Chapter 20

Gavin was surprised to be back in New Orleans. He watched the Crescent City come into view from the window of Zeke's private jet.

He had had another round on Wednesday like they'd planned. His body was stiff, but he somehow had permission to fly. Zeke had to promise to get him to a hospital if something happened. Tulane would be the best option so the billionaire had put it on his speed dial.

Zeke gripped his hand tightly as the plane made its descent. Gavin knew it was to make sure he was okay. Gavin was fine. He just hadn't thought he'd return so soon. He really hadn't really thought he would be able to fly.

They hadn't discussed what had happened in the study. Zeke had held him tightly every night since then. Gavin loved being loved, but he had some questions he wanted answered. He wouldn't bother Zeke with them just now, but eventually he would ask those questions.

"Are you okay?" Zeke asked. Gavin looked at him. His face was drawn in concern, his light eyes darker than the early morning sky.

"You've been quiet."

"I'm a little tired. Plus I didn't think I'd be back here so soon," he replied. He looked out the window again. "I never thought I'd see Louis Armstrong again."

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was New Orleans busiest airport. Gavin had flown out of this airport many times before on family vacations. The last time he'd flown out hadn't been for vacation. It had been to move to the northeastern part of the country because he'd thought he'd been sold like a slave. If he had known then what he knew now, he probably wouldn't have been as upset.

"Zeke?" he said. The older man hummed at him. "What if the contract was just a ploy?"

Zeke shuffled beside him. "What do you mean?"

"What if my grandfather found out that I was gay and plotted to get rid of the stain on his legacy? That could be the only reason I can think of why he would put me in the contract that dealt with the company."

The billionaire crossed his feet at his ankles. "Are you saying you were already playing with your sexuality before you moved in with me?"

Gavin nodded. "I never dated or slept with anyone, but I also didn't chase after girls. I just kind of looked and went to bars on the weekends. I was too shy to say anything to those I found attractive." He rolled his head to look at the older man. "I don't regret it so don't start overthinking."

Zeke laughed. "If anyone over thinks it's you."

They smiled at each other just as the captain asked them to buckle their seatbelts. From there things moved quickly. They landed on the Tarmac, taxing easily to the airport. Zeke helped Gavin stand despite the younger man's protests. They went straight to a car, hiding in the cool air against the suffocating humidity.

Since their luggage would be dropped off at their hotel, the car took them immediately to Duquesne Construction. Zeke watched the emotions fly across Gavin's face as he watched the city he'd been raised in fly by his face. It had been over a year since he'd last been here. The city hadn't changed, but he had.

"I used to think this place was boring," he mused. His voice was low and somewhat tired. "I went out and did the same thing every night and every weekend. I went to Tulane and floundered through classes because I didn't have a reason to pay attention. All I needed was the degree. Now looking at it from an outsider's point of view, it all seems so different than what I knew."

"I think you've done pretty well," Zeke reassured.

Gavin nodded at him, face tight with emotion. "Grandpa won't go down without a fight. He has a contingency plan. He always does."

"Don't worry about that. We've covered all of our bases."

Gavin didn't say anything, turning to look out the window again. Zeke knew he was preparing himself for the worst. Since finding out everything, he'd been a little more reclusive when it came to his family. He didn't ask about them and Zeke never brought them up. It was enough that he knew, and it gave him time to figure out how to live like an abandoned child. Only when his mother showed up at the hospital was he able to start healing from that deep hurt.

They pulled up to the office space. Zeke watched Gavin as he stared up at the building. He didn't try to figure out the emotions behind that gaze. He didn't think he ever could. He hadn't grown up running around the complex as this man had. There were too many things that had to be running around his head for him to even begin to understand what he was thinking and feeling.

Zeke took the lead. He walked into the building with purpose. He didn't have to look behind him to know Gavin followed. He felt his body crowd close to his, but he never touched him. It would be inappropriate to hang all over him while he was on a business trip. Gavin understood this even though he was technically the heir to this company.

They were to go to the fifth floor. That was where the conference room was. Olivia had given them explicit instructions to show up at ten. The board meeting would be in full swing. They could put their votes to the board. No one knew what they had planned, at least they hoped they didn't.

Zeke's nerves always got the better of him when he had a meeting like this. He didn't want to take over a company, but he also couldn't stand people who used and abused their own family. He would help protect whatever he needed to make sure Gavin could live however he liked.

They stood outside the door, sharing nervous glances between them. Zeke wanted to wipe it all away, but as the sole heir, Gavin needed to see how this worked. Sometimes, a hostile takeover was the best course of action.

Olivia's voice could be heard arguing with her father-in-law. Gavin pulled his beanie from his head. The nasty cut on his head showed brightly in the well-lit hallway. He had never been self-conscious since his illness had been found, but with this wound, he was a little more so than usual.

The double doors opened. Zeke took a step forward, and that propelled the younger man with him. Pride swelled within him because he knew this was a big step for the young man.

The look on Raoul Duquesne's face was priceless. He stared between Gavin and Zeke. Then he looked at his daughter-in-law and started to laugh. The board members started to talk amongst themselves because they had no idea what was going on. They had never seen Gavin in a board meeting before, and now their CEO was laughing like a madman.

"Is this your plan?" Raoul asked. He looked at Olivia then back at Zeke. "Bring my sickly grandson to the meeting and make me feel bad?"

Zeke leaned back in his chair and put his chin in his hand. His graceful fingers wrapped around his chin, and he watched the older man. "You knew he was sick?" he asked.

"I knew the boy had cancer long before you did, before he did. They told me a year and a half ago he was showing signs."

Gavin's face took on a stony facade. "So you sold me so you wouldn't have to treat me, is that right?"

The board members rumbled around him. Sold? They had no idea what that was all about. Why would their heir be sold? It didn't make any sense to them.

The projector flashed at the head of the table. Every eye turned to the board except Zeke's. He watched the older man closely to see if there was any change. At first he didn't look too concerned. Until Gavin's name popped up in the fine print. More murmurs went throughout those gathered.

Right there in black and white was Gavin Duquesne. 'Upon signage of this contract, the signee agrees to take into custody the heir of Duquesne Construction, Gavin Robert Duquesne for the price of five million dollars. Failure to do so will result in the nullification of this contract, and the signee will be required to pay three times the amount for breach of contract.'

"You sold your heir for five million dollars and hoped no one would find out," Olivia said. "Then you proceeded to lie about his whereabouts to the board and his family. Now under Homeland Security this could be considered human trafficking or slavery. It is illegal to do so and immoral. Especially if you knew he was sick."

"So what do you plan on doing?"

Olivia's smile was dangerous. She flipped open her folder and looked down the list. "As of November 30, I have sold my one percent in stocks to Zeke Daniels. Also, I have transferred all of the late Michael Duquesne's stocks to his son and heir Gavin Duquesne. Gavin now holds thirty percent stocks in Duquesne Construction, and Mr. Daniels twenty-six percent."

"As the third largest shareholder," Zeke said, "I hereby motion we remove Raoul Duquesne as president and CEO of Duquesne Construction for the illegal sale of a human life, conspiracy to commit fraud, and withholding pertinent information to the board that would directly affect the company."

There was a shocked silence around them. No one wanted to go against the man who had taken care of them for the last twenty years. During various hurricanes and other natural disasters, Raoul Duquesne had made sure his people were tkane care of. Now they were finding out his personal life hadn't been as squeaky clean as he'd made it out to be. But they still didn't want to be the one to put his nail in the coffin.

"I second the motion." Even Zeke was shocked. He turned to look at Gavin. He was staring at the table, eyes blank. But when he looked up, he was the defiant kid he had come to love. "You blatantly disregarded not only your late son, but the rest of your family as well. You sold your heir to the person who bailed you out of instant closure, and you show no remorse. If you show no remorse for all of this, how can you be responsible for an entire company who employs over two thousand people?"

"Are you mad?" Raoul goaded. Zeke lifted his head, ready to defend the young man at his side. "Are you mad that I made a decision that would benefit everyone at your expense?"

"No." Gavin licked his lips. "I am mad about how long it took me to realize you were a conceited piece of shit who can't love anyone but himself. Those in favor of removing Raoul Duquesne as CEO and president say aye."

There was a heavy silence. Quietly, several aye's went up. Raoul looked around his table at the hands that accompanied those agreements. Out of respect, Gavin called for those opposed. Only three hands went up. Out of fifteen people, only three opposed his removal.

"I hope you know what you're doing, kid," his grandfather said. "No one knows how hard I worked."

"That's not true, Raoul," Olivia denied. "We do know. We saw you every day for nearly twenty years putting in the work, but we also know how much money you spent on finer things. There's nothing wrong with it, but when you buy things at the company's expense, that's fraud. You defrauded the company and then had another company bail you out." She looked at Gavin, sadness and remorse in her eyes. "You sold my son, your heir, to make sure you got what you wanted."

"Someone had to make the tough decisions."

"Tough decisions does not mean selling out your family," one of the other ladies reprimanded. "We have watched Gavin grow up. He ran around this office for six years and we all spent time with him. We bought him lunch and ice cream. To know you decided to put him in a contract to bail our company out means you don't care about your employees as you always claimed. No one who cares about people would give up their family voluntarily."

Ignoring the woman, Raoul looked at Gavin. "Who will replace me? Have you thought that far? Is there anyone who can put up with this company and all the people who hold their hands out for help?"

"Olivia Duquesne," Gavin said. His mother looked at him. This was not what they had decided. "Your stocks will be sold to Olivia Duquesne. She will own thirty-one percent, I will hold thirty percent, and Zeke Daniels twenty-five. If anyone knows the ins and outs of this business, it is my mother. She has worked under your thumb for fifteen years. She's the only one I trust."

"All in favor?" Zeke asked. Every hand went up. "All opposed though I don't think there is." No one went against it. An excited murmur went up throughout the room. "As of December 5, Olivia Duquesne is the new President and CEO of Duquesne Construction."

Excitement filled the conference room as the meeting was dismissed. The board members and remaining stockholders congratulated their new leader. Those who had supported Raoul had left with him. Those were the ones who didn't hold much power but were close to the now former president. With his removal, their money train had stopped.

Zeke looked at Gavin as the younger man watched his mother. He smiled at her happiness. It was a sad smile but he had made the right choice. Olivia was a great choice for president and CEO, and if she did well, the company would grow even more.

The older man reached into his pocket and pulled the beanie out. He slipped it over his head, adjusting it so it was out of his eyes. He smiled when the younger man looked over at him.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered. "It wasn't easy to remove someone you love."

"No, it wasn't, and I still love him because I remember what he was like when I was growing up. But he sealed his fate when he mentioned that he knew I was sick. If you know, then why would you give up a family member? It just meant he would give up anyone else. I couldn't take that risk," Gavin said.

"You have a good heart. Don't let anyone ever change that."

Gavin reached over and took his hand. "Can I come back with you?"

Zeke smiled. He brought his free hand up to caress his face. He didn't care that the others could see. "You can stay as long as you like."

The young man lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Let's get lunch with my mom. She's probably dying to get caught up."

"I could eat. We'll find something you can have as well."

"I want pizza."

Zeke laughed. "Okay. How about we order for everyone? My treat."

Gavin agreed. When they told everyone, they were just as excited about free food as they were to have a new CEO.

They stopped and talked to everyone as long as they could, but mainly they talked to Olivia. She was happy, but not as happy as having her son back. She hugged Gavin with every bit of strength she had. Gavin hugged her back just as fiercely, his face buried in her shoulder despite the pain from his wound.

"Are you staying?" she asked.

Gavin shook his head. "I'm going back with Zeke. I want to finish school there."

She nodded and tightened her arms. "Take care of yourself. Granny and I will come to visit when we can."

He leaned back and looked at her. "Granny still wants to talk to me?"

Olivia laughed as she wiped at her son's tears. "She beat Grandpa with a dustpan when she found out what he had done. She wanted to come see you immediately, but I told her you were having some difficulties and we needed to give you space. She doesn't know about your illness."

"I'll call her when we get back."

"You do that. She misses her Little Boy."

Gavin smiled and hugged his mother again. Zeke rubbed his back, meeting Olivia's gaze over his shoulder. She mouthed 'thank you.' He nodded and watched over them protectively. He would protect them as much as he could.