of the office, do you hear me? You’ll destroy your company and your reputation if you carry on like this.”

Michael recoiled from his father’s touch, fixing him with a glare. “All my life, I have done nothing but follow your every command. I went to the right schools, participated in the right events, met the right people. All because I respected you and your leadership.

He breathed in deeply as his father narrowed his eyes at him.

“But may I remind you,” he continued, “that I am thirty-three years old now. An adult who has made his own fortune. I trained for years to work in your shadow. In fact, you promised to entrust the entire company to me within the next few years. So, you must hold some respect for me as well.”

Henry crossed his arms and pursed his lips, understanding dawning in his eyes. “Of course, I respect you.”

“Then allow me to lead my own life,” Michael said, a final wave of emotion crossing over his face. “That woman, as you call her, is more important to me than anything in this building or in my bank account. I know this might be impossible for you to understand, but I’m in love with her. Utterly, wholly in love. So any moment I spend with her is worth it. Even if she decides it’s not going to work out between us.”

The scowl slowly melted from Henry’s face. Michael’s chest rose and fell in heavy breaths as he waited for his father to speak. He’d never imagined confronting him like this. All his life, he’d gone with whatever his father had ordered, even when it went against his own wishes. But not today. Today, he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way.

Even if it cost him his career.

Henry regarded his son for a long moment before his eyes narrowed and he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Have Linda reschedule our meeting for tomorrow morning and move the meeting with Japan back to next Monday.” He turned to leave, pausing to look over his shoulder. “Oh, and son?”

“Yes?” Michael raked a hand through his hair, feeling like he’d just been hit by a truck.

“If this Emily is so special, then things will work out. She’d be a fool to think she’d find a better man anywhere else.” His father chuckled lightly and then frowned. “Just be sure to get a prenup.”

Michael gaped at his father’s retreating back and clutched a hand to his chest. He was pretty sure he was hallucinating. That was the closest his father had ever come to offering him a compliment. In fact, Michael couldn’t remember kinder words coming out of his father’s mouth. It was a miracle from heaven. A day for the history books.

He stumbled out into the hall, desperate for a glass of water, when his eyes fell on the figure of the woman he’d just confessed to loving. Emily stood just outside Smithy’s office, her hands clasped in front of her dress. She stared at him, her full lips parted slightly in shock and her cheeks red. Her curly blonde hair cascaded elegantly down her shoulders, framing her pale face.

Michael’s mouth went dry as he came to a sudden halt. Surely, she hadn’t heard that whole conversation. He could only hope she’d missed his confession and everything that came after it.

She might have willingly come to his office today and allowed him to give her a tour of Linex Investments, but that didn’t mean that she’d fully forgiven him. A confession of that magnitude could scare her away, and just when he felt like they were beginning to repair their friendship.

His stomach clenched with anxiety. Emily Sevenson would hate him forever. Of that, he was sure.

“So...” She licked her lips nervously and her gaze flickered to the floor and back up at him. Her eyes searched his face. “Smithy just offered me a job.”

?

Michael swiped his ID in the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. Only a few people had access to it. Even fewer had access to the rooftop patio he’d had installed three years ago. But they needed a place to talk that wasn’t under the harsh florescent lights of the office or under the watchful eyes of a secretary.