Page 102 of The Passion

My business brain has kicked back in, and I will not lie down and take this.

“Can you give me a few minutes to just get my head together? And I want you in that meeting too. Record everything that is said. In case I need it in court.”

“Court, why would you be going to court?” Harper asks, concerned.

“I don’t know, but I’ve been in business long enough to know when shit hits the fan, it can always get worse, and you need to be prepared. I will not leave myself vulnerable.”

I need to start thinking about myself and wipe out the thoughts of everybody else in this fucked-up situation.

“Okay.” Harper’s hand is on my arm and gives it a squeeze as she walks out of the office, softly closing the door.

I don’t have much time to think about what all this means and what I’m going to say to the board members and shareholders. My father has already painted such a bad picture of me these last few months that it will be difficult to have them believe that they need to listen to me. As far as they are concerned, I have tainted the image of the company with being all over the internet having sex like a porn queen. And now the man I was caught on tape with, who I have proclaimed to be my boyfriend—Christ, and just moved in with—is trying to stage a secret hostile takeover without my knowledge.

Yeah, there is no way I’d support someone to be the head and face of the company with that on their resume.

Why has every man in my life let me down? Is that why Flynn was so determined for me to cut off Fulton when he tried to take advantage of me? Because he was busy doing it in the background. Fulton was clearly using me to try to gain himself some more properties.

“Well, they can all get fucked,” I say out loud to myself as I face the fact that if I’m to get anywhere in this world, I’m doing it alone.

Looking at my watch, I’ve got thirty minutes to be prepared. Marching over to my computer, I take a seat and get to work.

No man will take me down. Not without a fight. They want to see what happens when you back a woman into a corner? Because I’m about to show them.

“Harper,” I yell, not bothering with the phone, knowing she will be right outside the door waiting for me.

She walks in and closes the door, looking tentative.

“Let’s bury these fuckers,” I declare.

“Yes!” She cheers and takes her spot next to me, and we get to work.

FLYNN

“I knew it from the moment I saw that asshole. I never trusted him. So, Felisha was right. Fulton is after her business and the properties that go with it, the ones she’s about to take over and inherit.” I throw the stress ball that sits on Nic’s desk across the room with anger.

I run my fingers through my hair. “He thought if he married her and got hold of the other shares then he would take control from her. Just like we are trying to use it against her father, he was going to use it against her.”

“Just take a breath. He didn’t pull it off, and you have all bar one of the shareholders signed off, and money is on bank deposits in trust, ready to change hands as the meeting happens. We just wanted to let you know what Broderick found when he traced the phones and saw that Fulton had reached out to all the shareholders, which is way too much of a coincidence.” Nic islooking at me with that calm demeanor he always takes when we talk business.

“I need to get that last shareholder signed off today, but he is playing hard to get. I don’t even think it’s about money with him. There is something else. Fuck, what if he has done some deal with Fulton?” My mind is racing, and it’s hard to think of all the possible scenarios rationally when I say his name, because all I feel is pure rage at the way he treated Felisha. Plus, the fact that he had his hands on her, I’ll never be able to swallow, but I’ll have to live with it going forward. The past is history for both of us, but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.

Forrest leans forward in the seat beside me. “Even if he has, it’s still the smallest shareholding, so it would be useless to Fulton, and the most he could do was be a thorn in Felisha’s side but would have absolutely no control or say in anything. Really, he would have just wasted his money,” he adds. He is the expert on the financial side, and although he’s not happy with how everything has gone down, he keeps showing up and having my back every single time.

Nic shoots me a glare. “Okay, so the plan for today is we nail down this last guy. Get him signed off, and then I think you need to tell Felisha. That poor woman has had enough things thrown at her, and I’m telling you now, although they will tell you they want you to surprise them with precious gifts, this isn’t one of them.” He is looking at me like it’s not really a request but something he is telling me to do. There is a fine line between him being my best friend and some days my stand-in father. We are the same age, but I’m happy to admit there are times I still need the advice or the nudge in the right direction in my private life.

“Agreed,” I reply as my phone starts ringing. Glancing at it, I’m ready to let it go to messages, but I’m shocked and then concerned when I see it’s Luchia Bianchi.

“Good morning, Luchia, you are up working early this morning. What can I do for you?” All the guys look at me, frowning and just as confused. Why would she be calling so early?

“Flynn, like you, I hardly sleep. There is no time when we run businesses as big as ours. The world never rests, so neither should we.” She stops for a moment’s breath. “But this call is more about what I can do for you. Ewan Kentwall has just called an emergency meeting at eight am with all the shareholders and board to discuss that he has heard on the wind that there is a hostile takeover on his company. Luckily, I am in London today.” There are no pleasantries in this call.

“Shit.” How did he find out? I’ve had them all sign NDAs before we had the discussions. Unless it’s that prick who hasn’t signed over his shares yet and has broken the NDA. I’ll sue his ass off, if I don’t punch the hell out of him first.

“Now, I know you would have ignored me and kept this all to yourself, so I suggest you get your ass to that office and hope like hell you can explain to that precious girl how you have been, how do you say here… an absolute twat!”

“Does he know it’s me?” Because knowing Fulton has been sniffing around, Ewan could think it’s him too.

“I don’t know. Be there or the deal is off with me, no matter what I have signed.”

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