Free Queen’s Knight (Invitation to Eden) by Sara Fawkes Page B

he never acknowledged it.
    “Hell of a goodbye you got there,” Griffin said from beside him, and Evan looked at the older man.
    “Yeah,” he replied softly, and then turned back to the window. “Yeah, it was.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
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    W hen had the spacious board room at Hamilton Industries ever seemed so...confining?
    The men seated around the table murmured, their low voices a low din inside the room, but Evan sat apart. He hadn’t been among them long enough to form any bonds with the men around him, and wasn’t interested in joining today.
    The chair at the end of the table was empty, still awaiting the arrival of the CEO. Since their arrival back on the mainland, Jeremiah had kept himself secluded, saying he’d make his final decision soon. Then today he’d called a surprise meeting of the board members, including Evan, Griffin and Preston.
    It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was coming.
    All he could do was think about the post he’d read earlier on Facebook, the one that left sent him reeling. It had been two weeks since he’d left the island, said goodbye to the blonde woman who’d set his soul on fire, however briefly. He pulled it up again, scrolling through the messages to find hers.
    “Fully funded and ready to go! World, here I come! And to Prince Charming, wherever you are now, that offer’s still open.
    Evan set the phone onto the tabletop with a clatter that drew a few raised eyebrows, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, let alone think straight. He ran a hand across his face, breath suddenly tight in his throat. What was his problem? He missed her, wanted to see her again? Or was it more than that?
    His father’s voice rang through his head, the same words he’d heard all his life: Don’t screw this up. Only that morning, the older man had repeated the phrase to his son, albeit in a less firm tone than normal. Whether or not he had information Evan didn’t was irrelevant; there had been pride in the man’s voice but no affirmation in his words. Even thinking about it made him tense more.
    You can be whoever you want.
    That sweet voice echoed through his mind like a balm. He closed his eyes, laying his head back on the chair. God, he could almost smell her, feel her against his skin. His cock twitched, and he drew in a shaky breath.
    Why the hell was he here?
    Because years had gone into this journey, countless hours of careful planning and strategy to get where he was at that moment. Every move he’d made had led Evan here, to this point. Even though Evan was sure he’d failed Jeremiah’s test on the island, even though Preston had monopolized the other man’s attention, Evan still had a chance. All the planning of practically the last decade had come to this.
    But whose planning, whose dreams? Who the hell was he anymore, anyway? The boy who’d enjoyed living on the edge, riding bikes on his grandfather’s property and across unknown trails with a wild blonde woman? Or the businessman for whom the pursuit of money was everything?
    Chairs scraped across the floor as the murmuring subsided, and Evan opened his eyes to see Jeremiah enter the room. Behind him was his lawyer David, as well as his assistant-slash-fiancé Lucy.
    “I’ll get right down to it, gentleman,” the CEO started before even reaching his chair. “It’s no surprise that I am looking to hand off Hamilton Industries. The hardest part, for me at least,” he shared a look with his lawyer, “has been trying to decide to whom will I leave it.”
    Why am I here?
    A rushing in Evan’s ears drowned out the rest of the man’s words. He balled his fists, the nails digging into his palms.
    “So, I’ve decided...”
    “Mr. Hamilton!”
    Jeremiah stopped mid-sentence and stared at Evan. The younger man hadn’t even realized he’d stood, but looked down as the other faces on the board turned to look at him. Expressions ranged from mild disdain to incredulity for interrupting the