Page 156 of Forbidden Game

“You gave me your shares?” She blinks at her younger brother, disbelief in her tone.

“Merry Christmas, sis.” Parker lifts his teacup in a salute.

“Parker James Covington, you did not have approval to do this,” his grandfather’s voice cuts through the room.

“I didn’t need approval; everything was legal. Right, Paigey?”

“Right, Sparky.” His coconspirator smiles. She pulls another envelope from her purse and holds it out to me this time. “Your new contract, by the way.”

I blink, taking it from her.

All this time, I had thought Paige was the angel of the Covington siblings, but she is just as cunning as the other two, behind that elegant exterior.

“Why?” his grandfather asks, steepling his hands beneath his chin.

“Well, why should my shares be redistributed to the board? Why should they get more power over our company? That’s bullshit.”

“Language,” Pricilla sings again.

“I simply gave my shares to the person they belonged to, the next CEO of Covington Hotels.” Warmth shines in Parker’s eyes as he grins at Phoebe. “We all know it should be her, and this way the board can never dispute it.”

“Thank you.” A soft smile spills onto Phoebe’s face.

Philip sighs, leaning back in his chair. “I do wish you’d asked me first.”

“So you could have stopped me?”

“No, so I could have told you this was already my plan.”

The whole table looks at him in puzzlement.

I take a sip of my tea, watching them all. My gaze lands on my dad, and he raises his brows at me. I stifle a smile. It’s like the two of us are watching a family drama in real time. I swear the Covingtons have forgotten we’re even here.

“What do you mean, Dad?” Patrick cuts in.

“It wasn’t my immediate plan. I was going to put the shares in your name, son, for the next few months as we transitioned Phoebe into the CFO role. Then, I would have transferred her the shares when the time came. Now, I’m going to have to deal with the board sooner than I wanted.”

“I’m not going to say sorry,” Parker grumbles.

Paige lets out a laugh, and her sister follows closely behind. Soon the entire table is giggling and laughing at the entire situation.

“It’s all right, babe. It’s the thought that counts.” I squeeze Parker’s forearm.

“Sure.” He moves to grip my hands in his, letting out a huff.

I join in with the laughter, and Parker caves, smiling.

There would never be a dull moment around him.

THIRTY

PARKER

“What are you doing out here, love?”

I open the doors to see my girlfriend leaning against one of the large exterior columns. She’s cloaked in partial darkness, but when she turns to face me, the moonlight hits her cheekbone and lights her up. She glows like a moon goddess visiting Earth, her deep sea-blue dress shifting with her movement.

I don’t think there will be a day when the vision of her wouldn’t take my breath away.

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