"And that concludes the reading of the will of George
Arthur Hanson."
Evan Hanson sat still in the stiff leather chair, feeling
like a caricature of the prodigal son, drawn in invisible
ink.
He'd returned, as prodigal sons always did, against his
better judgment. Instinct had warned him that this would
be nothing but trouble — and probably painful to boot —
but he'd ignored instinct.
That was a mistake.
His uncle, David Hanson, had been unusually persuasive in
convincing him to come back for the reading of the will.
David knew Evan had suffered years of conflict with his
father, and that George hadn't spoken to his son since
he'd left. Still, David had pointed out to Evan that,
while it might be too late to mend fences with his father,
he could at least come and hear the patriarch's last
message to him and perhaps gain some peace.
It had been peaceful, all right. In fact, his father's
message was a resounding silence.
George Hanson had neglected to so much as mention Evan's
name in his will, not even to say, "And to my second son,
Evan, I leave absolutely nothing. Nada. Zip. Not even a
stainless-steel spoon."
It was as if Evan didn't exist to his father. No, it was
worse than that. Evan knew his father well enough to know
this lack of mention meant that, to George, Evan really
hadn't existed anymore once he'd left the country twelve
years ago. Since George had effectively run him out of
town twelve years ago, that was, by holding the worst kind
of emotional blackmail over his head.
Since then, his job presumably done, George had written
Evan off, forgotten about him completely.
Everyone knows it's more of an insult to ignore someone
than to tell them off. And George had ignored Evan like a
champ. They hadn't spoken in twelve years. Sure, Evan
could shoulder half the blame for that, but when he'd left
he was only eighteen, and his father knew damn well he'd
created a situation that made Evan feel as if he couldn't
come back.
Surely George should have seen the crisis he'd sent his
teenage son into and done something to fix it, or at least
make it better. It wasn't in George's nature to extend an
olive branch, but even pelting Evan with olives would have
been better than the eerie silence.
George hadn't bothered to do anything. He probably hadn't
even thought about his middle son more than once or twice
in the time between Then and Now.
If only Evan had the same sort of control over his
thoughts. He'd have liked to forget his father...and the
difficulty of losing his mother when he was seventeen.
And one or two other heartaches — well, one in particular —
that had shaped him into the man he was today. A man who
wanted nothing to do with his family or with intimate
relationships of any sort.
The lawyer closed his books, and Evan's relatives began to
discuss the reading amongst themselves, expressing anger
at what they had or had not received and at the fact that
George had left his young wife full control of Hanson
Media Group.
Evan didn't care. It wasn't his problem. None of this was
his problem. So with full intentions of leaving it behind
forever, he took a deep breath, got up out of his chair
and walked purposefully out of the room, planning to keep
going until he got to the airport and left American soil
for good.
He must have actually convinced himself that no one was
aware of his presence because when he heard someone
calling his name behind him, at first it didn't register.
"Evan!" It was a woman's voice. One he didn't recognize,
though there was nothing surprising about that. It had
been more than a decade since he'd heard the voice of
anyone in that boardroom.
"Please stop, Evan," she said again. "I'd like to talk to
you for a moment."
He stopped and turned to see his father's wife coming
toward him in the hallway, a worried expression knitting
her flawless features. Her golden hair framed her face as
if it had been painted by Vermeer, and her green eyes were
bright and alive.
Helen Hanson couldn't have been more obviously a trophy
wife if she had been gilded and nailed to a slab of marble.
He'd never met her before — his father had married shortly
after he'd left — but, given the circumstances of their
meeting now, it wasn't easy to feel any warmth toward her.
"I know you're probably angry about what just happened in
there," she began.
"I'm not angry." His tone was cold like his father's, he
realized with disgust. "What happened in there —" he
gestured toward the room
" — is no surprise. In fact, it's absolutely typical of
your husband."
She gave a pained nod. "I see why you feel that way, but
he was your father, Evan. Don't forget that. Though I know
you must feel he rejected you."
He'd thought he'd reached his fill of pain but Helen's
words managed to slice deeper still. "I don't feel he
rejected me, I know he rejected me. But don't worry about
it, it's not the first time. And knowing how spiteful the
old son of a bitch could be, it's probably not the last
time, either."
"Evan —"
"He could always find a way to express his displeasure
with his family." Evan gave a dry laugh. "You might want
to watch your own back. Not that you really have anything
to worry about. I mean, you did get the company."
Helen winced slightly and hesitated before
speaking. "Evan, the company belongs to the Hanson
family.All of you, not me. It always will."
He gave a dry laugh and looked toward the conference room
of the Hanson Media offices, where everyone was still
arguing about the outcome of the will. "Try telling that
to them."
"They'll find out in time," she answered. Her tone was
dismissive of them, but she was looking at Evan
intently. "But you — well, it looks like you're not going
to stay in Chicago long enough to find out unless someone
stops you."
He looked Helen Hanson up and down. She was beautiful — no
surprise there — but she also had some nerve. "Is that
what you think you're doing? Stopping me?"
She drew herself up and looked him in the eye. "That's
what I'm hoping to do."
He shook his head. "Don't waste your effort. I've got no
interest whatsoever in what happens to this damned company
now."
"But you should," Helen urged. "Don't forget there's a
stipulation that twenty percent of the company or company
revenues will go to the grandchildren in twenty years."
Evan spread his arms and shrugged. "I realize my father
probably didn't tell you much about me, so maybe it's news
to you, but I don't have any kids."
Helen's expression softened. "I do know that. But you're
only thirty, Evan. You don't know what's going to happen
in the future. You might well change your mind."
It was on the tip of his tongue to contradict her, but
he'd seen many foolish men make the mistake of banking on
their single and childless status, only to be surprised by
some turn of events later in life.
"Okay," he said. "I'll grant you that — I don't know
what's going to happen. But if I should have kids in the
future, they don't need the tainted fortunes of George
Hanson, anyway."
She shook her head. "Don't let the sins of your father be
visited upon your son." She smiled. Even though it was a
small, sad smile, it was dazzling. "Or your daughter, as
the case may eventually be."
Evan couldn't see that happening, and it made him
uncomfortable to hear Helen say it, but he didn't argue
the case. There was no point. "I'll take my chances," he
said, then added half-heartedly, "So will my unborn
children."
"Evan, please. Reconsider. Take just a little time. This
isn't just about the business. It's about your family. Not
your father, but your brothers. The whole family is
fractured, and they can't heal without you. You're part of
them."
He knew he should just walk away, but the woman's
desperation intrigued him. Why should she care so much
whether a man she'd never met before stayed or went?
Surely her husband had told her what a good-for-nothing
his middle son was.
"What are you asking me to do?" he asked her.
"I'd like you to stay," Helen said, her voice ringing with
sincerity. "I know it probably sounds strange to you,
since we don't know each other, but I've got a good
feeling about you. I'd like to have your help — actually,
Evan, I need your help — in returning Hanson Media Group
to its former glory."
He hadn't seen that one coming. If she hadn't looked so
completely earnest, he would have laughed. Instead, he
just asked the logical question. "Why me? You've got the
whole team on your side." He gestured toward the
conference room. "Every one of them has more experience
with the company than I do."