Page 97 of Ruthless Heir

“Yeah. There were a few instances where the minimal revenue was drastically low on one day and the next day the stock price spiked. They hid it well. So you’d only know if you were looking for something. Which we were.”

“Well damn. Do you think they could have initiated a pump and dump scheme?” Low revenue on one day and high stock prices the next usually tends to suggest some sort of scam like that.

“It looks that way. If they merge with our tech company it makes them stronger, not us. It also means they get to continue their shitshow with our backing.”

“We have to tell Father.”

“No. Not yet.” He shakes his head. “We need to watch them and gather details. Let them dig the hole for themselves and we’ll be there to cover them with the dirt.”

I smile, feeling better for the first time since my encounter with Harper. “I like this.”

“At least you have something to work with now. It’s small but it’s something. Father hates shoddy business deals. If he comes across shit like that it won’t matter how long he’s known Nigel or who he is.”

“No it won’t. If this works it’ll be perfect. It may even be the thing that will get the Fairchilds out of the picture for good.”

“Agreed.” Hunter nods then gives me a curious stare. “So… what about your other problem?”

“What other—” I stop myself when he quirks a sharp, questioning brow.

“Harper,” he clarifies.

We haven’t spoken face to face about her yet and so much has happened since I told him about my plan over the phone.

I may be able to fool everyone else but I can’t do that to my brother.

“I think I fucked myself over,” I confess.

“In what way? Because you two looked great to me last night. I had a hard time believing you’re supposed to be fake.” His gaze intensifies.

“It’s complicated.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” The worst thing is having him call me out.

“Did something happen between you two last night?” His eyes narrow to slits.

I think for a moment about how I should answer that but I decide to go with the truth. “Yes.”

“Asher—”

“Hunter don’t. Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you to figure it out. Only you know what you want.”

Damn it, why the hell did he say that? “Sometimes I can’t have what I want.”

“That’s bullshit. Since when was that ever the case? We‘re men who take what we want. Especially when it comes to a woman.”

True. But I’ve never been in this situation before, where my conscience is getting the better of me. “I’ll figure it out.”

“I hope you do.” He gives me a tight-lipped smile but the gleam in his eyes tells me he wants me to be with Harper. “Let’s get to our meeting.”

“Sure.”

We head outside and I hear Layla’s voice in the other room. I know she’s training Harper so I can’t help but look inside as Hunter and I walk by.

There she is. Harper is standing next to Layla. She’s holding a notebook and making notes.

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