Page 3 of Hostile Takeover

No. No, no, no, no, no.

“You’re selling the c-company?” I whisper so low she can barely hear it.

She nods her head. Her eyes get watery as I stare at her in horror.

“To who?” I spit out.

She doesn’t want to say it.

“To who, Aunt Linda?”

“The Hammerhead Group.”

She watches me closely to gauge my reaction.

“What?!” I scream. “You’re selling to that evil conglomerate! They stand for everything we hate! They’re going to corrupt our brand! They’re going to ruin everything! All our values that we’ve built up over a decade with our employees, with our customers… allgone!Out the freaking window! Aunt Linda, youcan’tsell to them. Think about what you’re doing!”

“Please, Kyra,” she says with an uneasy look. “Sit down. Let’s talk about this calmly.”

I didn’t even realize I was standing.

I pull my chair back in and sit with a huff.

The Hammerhead Group. ThefuckingHammerhead Group! What is shethinking?!

My chest is heaving up and down, fierce angry breaths ripping in and out of me as I stare at her in shock. My heart ispounding.

Aunt Linda takes a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts and her courage. “They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

“You can refuse it!” I shriek. “Did they put a gun to your head? Did they shove a dead horse head into your bed? It’s a business conglomerate, not the Corleone family!”

“Kyra, I’m tired,” she says with a defeated slump of her shoulders.

I take a breath as I look at her. Ireallylook at her. She does look exhausted. Despite having access to the best cosmetics in the world, she has bags under her eyes. Her skin is pale. Her hair a little disheveled. But it’s more than that. I’ve been noticing lately that there’s been a change in her demeanor. She no longer has the same pep that she used to have. The same fiery spirit. Five years ago, when there was a problem in the factory or with our marketing, she would attack it with an optimistic, passionate energy. I could tell she loved the challenge of it. She craved the action. She loved testing her abilities, probably because she always came out on top.

But the past few months… It’s been different. When problems come up, she sighs deeply. She reaches for the Advil container in her desk. She shuffles down the hall and rubs her temples. This place is no longer making her happy. It’s no longer filling her with joy.

“The past ten years have been a hell of a ride,” she says with a nostalgic smile. “But I want off now.”

My stomach drops when I see it on her face—Her mind is made up. No amount of arguing and trying to convince her to change it will work. She’s done.

“What it meant to me…” she says, tearing up. I feel tears flooding my eyes as well. “When David died, I thought my life was over. I had nothing left. Nothing to look forward to. I could never have kids. I was working as a secretary for one prick after another… And then…” Tears start flooding down her cheeks as she tilts her head while looking at me. “Building this company with you has meant the world to me. My whole life, I never thought it was possible… That I could do something likethis.” She looks around her luxurious office at the floor-to-ceiling windows with the gorgeous view of the most amazing city in the world. “And building it with my favorite person in the world made it that much sweeter.”

I wipe my watery eyes as she gathers herself.

“I’mincrediblyproud of what we built together,” she says after a deep breath. “But it’s time for me to move on. I want to travel. I want to see the world. I want to try Tagliatelle with ragù in Bologna, Italy, I want to spot a Cotinga in the jungles of Costa Rica, I want to ride a horse in the Outback. I want to… meet someone and fall in love.”

I sigh as I watch her. There’s the fire I know so well. There’s the optimistic passionate energy.

Wow. She really has moved on…

The non-business side of me wants to encourage her, to tell her to go and conquer the world. To see and do everything while having erotic and romantic adventures along the way.

But the business side of me wants her to stay. It wants her to continue growing She’s The Sun with me. To grow it tenfold and change the beauty industry forever.

I guess that’s why they say not to mix business with family.

“Did you accept the offer?” I ask, barely able to look at her. My heart feels like it’s breaking. It feels all twisted up like a rope.

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