What's In It For You?

We walked back to Damon's office after Mr. Ward had left. I could tell there was something on his mind about this whole thing. I didn't care though, I wanted no part of it. The Bushemps had practically killed the company, what was the point of letting it continue on?

Damon shut the door once we were both inside of his office. He cleared his throat as he walked over to his desk. "You know we're actually going to discuss this right?"

"What's there to discuss?" I took a seat at one of the chairs across from him. "When I told Meredith that company could die I meant it."

"Mr. Ward is right though, it is your father's legacy left behind there." Damon took a seat as he spoke seriously.

"My father left for a reason." I responded. "He hasn't been part of that company in over twenty years. It's their legacy I would be taking over. Not his."

Damon nodded. "I could see how it seems that way. But you could take it over and revamp the whole thing. You could make it something that your father would have been proud to be a part of."

"Damon, if I accept it then it attaches me to their name." I didn't want Amethyst and my family to be tied to them ever again. "Which by the way, I thought you destroyed all evidence of my association with them. How does he know I'm related to them?"

"I destroyed all public information. All that I could get access to." Damon explained. "But when it comes to the documents he has I unfortunately have no access that. Your grandfather put your name in those, I can't help that. I can however have Mr. Ward dispose of them once we have decided what to do about this situation"

"There's nothing to decide here." I was staying firm with declining Bushemp Industries. "I don't want it, I will never want that embarrassment of a company."

"Kaydence, I think you're trying to make this decision too quickly. You're not thinking it through all of the way." He continued attempting to push me into talking about it.

"I don't need to think it through any further." I made my frustration clear in my tone.

Why would I want something like this? There was literally no benefit for me in it. If anything it would end up hurting me. People thought Meredith had killed her family, they would be bound to talk about me. Especially with me being married into the Tipton family. There's no way this wouldn't make it onto media outlets.

"I think you do." He clearly wasn't going to drop this.

"Why?" I raised a brow. "Damon, why do you want me to think about this so damn bad? What's in it for you? The only thing it would do is cause a scandal for the family right before my store opening and the wedding. It's insane."

"Because I see an opportunity here." He was honest with his response. "With that company in the right hands it could achieve great things."

"Fuck your opportunity!" I shot back. "This isn't negotiable Damon. I want to be done with them forever but that's not going to happen if I take on a business I don't even fucking want!"

"So that's it then?" He asked. "You just want to let it go and let the company burn to the ground pretty much? Just because you don't want to take it on?"

"Exactly." I answered confidently. "I'm perfectly fine with that being the outcome for it. It's what Bushemp Industries deserves."

"So you're fine with putting thousands of people out of jobs because the Bushemp's are shitty people?" His question caught me off guard. "You're fine with thousands of families having to figure out what the hell they're going to do all because Meredith?"

"I didn't think of it like that." I responded in a low tone.

I was so caught up in my hatred that I didn't even think about the employees that would be thrown to the street. Employees who were just doing their jobs to provide for their families. They had no involvement with what Meredith had done. It wouldn't be fair to them if I just let it go for my own selfishness.

"As the CEO and President of a company, I know my people depend on me. If I fuck up and lose it all then it's not just my life I'm messing with. It's theirs too." Damon explained. "I can assure you that there are people there who can't afford to lose their job. That's why I want you to think about it, really think about it Kaydence. Can you live with that on your conscience?"

"No." I sighed. "But I don't even know how to run a business like that. I couldn't even tell you exactly what they do."

"You do know how to run a business. You've been running Amethyst mainly by yourself the last few months." I could tell he was confident in me. I wish I could feel the same way.

"Damon, Amethyst is my dream. I don't want to be tied down trying to get Bushemp Industries to succeed." I was torn. I didn't want the company but I didn't want to be the one to screw over all of their employees.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. All I need is for you to accept the company, I have a few ideas. I can make it my project." He seemed so sure he could take on something this big.

"And what are your ideas?" I was curious what he had in mind here.

"We can have the company signed over to you and then over to me. Then you can keep your name free and clear from them and as far as the media knows it was a buyout since there's so much debt and no one to take over. No one will question it." He seemed so sure in his response. "Then we can rename it and it will be part of Tipton Enterprises. I'll take all the responsibility for it and you won't have to worry about anything."

"Okay, but as you just pointed out they have a lot of debt. How's that going to work?" I questioned. "I don't want you to put your own company on the line for something like this."

A low chuckle escaped his lips. "With most of the people that they're in debt with I'm sure I can swing some deals. Especially under my guidance I can get Bushemp Industries back up and running successfully in no time."

"And you're going to be running it then?" This idea was crazy.

"Well, I'll hire someone to run it from Dallas but I will be working very closely with it until things start really turning around." He answered. "This way everyone wins. None of the Bushemp Industries staff loses their jobs, Tipton Enterprises gets the chance to expand and everyone remains in the dark about you."

"Everyone wins huh?" I had an idea that decided to pop up in my mind.

"Yes." He responded.

"Fine, we'll do it. But I want to pick who the manager is going to be. Since it's technically my company right now." It was the one condition I had on this.

A curious look took over his face. "Who?"

I leaned in closer to him. "You need to have an open mind about my suggestion. Or else no deal." I knew there was a high chance he was going to fight me on this.