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  SECOND CHANCE RIVAL

  WALL STREET JOURNAL & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  M. ROBINSON

  Copyright © 2022

  Second Chance Rival by M. Robinson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Prologue

  —Tristian—

  “You can’t be serious.” I abruptly stood.

  “Quite the contrary, Tristian,” my grandfather argued, leaning back in his office chair.

  “I’ve never been more serious about anything in all my life.”

  “Then I’m urging you to reconsider.”

  “The only thing I’ll be reconsidering is who will inherit my empire.”

  Unable to hold back any longer, I spewed, “Let me remind you that I helped you build this empire over the last fifteen years. Before I came on board, Hawkins Industries was one company that I turned into several, making all of them go public within six months. In the last year alone, between our gross profits and our stock valuations we’ve grossed over a hundred and fifty billion dollars. I deserve to be the CEO of Hawkins Industries because I’ve worked my ass off for it.” Looking him deep in the eyes, I spoke with determination, “Do you understand me?”

  “It’s not personal, Tristian. It’s business. I’m just looking out for the future of our legacy.”

  “Not personal my ass! It couldn’t get any more personal than what you’re asking of me.”

  He shook his head in disappointment. “You really need to learn how to control that temper of yours, grandson.”

  I took a deep breath and cracked my neck, feeling the throbbing strain from my pulsating jugular vein. This man knew how to push every one of my buttons and did it without hesitation. It didn’t matter how much I’d proved myself to him over the years, nothing was ever good enough. Now he was pushing me to the brink of insanity, and I was just supposed to sit back and obey like a fucking lap dog.

  In my world, I was the alpha.

  Except when it came to him.

  “I raised you,” he reminded me like he did time and time again.

  It was his go-to card, hanging it over my head for as long as I could remember. Of course, I appreciated everything he’d ever done for me, but the resentment of his persistent demands also grew as the years continued. His expectations of me were getting fucking ridiculous. However, this one took the prize.

  I couldn’t believe he thought I’d just bend to his will. As if he was simply asking me to take a meeting with a client and not alter the course of my entire future in such a drastic manner, with a woman I hadn’t seen since I was seventeen-years-old.

  The audacity of this man knew no bounds.

  He was relentless in his pursuit, determined to make whatever he thought was right happen, no matter what or who it affected. The sad part was that we were one in the same. I was exactly like him; he made sure of it. I wasn’t just cutthroat—I was diabolical in the way I destroyed my opponent. There was no rhyme or reason to my tactics. It was insanity, and I owned it.

  Making them beg for mercy was what I excelled at. They didn’t call me a ruthless businessman for nothing. I’d earned that title, and I was fucking proud of it. I gave up everything for Hawkins Industries, and I’d be damned if he didn’t leave it to me, I’d fight him tooth and nail if I had to.

  With his latest demand, it was becoming blatantly obvious it’d come down to that. However, for the first time in my life, I had no idea what the outcome would be, and I hated that more than anything. I wasn’t used to not being in control, and for a man who thrived on authority, it was wreaking havoc in my life.

  “I’ve always known what you’re capable of,” he coaxed, pulling me away from my thoughts.

  “You don’t have to inform me of what you’ve accomplished in my companies with my money, Tristian. I’m well aware.”

  “Then why are you doing this to me?”

  “Here’s where we disagree, my dear grandson. You think I’m doing this to you when in reality, I’m doing this for you.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “How do you figure?”

  “For one, you’re pushing forty in three years, and you still act like a pubescent playboy.”

  “What I do with my personal life is none of your business.”

  “It’s my business when you want me to leave you a hundred and fifty billion dollars in enterprises.”

  “Which has absolutely nothing to do with how I carry on in my personal life.”

  “Tristian, what you fail to realize is that it doesn’t matter what you think. The only thing that matters is what I do.

  “You’re being unreasonable, Grandfather. How do you expect me to behave?”

  “Like a possible heir to my fortune which doesn’t include your bedhopping ways. Time magazine voted you the most eligible bachelor for the fifth consecutive year.”

  “And sales skyrocket every time they do.”

  “So does the media when they see you out with another model. For Christ’s sake, Tristian. Can’t you date a woman over the age of twenty-five? I’m sick and tired of the press making you out to be the man whore you are.”

  “Again, that has nothing to do with my ability of taking your throne as CEO one day.”

  “Alright, then how about this?” He grabbed the Forbes magazine and threw it on his desk.

  There in front of my eyes was the woman I hadn’t seen or spoken to in twenty years. She was on the cover of the lucrative magazine with the title, “Everything Belle Montgomery touches turns to gold.”

  “She’s made quite a name for herself, Tristian. Like you, she’s turned her family’s business into several successful companies, grossing multibillions with their revenue and stocks. I’d say she’s your biggest competition.”

  “Grandfather…” I warned with a hard edge in my tone.

  “You need to consider the possibilities. Just imagine what could happen if we merged corporations with our biggest adversary. A rivalry that’s been going on between her family and ours for over a century could finally be put to rest, and all it would take is two simple words expressed from your mouth and hers.”

  “I don’t need to marry Belle to make that happen.”

  “No, but it does sweeten the pot. The enemy becomes the ally. I couldn’t think of a better plan. Trust me, Tristian. We’ve been working on this strategy for the last year. It wasn’t an idea we ever took lightly.

  “We?” I snapped, confused.

  Right on cue, the door to his office opened, and I was instantly caught off guard. Which was another emotion I despised. For the first time in twenty years, Belle’s grandfather, Chance Montgomery, who was still CEO of Montgomery Enterprises, entered my grandfather's office and leaned against the door.

  I couldn’t help but remember the last time were we all together in this office. The memories of that night played out in the forefront of my mind like they were happening right then and there.

  Shoving away the thoughts, I clenched, “What is he doing here?”

  “I’m here because we’ve already united forces.”

  I contemplated his statement for a moment before I quickly realized this wasn’t a debate between my grandfather and me, but it was a fucking ambush by Belle’s grandfather and mine. One I willingly walked into, exactly like the last time.

  My scowl shifted from the man I least expected to my grandfather. “What the hell, old man? What is this? Another one of your games?”

  “This isn’t a game, Tristian. It’s
a hostile takeover of our futures that solely depends on you getting Belle to say, ‘I do,’ to you.”

  “I haven’t seen her in two decades. You both realize that, right?”

  “Time only makes the heart grow fonder.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “You two are the reason we haven’t seen each other in twenty years. It waswhy I was sent away, remember?”

  “Tristian, you know that’s not true. It wasn’t just Belle we were trying to get you away from. My reasons were much bigger than that and you know it, but look how well you turned out? It was the best thing I could have done for you. Who knows what would have been of your life if I hadn’t intervened?”

  “Which only hurt Belle in the process.”

  “Time heals all wounds. It’s water under the bridge.”

  “Enough with the bumper sticker bullshit, Grandfather! What makes you think she’s even going to go for this?”

  “For one, it’s your job to make sure she does. I know the power of your persuasion, Tristian. They don’t call you a ruthless bastard in the boardroom for nothing. Hostile takeovers are your forte, and they’re your favorite. Besides, getting her to marry you won’t be your biggest accomplishment.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, taken aback by what he meant with his unnerving statement. I didn’t have to wait long for an explanation.

  I just didn’t expect her grandfather to reveal…

  “Giving us a bloodline heir will be.”

  Chapter 1

  —Belle—

  Now: Four months later

  As soon as I stepped off the elevator to my office, my executive assistant, Paige, was walking beside me with her iPad in her hands.

  “Talk to me,” I stated like I did every morning, requesting my daily agenda. It changed every day, sometimes on a whim.

  I was Chief Operating Officer, (COO) of Montgomery Enterprises. It was the second highest position below my grandfather. My primary responsibilities were to oversee business operations, which included marketing, human resources, sales, production, research and development, and those were just to name a few.

  Basically, I made sure we stayed on top of everything. Meaning, I had no personal life. These companies were my entire existence, and that was all by choice.

  “Belle, your—”

  My cell phone rang, cutting her off. “Hold that thought, Paige.” I answered, “Hello.”

  Minutes later, I walked into my office, kicking the door shut behind me as I finished up the call. Suddenly I heard two words from a familiar, yet unfamiliar voice.

  “Hello, kitten.”

  My body instantly turned while my feet stopped dead in their tracks, almost giving me whiplash in the process. Our eyes met, and I was dragged back to another place and time where he looked nothing like the distinguished man who was prominently sitting in front of my desk, wearing a black three-piece suit with a blue collared shirt.

  Even after all this time, I was still physically attracted to him. He was as handsome as ever with his bright, piercing blue eyes that always looked like they could see into my soul. The facial hair he was sporting only made him appear more distinguished. His golden-brown hair looked darker than I remembered, but he probably didn’t spend as much time outside as he did back then.

  Tristian Hawkins.

  My enemy through generations of an ongoing rivalry between our families’ businesses. His family, the Hawkins and my family, the Montgomerys, were gods in our town of Lexington, Kentucky. Everyone knew who we were and how much our families despised one another.

  We were the talk of the town.

  Still were.

  Especially after what we’d accomplished with our families’ companies since we began working for them. The media loved to compare our businesses. Constantly fueling the fire in a war that began several lifetimes ago. If it wasn’t our rivalry that people were discussing, then it was the fact that I was still single with no suitable fiancé in the wings.

  Unmarried at thirty-seven wasn’t exactly fitting for the granddaughter of the great Chance Montgomery. If it were up to my grandfather, he’d die in his office, sitting on his throne where he was king.

  For the last fifteen years, I’d bent over backward for my family’s business that I’d expanded into multiple successful businesses. My grandfather wanted an heir, and I jumped at the chance of inheriting his legacy. To see Tristian in my office, a place I called my second home, was a situation I never thought I’d find myself in.

  What’s going on?

  As I took him in, my mind raced with questions I had no answers for. I hadn’t seen Tristian in twenty years, and there he was…

  Sitting right in front of me with an expression I couldn’t quite place. Although with Tristian, it wasn’t unusual to feel like I couldn’t read him. If he didn’t want me to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling, what he wanted or needed, then that was the end of it.

  He was always in control of his emotions, even back then.

  After what felt like forever, I finally broke the deafening silence between us.

  “Well look what the cat dragged in.”

  He grinned, in that shit-eating way I always hated.

  “And the pussy has claws,” he drawled.

  Those five words had the effect he wanted, making me remember our first encounter when I was sixteen-years-old.

  “I see the boy grew up.”

  He smiled. “I could say the same about the girl. She looks nothing like the Southern belle I left behind.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, once again taking in his words. “Are you here for a walk down memory lane? Because I’ll save you the trouble—I have no interest in reminiscing with you. Better yet, I have no interest in speaking to you.”

  “You’re definitely going to want to hear what I have to say.”

  “Then why are you wasting my time with preludes of a past that needs to stay there?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “Does it, though?”

  I ignored his query. “What do you want, Tristian?”

  “Now that’s a loaded question if I’ve ever heard one, kitten.”

  “My name is Belle, or you could just address me as Miss Montgomery. Considering you have the nerve to show up here. If my grandfather knew a Hawkins was in his building, he’d personally throw you out.”

  “And if he knew a Hawkins had been in your bed? What would he do then?”

  “That’s enough.”

  “Kitten.” He leaned over, setting his elbows on his knees. “I’m only getting started.”

  “I don’t have time to play your games.”

  “I’m not the one with the games this time.”

  I flinched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “So now you want to know?” he mocked in a condescending tone I didn’t appreciate.

  “You’ve already ruined my day, so you might as well tell me what you want.”

  With a predatory regard I was used to from him, he smirked. “Ruined your day, huh?”

  “Tristian, you’re lucky I haven’t kicked you out of my office yet.”

  “I’ll test my luck then.”

  For the second time in a few short minutes, he shocked the shit out of me when he proposed…

  “Marry me.”

  —Tristian—

  She didn’t just stumble back, she fucking flew. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, kitten.”

  “Is this a joke?” she aggressively questioned. “Another one of your little games?”

  “You used to love my little games.”

  “I used to love a lot of things that were bad for me.”

  Despite feeling her remark in the pit of my stomach, I acted unfazed. Hiding how I truly felt was an acquired trait I'd learned at far too young of an age.

  “We need to talk.”

  “Obviously or why else would you be here?”

  “I could think of a handful of reasons, and that’s only referring to us.”


  She scoffed out a snide chuckle. “Us?”

  “Would you rather I let you go in unprepared like I was?”

  “Go where?” Her eyebrows pinched together. “What am I unprepared for?”

  “For the deal of a lifetime.”

  “What deal?”

  “The one where you carry my last name.”

  “Enough, Tristian! You’ve truly lost your mind if you think that’s ever going to happen.”

  “I’ve never been more sound of mind, kitten.”

  “Tristian,” she stressed through a tight jaw. “Stop calling me that. I hated it back then, and nothing has changed. If anything, I despise it more than I used to.”

  “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “Your time is up.” With that, she snapped around, angrily rushing toward her desk. “You can see yourself out.”

  I didn’t move an inch. Instead, I added, “What we want isn’t far from reach, Belle.”

  Now that she was sitting behind her desk, her gaze connected with mine.

  “Oh, that got your attention, did it?”

  She didn’t hesitate in asking, “How do you know what I want?”

  “Because it’s the same thing I’ve always wanted and didn’t think I could have until now.”

  “Until now, what?”

  “Marry me, kitten.”

  “We’re back to that?”

  “We never left.”

  “What exactly do you think you’re preparing me for?”

  I glanced down at my watch. “In about five minutes, I’m going to escort you into the conference room where your grandfather and mine are sitting at the table waiting for us.”

  She listened intently, absorbing my every word. “And?”

  “They’re going to present you with a contract they want us both to sign.”

  “A contract for what?”

  “Our arranged marriage.”

  “What is this the eighteen hundreds? Our families loathe one another. Why would they want—”