Excerpt of The Wife School by Samantha Winston

“I know it was supposed to be your inheritance, but I’m afraid it’s gone.”

Ben looked at his father’s red-rimmed eyes and pale face, and both pity and anger stirred him. Pity because his father’s best friend had ruined him, and anger because that money had been set aside for him by his grandfather, and now it was gone. He managed to say in an even tone, “Is there anything left of the company?”

His father shook his head, his expression desolate.

“Right.” Ben nodded and squared his shoulders. “I come home and find my job gone, my inheritance gone, and my prospects gone. What do you suggest I do now?”

A glint appeared in his father’s eyes. “I think the best thing to do would be to start over, don’t you?”

Ben’s jaw tightened, but he fought to keep his expression bland. His father had started over more times than they could count. Ben had the same determination, drive, and intelligence as his father. What went up went down, and vice-versa. He only wished he’d had more of a warning.

“Well, why don’t I ask Arnold Souche for a job?” He meant it as irony, but as the words left his mouth, he realized he was on to something.

His father grinned. “He’ll give you a good one, and you can get your footing back in the company. Just one thing. Don’t tell him you’re my son.”

“Why not?” Ben asked.

“Because if you tell him you’re my son, he’ll give you a pity job, and you don’t want that. You’re smart, you’re a good worker, and you deserve better. Now that Souche has taken over, they’ll restructure and they’ll need a few first-rate directors. I’ll make sure you have the best references possible.”

“Our last name is the same, in case you’ve forgotten,” Ben said dryly.

“Get a new one. What’s in a name? Use your mother’s maiden name. It’ll be easy to get the papers. Don’t worry. It’s just a setback. Never let ruin get in the way, my boy. It’s happened before, and it will happen again. Just pick up the pieces and keep on.” The old man got up from behind his desk and gave his son a watery smile.

The sun was harsh on his face, showing his wrinkles, his whiskers, and his bloodshot eyes. He must have been awake for days working to try to avert the catastrophe. If only he’d asked for help earlier! Ben clenched his fist. It would have done no good. Arnold Souche was a shark. He cruised the waters of international companies looking for floundering companies that he finished off with a cruel snap of the jaws. When he’d offered to help Ben’s father get his company back into shape, it had seemed a godsend. He and Ben’s father had been school chums. They’d known each other for ages. Ben’s father had put everything in Arnold’s hands, and Arnold had at first pretended to help. Then, with devastating swiftness, he’d sunk the company. It happened so fast that Ben’s father, Oliver, hadn’t had time to any of his assets. Everything had vanished.

Ben rubbed his aching forehead. His headache started out as a burst of anger, quickly controlled, and then a little voice whispered, Why don’t you ruin Souche, like he ruined your father?

Ruin Souche Enterprises just as Souche had ruined them. Yes. He liked that idea. And what better way than from the inside?