Page 82 of Unravelling: Aria & Crispin
Tension crawled through the room like slow-moving fog as the vote began.
The first to come in was a distant vote. The assistant opened the envelope and read the verdict. "Three percent to dismiss," she said.
A flicker of unease passed through the room of stakeholders.
Then Simon, his face unreadable, leaned forward and stated clearly, "Fourteen percent to dismiss."
Crispin's jaw clenched. No surprise there. He pressed the button on his mic. "Twenty-eight percent to retain."
There was pin drop silence as all eyes shifted to Dorian.
Crispin could feel the pulse in his throat. For a heartbeat, he doubted him. After everything, could Dorian be trusted?
Dorian glanced sideways at him before leaning forward to speak clearly into the mic.
"Five percent to retain."
A breath which he didn't realise he was holding escaped Crispin. Thirty-three percent to retain versus seventeen against.
And then it was his mother's turn. His father smirked faintly, leaning back, fingers laced together in smug confidence.
"Twenty percent to retain," his mother said, her voice calm and unshaken. Fifty-three percent. Game over.
It was a clean blow. His father blinked with shock before his head whipped towards her and muttered something furious under his breath. He grabbed her arm with a vice-like grip.
Before Crispin could step in, his mother shook it off. She turned to Simon, her eyes blazing. "Have you not done enough? Have you not humiliated me enough?"
He was rendered speechless.
Another vote came in-four percent from a silent partner to retain.
Fifty-seven percent! A clear majority.
Alice could not vote, and the remaining six percent had decided not to vote.
Crispin had won.
For a moment, he didn't breathe.
Then the relief and disbelief crashed over him like a tidal wave before dispersing like sea foam. He stared out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the setting sun.
"I need to call Aria," he said.
"Congrats, mate," Dorian said, cutting through the daze.
"I need a ring." Crispin turned to him. "Dorian, I need you to do something for me."
They were still finalising the details when Alice, who had followed her mother, came over and hugged him. "You deserve this, Cris." Her hands trembled.
"Mom?" he asked.
"She's fine. Probably throwing Dad's suits out and running them over with the Range Rover." Alice grinned.
"I need my phone," Crispin muttered and headed for his office.
Marcus was just leaving. "Congratulations, lad. I have left the contract on our table. I hope you settle things with your father, eventually. Blood is thicker than water, you know."
Crispin only nodded, impatient.
