Travis was going to let him keep his house and his car and take away the only thing he'd ever actually wanted. "You can't do this," Ethan said, and there was a wild edge in it now. "You can't just... There are laws. There's a process."
"I have rights as the owner. I'll fight it. I'll get lawyers." "With what money?" Travis asked mildly.
"You're three weeks from broke. I have a building full of lawyers. You'll be in litigation for two years, you'll lose. And at the end of it, you'll have spent the houses I'm offering to let you keep on legal fees, and you'll still lose the company."
"Or," he spread his hands, "you sign, you keep your home, you keep your wife and her jewelry, and you go figure out who you are without a title for the first time in your adult life." He paused. "I'm not being cruel, Ethan. I'm being merciful, and you can't even tell the difference."
"That's how far gone you are." Vanessa put a hand on her husband's arm. "Ethan, take it." Her voice was hollow and exhausted.
"He's giving us the house. He's giving the employees their jobs. He's giving you a way out that doesn't end with us sleeping in the Rolls. Take it."
"Take it." "It's mine." "It was never yours," Vanessa said, and the words came out like something tearing.
"It was the banks. It's been the banks for two years, and you knew it, and you kept buying things to hide it. Take the deal, Ethan. For once in your life, lose with a little grace."
Ethan looked at his wife. He looked at the attorneys. He looked at the chairman of the board who wouldn't meet his eyes, at the 60 guests who'd watched the whole thing, at the young security guard who was about to become his replacement's boss, at the dirty old biker who held his entire life in a leather folder. The last of the fight went out of him.
"Okay," Ethan whispered. "Okay, I'll sign." "Good." Travis turned to Daniel.
"Put together the revised terms. One hundred percent acquisition. All employees retained. The 11 get callbacks with the raise."
"Whitmore's personal guarantees released in exchange for his full and final withdrawal from any operating or ownership role. He signs a non-compete and a non-disparagement. And so do we. Nobody trashes anybody."
"This just quietly happens. Get it drafted today." "Yes, sir." "And the new GM here—" Travis nodded at Marcus, who was still standing frozen in disbelief.
"I want him paired with someone good from corporate for 90 days. Real training. Not thrown in the deep end. He's got the heart."
"Give him the tools." "Of course." It was done.