Page 104 of The Unwanted Wife

“They did when I revealed a family secret they weren’t keen on being made public.”

Quentin smirks. “You blackmailed them?”

“I prefer to think of it as light coercion,” I drawl.

Knox sets his jaw. “And the secret?—”

“Is between me and them. Suffice to say this ensures they’ll never attempt such a tactic again. Once the transaction is complete, my share will be back at nine percent, and none of your holdings will be impacted.”

"Except, we’ll be in bed with our worst enemies." Knox drags his hand through his hair. “Fucking hell.”

"Should prove interesting, for sure." I smirk.

The sound of clapping reaches us. All three of us turn to the doorway of the room to find Arthur standing there. He walks into the room, Tiny at his heels. The mutt pads over to butt my side, waits for me to pet him, then walks over to Knox.

"Good boy.” He tugs at Tiny’s ears.

The Great Dane makes a rumbling noise at the back of his throat. He brushes his head against Knox’s thigh, then heads to Quentin. He pants up at the man, his tongue lolling. Quentin quirks his lips and scratches him under his chin. Tiny’s smile seems to grow wider. He wags his flagstaff-like tail, barks a soft woof, then circles around back to where Arthur has taken up position on the opposite side of Quentin.

Arthur lowers his bulk into the chair and sighs. Man’s looking every one of his eighty-two years today. There are shadows under his eyes, and his cheekbones are pronounced. However, when he places his elbows on the table and steeples his fingers together, his hands are steady. He glances at Knox, then Quentin, before turning to me. "You did well."

I blink. "I did?" I ask, caution in my tone.

"What are you saying?" Knox bursts out. "He’s ensured we’re joined at the hip with those Whittingtons."

Arthur pays him no heed. "You prevented the Madisons from buying up shares in our company, didn’t you?" He addresses his question to me.

I nod slowly.

"Then you did the right thing."

"Even though it means that the Whittingtons now have access to all our accounts and our secrets. Have you forgotten how they sabotaged our entry into the Asian market?" Knox argues.

"And blocked us when we tried to launch our new media company; I’m aware," Arthur replies without taking his gaze from my face.

"Don’t forget, there’s a Whittington in the position of Prime Minister of the country," I prod.

"You’re talking about Hunter Whittington?" Knox frowns.

"He’s Toren Whittington’s cousin. Don’t believe the two men see eye-to-eye on much, but they’re family. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to have the Whittington surname opening even more doors," Quentin murmurs.

Arthur leans back in his chair. "Not that I’m happy with the Whittingtons acquiring additional stake in my company."

"You still own fifty-one percent of the shares,” I point out.

“You mean you own fifty-one percent of the shares.”

“I do?” I ask, a cautious note in my voice.

“As of this moment, since I confirmed you as group CEO. With it, I am transferring thirty-five percent of my stake to you. You’re the majority shareholder now." Arthur’s smile is grim.

"You still hold seven percent in the group, second only to the Whittingtons. And you’re Chairman; you can veto any decision you don’t agree with."

"Not when it’s, clearly, in the best interests of the company. I will not be seen as bringing my emotions into play when it comes to making the right decision." He sets his jaw.

I stroke my chin. Interesting. Hadn’t expected Arthur to play along with me. I hadn’t expected him to take the news of sharing interest with the Whittingtons so calmly.

Quentin looks between us. "Everything okay?" he murmurs.

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