Page 56 of Wretched Heart
I beam a smile at my brother, who’s come to a stop halfway between the door and the chair he had wrongly assumed he would occupy. “It’s good to see you again, Hugo.”
“I hope we can wrap this up quickly,” Hugo says to Hunter.
Hunter waits a beat as if he can’t decide whether or not to add more bruises to the purple around Hugo’s eyes and nose just for ignoring me. He relaxes back in his chair. “That rather depends on my wife,” he says.
“I’m happy to make this quick and painless, this time,” I say.
“Are we happy to recognize Madd– Mrs. Griffin as the chair?” asks Conrad. He manages a look of apology to Hunter and I. “It’s a formality we need to record.”
“I nominate Maddison Griffin as chair,” Hunter states.
“I’ll second that,” says Amos.
Morgan and Conrad wait for Hugo to speak. He pours himself a coffee before dropping into the empty chair next to his CFO. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
“Then we have a majority,” Conrad says, looking relieved that he didn’t have to vote.
“But what about the codicil?” Morgan argues. “Hugo’s father made it clear how he wanted the company to operate.”
“The codicil grants Mr. Griffin a seat on theboard, but there’s nothing to stop him allowing his wife to represent him,” Conrad explains.
“Thank you, Conrad,” Hunter says. “And for the record, Maddie is in charge from now on.” He looks from Hugo to Morgan. “You’ll only suffer my interference if there’s ever an attempt to undermine my wife’s position.”
Despite his warning, it takes a concerted effort to keep my voice from quavering – the voice Hunter has given back to me. I can’t mess this up. “As my brother is so eager to leave,” I say, “I call this meeting to order.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Hunter take something from his pocket. My insides twist.
“What are you doing?” I ask. I keep my voice low even though there’s no way we can keep this conversation private. I try to block out everyone else, which isn’t difficult when Hunter’s moss-green eyes are on me.
A lazy smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. “I’m taking notes,” he says as if it were obvious. And then he taps the yellow pencil against his lower lip. When I glimpse the tip of his tongue brushing the pencil, heat pools in my lower belly.
“Do not distract me, Hunter,” I warn.
His smile broadens. “Relax,” he whispers.
And damn it if I don’t immediately bend to his will. The anxiety that had been crippling me dissipates - even with four sets of eyes on us.
“Right then, gentleman,” I say, finding my voice again. “Onto the first order of business. I propose we sell the mill to Griffin Corps. As I understand it, we have Hugo’s agreement in principle.”
“The sooner, the fucking better,” my brother grumbles. “It’s all about to go to shit anyway.”
Conrad shifts in his seat. “I presume Hunter and his brothers would take over at that point.”
“Yes, but I would remain as chair,” I tell him. I don’t need to mention that it’s the clause I had Hunter add to our prenup. The last thing I want is for Hugo to know about the divorce just yet. “And for the record, I’d like you and Amos to retain your positions following the buyout. Assuming I can count on your support?”
“Absolutely,” Amos says.
Conrad simply nods, which I take as a maybe. I don’t blame him. He’ll want more details before getting involved with the Griffins. Not everyone can take a blind leap of faith.
Morgan sits back in his chair and folds his arms. His face glows red with rage. “Am I to presume the same offer isn’t being extended to me?”
“Yes,” I say. “Most of the company’s issues stem from financial mismanagement. You’ve made your own position on the board untenable.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised, Maddison,” he says sharply. “I’ve been sitting here wondering when you’d mess everything up, but doing it in the first five minutes is quite something. You haven’t got a damn clue, young woman.”
He shakes his head. It’s as if he’s forgotten Hunter is in the room, but he gets a stark reminder when my husband leans over the table towards him. Even with just one word, the threat is chillingly clear. “Leave.”
Our departing CFO shrinks into himself as if he wants the ground to swallow him up. He attempts to recover himself, but he stumbles when he gets to his feet. “You’re making a colossal error. And my advice to Hugo is to make a deal as quickly as possible while there’s still a company to sell.”
