Page 143 of My Big, Fat, Hot Billionaire Enemy
‘Blackwell Sr. Cites Leadership Instability Following Hammond CEO Health Crisis.’
‘Questions Raised Over Emergency CEO Appointment of Lucy Hammond.’
Son of abitch.
My father. That manipulative, vindictive bastard. He didn’t just sever ties. He went straight for the fucking jugular. And he used Lucy’s appointment, thevery thing Richard insisted on from his hospital bed, as the public justification. A move calculated to inflict maximum damage, professionally and personally.
“No,” Lucy whispers, staring at her phone, her face draining of color. “He wouldn’t… not now…”
“He would,” I snarl, already dialing his number, my thumb stabbing the screen. Rage, pure and undiluted, burns through me.
He answers on the first ring, his voice infuriatingly calm.
“Timing is everything, Christopher,” he says before I can even speak.
“You fucking coward,” I spit out, keeping my voice low despite the fury threatening to choke me. “Using her appointment, using Richard’s health…”
“It’s just business,” he replies smoothly. “Hammond is vulnerable. An inexperienced CEO creates instability. A perfect opportunity for consolidation under proven leadership. The markets will understand. The board already does. I’ve been laying the groundwork for weeks, ever since you started showing… weakness. You think it’s a coincidence that the board ratified her appointment so easily? It was all part of the plan.”
Weeks. He planned this for weeks. While pretending to argue strategy with me. While watching me get closer to Lucy. Calculating the perfect moment to strike.
My own fucking father.
“This isn’t over,” I bite out.
“Oh, I know,” he says, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “It’s just beginning.”
He hangs up.
I stare at my phone, my hand clenched so tight the casing creaks. Weeks. He used me. Usedthe situation. All to orchestrate this attack, aimed as much at me as at Hammond & Co.
Lucy looks utterly devastated, but there’s a flicker of steel returning to her eyes. “I need… I need to check on Dad. Then I need to get to the office.”
She disappears into Richard’s room for a few minutes.
I use the time to call Tatiana. “Mobilize the crisis response team. Full analysis of Mark’s takeover strategy, vulnerabilities, potential defenses. I want options yesterday.”
Elijah appears at the doorway, already relaying instructions into his earpiece. My security personnel and Lucy’s are instantly on high alert.
Lucy returns, looking pale but resolute. “Dad’s okay. Worried, obviously. But he… he told me to go save the company. Said this was my moment.” Her voice trembles slightly on the last word.
“He’s right,” I say firmly. “Let’s go.”
We practically run out of the hospital, Darius and Rebecca flanking Lucy, Elijah and Maya with me. They break off into their respective SUVs, and we all speed towards Hammond headquarters, weaving through traffic.
In the tense silence of my sedan, Lucy suddenly turns to me, her blue eyes searching mine, direct and piercing.
“Did you know, Christopher?” she asks quietly. “Anything about this? Did you know he was planning it?”
The question hangs there, heavy with unspoken implication. Distrust wouldn’t be unwarranted, given our beginnings, given who my father is. But looking into her eyes, seeing the fragile hurt there…
“No,” I say, my voice absolute. Vehement. “On my life, Lucy, I had no idea he would pull this shit. I knew he was angry, trying to undermine me on my own board, but a hostile takeover with his own company? Using your appointment as justification? No. I swear to you.”
Fuck. Does she believe me? Can she?
Considering I was the one drawing up the hostile takeover blueprints for Hammond & Co. not long ago?
That was the goddamn plan until she walked into that tech expo looking like fucking sunshine armed with a business degree and scrambled my circuits completely.
