Page 98 of Montana Falls
Kody was the first to speak, his voice rough from the strain of everything as he locked eyes with me.
“Why is there a clause that we’re no longer Red Diamonds in here?”
Logan nodded, his brow furrowed in confusion. “You said we’re no longer members, pretty girl. But we don’t understand.”
I smiled, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “You’ve all done more for me than I can ever repay. But I don’t want to trap you in this life. Not unless you want it. You have the choice to stay, or walk away.” I explained. “I want you, more than anything in this world. But I will not keep you in a gang that is for life. I will offer you the choice to stay or leave whenever you want.” I turned to Lincoln, knowing he needed to hear it the most. “I would love you to be by my side until I die, in any aspect of my life. But you never wanted to be a gangster. You never wanted to be in a life full of danger… so this is my way of saying it is always your choice now. It always will be.”
They fell silent, glancing at each other, as if trying to figure out what I wasn’t saying, so I continued speaking.
“I know my daddy offered you all minor shares in the company and I wanted to let you know in an official capacity that it is no longer a valid deal. I have had the paperwork drawn up for a different deal.” I slid some more files over the table, one to each man.
Lincoln picked his up first, opening his trap before the file, “Are you robbing us brat? Are you that mad I finished your stupid fancy shampoo?”
My eyes rolled.
“I’m giving you an equal split.” I answered. “Without you, I wouldn’t be alive, and the Red Diamonds would not exist. I don’t feel happy giving you shares of my company. I want you to have equal ownership; Beau was happy for me to make this choice to, and as of today, you all own equal parts of the business. The same as me and Beau.”
“I signed a pre-nup so you wouldn’t have to worry about money; you know I’m not after any of that from you,” Price muttered.
“And I did this because regardless of what happens between all of us, I know that you all deserve it.” I replied, “In a business way, this is not a smart choice because I’ve given away so much. But in a life way, it is the only choice I had.” I mean, there was a clause in their contracts that said if they sold their shares I was the only one allowed to buy them back, and that they were never allowed to remove me from the board or as acting CEO.
I loved the guys and wanted to show them that, but at the same time I was sensible, and my daddy would’ve come from the grave and killed me had I given away a monopoly of our legacy without a backup plan in place. But still.
They were sharing my heart, my bed, and my life. The least I could do was share my money and power.
“You’re gonna be so broke now,cica.” Kody trilled, as he scrawled his signature on the bottom of his file when I asked them to, “This is now millions a year into your bank instead of billions.”
“Oh no, how will I survive?” I deadpanned with a smirk.
“What boats do you like?” Price asked.
“Uh, ones that float?”
He nodded as he scrawled his name on the file. “Okay, I’ll buy one that floats. You can get it when we marry, and I get to fuck you on it hard enough to cause a tsunami.”
With a laugh, I turned to the other three. “Are you all okay with this?”
With only the slightest of grumbles about not wanting my money, Logan nodded, Lincoln nodded, and Misha just stared at me. A slight furrow to his brow.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” His voice was soft. “Are you sure you want us like this and not just as your… your boyfriend’s or whatever?”
“Misha, I trust you with my life. Trusting you with my businesses is hardly difficult after that.” I reached over the table, squeezing his hand. “I promise I thought this through. I even have business advisors and people ready to train you in all things you need to know to make smart choices.”
“Then okay.” He gave my hand a squeeze, then let go so he could sign his paperwork. “I guess we’re rich now and about to grow an empire.”
“There’s one more thing,” I added, my smile widening just slightly. “Before we start rebuilding the empire.”
Price raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. “An orgy?” he asked.
“I want a vacation. For a few months.” I snorted, leaning back in my chair as I watched the pieces of my life slowly fall into place. “Pick a place, anywhere you want. We’re going. And yes, if you want an orgy on the beach, or whatever, then hell yes. We can spend the rest of our lives doing it.”
Three Months Later…
As I stood in the living room of a Montana owned beach house in Hawaii, my heart pounded against my chest. It wasn’t nerves—not the kind you’d expect, anyway. This was different. This was anticipation mixed with terror, and a blend of sheer bliss that surged through me as I glanced around at the room we had all carefully decorated.
The place looked beautiful, almost magical. Soft, glowing fairy lights were strung along the walls and almost every surface we could put them on. The wicker furniture had been rearranged to make room for a small clearing in the middle of the floor, that we’d covered in dozens of petals from red roses. Candles, scented with vanilla and sandalwood, flickered from their spots on the windowsills, tables, and every surface available, filling the air with a sweet, calming scent that did nothing to ease my nerves. Every detail had been considered, every decoration placed with care.
This had to be perfect and I wouldn’t accept anything less.
