by Lexi Whitlow
“You need to get out of here,” Millie sneers.
Leanne puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’m afraid she’s right, Mr. Lucas. This isn’t the time or place for this. There’ll be an emergency shareholders meeting in two days to discuss the future of the company. As a shareholder, you’re welcome to be there and say your piece then. Until then, I think it’s in my clients’ best interests for you to leave. Please don’t make me summon security.”
My heart is in my shoes. I’ve lost boardroom battles before, but never with stakes like these. My entire future is on the line. Worse, the future of the person I care about most is hanging in the balance.
I turn and leave without another word. I can’t think of anything else to say.
23
Sarah
The ornate cornices in the hotel’s grand ballroom make me think of weddings, which makes me want to cry, so I look away.
I’m here alone in this cavernous space. In an hour, the room will be filled with PinkBook shareholders, including the board of directors, and every one of them will be looking at me and thinking I’m a complete fool.
Justin tried to call me a half-dozen times after the day in my office, but he finally gave up when I never answered. Each ring was like in knife in me; was he being honest? Or was it all a huge game to him? He’s spent his career stalking companies like a predator stalks prey. Why would I think this was any different?
But he said he loved me.
Silly girl, my mother’s voice says in my mind. Man like him’ll say anything to get what he wants from a woman. The men down home wouldn’t do that.
But somewhere down deeper is GrandMa-Ma’s voice, urging me to keep hope alive. Dream, girl, she says. You were smarter’n any of us. Trust y’self.
I fetch a heavy sigh just as the first few people start to trickle in. No one is smiling, which I suppose is no wonder, given what happened two days earlier. I imagine more than one of them lost a considerable amount of money. I avoid their gaze and busy myself at the head table.
Then Linda Davies appears at my side. Millie enters with her, but stalks off to a seat at the table without saying hello.
Linda looks at me the way a principal looks at a student in the office.
“This is a hell of a thing, Sarah. How did we get to this point?”
As deflated as I am, I’m not going to sit here and be lectured. If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging.
“You started listening to Darryl Lawrence, for starters,” I say. “I’m guessing that you and other board members started talking to the wrong people after he talked to you, and those people talked to the business bloggers. That’s how feeding frenzies start, Linda.”
The look of shock on her face gives me a tiny bit of satisfaction.
“I’m not the one who opened my legs for the city’s biggest vulture,” she says coldly.
“No, you spread yours for a little pretender to the throne,” I reply evenly.
I walk away, leaving her to fume as the rest of the shareholders continue to file in. Whatever else happens today, I have to admit that felt obscenely good.
My heart jumps as I see Justin stride into the room. He looks like a god, impossibly tall and chiseled in his tailored suit that probably cost more than some people in this city make in a year. All eyes are on him, but he immediately scans the room for me. Just as we’re about to make eye contact, I turn and head to my spot at the table. This isn’t the place for us to talk. Not now, not like this.
I sit next to Linda, who immediately shuffles her chair as far away from me as she can get. Jenna and Candice take their seats in the front row on the opposite end from Millie. The three of us have been trying to make sense of her behavior since Monday, and we’ve talked about her offer. Depending on what happens today, we’ll make our decision to either fight or cut bait. I don’t know about them, but that’s not an option for me. If they want to sell to Millie, I can’t stop them, but they can’t force me to sell, either.
The room fills up quickly after that, and I watch Justin take a seat in the center of the front row. His face is closed, his brow furrowed, like a fighter getting ready to step in the ring. Finally, I see Darryl amble in at the back of the room, shaking hands and laughing as if he was in a wedding receiving line. The spectacle makes my stomach turn.
Everyone finally takes a seat, and Linda bangs the gavel to call for order.
I take a deep breath. It’s showtime.
Linda introduces herself, the board members who bothered to come—I’m sure the ones who didn’t sold out on Monday—and the executive. She explains that the purpose of the emergency meeting is to discuss the direction the company will take in the future. The voting won’t take place today, but everyone will be allowed to say their piece. Ultimately, every shareholder has the opportunity to vote, and they get one per share, which means that majority shareholders will likely make the ultimate decision when things are made official at the annual meeting.
I let her words wash over me as I stare out at Justin. What’s going on behind those steel grey eyes? Does he love me? No matter what happens today, I have to face the fact that I love him. I may never be able to be with him, but I can’t change my heart anymore than I can change the color of my skin.
Linda finishes by confirming what I had suspected: she’s divested herself of PinkBook shares and will be stepping down as chairwoman. Leanne is next, bringing everyone up to speed on the new share structure. Basically, Darryl and Justin came away with thirty percent of the stock each, leaving another ten percent divided amongst other small-scale investors, and the thirty percent that the “Gang of Four” share. Assuming Jenna and Candice don’t sell to Millie, of course, which would make her the third majority shareholder with twenty-three percent.
My eyes keep being drawn back to Darryl’s smug grin. He’s quiet, which isn’t like him, especially since he and Justin are now equal partners in the company. What is he hiding? Is he just self-satisfied because he and Justin managed to sucker all of us?
Leanne wraps up her report and hands it back to Linda, who calls for any comments from the floor.
Justin all but leaps from his seat and heads for the microphone.
“My name is Justin Lucas,” he says. “And as one of the three majority shareholders, I’d like to exercise my right to speak.”
Linda waves for him to continue, but the disdain on her face is obvious. In the back, I see Darryl’s smile hasn’t faltered, which leaves me wondering what’s coming next. If the two of them are in cahoots, they can’t let on in public or they’d risk huge legal backlash. My heart is sick over what Justin is about to say.
He takes a breath and pulls the microphone from the stand.
24
Justin
Ladies and gentlemen,” I begin. “I’m going to start of by saying that I assume most of you know who I am, and that I know what you probably think of me: I’m a corporate raider, a ‘vulture capitalist.’ Someone who makes money off the suffering of others.
There’s a general murmur of agreement in the crowd, as if daring me to contradict them.
I’m not going to.
“You’re right,” I say. “You’re right about all of it.”
At the head table, I see Sarah’s eyes widen. Beside her, Linda Davies looks surprised at first, but her expression quickly turns to satisfaction.
“I built a vast fortune by taking over companies that I saw as weak, dismantling them and then using the profits to invest in more viable businesses. I never gave a thought to the people involved in those ventures, other than to make sure that I always had the upper hand. For a long time, I thought that was the nature of success. Survival of the fittest. Anything that couldn’t survive on its own deserved to be eaten.”
That draws another susurrus from the group. I hope a few of them see themselves reflected in what I’m saying, but I doubt many of them will.
“But not everything you’ve heard about me is true,” I continue. “A lot of people in this room believ
e that I bought stock in PinkBook as an acquisition. That I wormed my way into the company by romancing Sarah Bauer, then stealing inside information to destabilize the company and plunder it when the stock dropped.”
Again, more agreement.
“You’re wrong,” I say. “Until a few days ago, I had no interest in this company outside of my love for Ms. Bauer. And that love was the reason I did what I did.”
Sarah’s eyes glimmer while the rest of her people sputter and whisper amongst themselves. The whole room is buzzing now, but I don’t care. My words were for her alone.
“PinkBook is not just a company,” I say. “It’s the soul of four women who had a dream, and it’s the hard work and sweat of those women and countless others who shared that dream and wanted to help make it a reality. Those people were rewarded for their work, and PinkBook became not just an important media company, but a family that cared about every member, from the person at the front desk all the way up to the CEO’s office. Sarah Bauer taught me that. She taught me about the value of loyalty, of friendship, of caring about other people. She showed me that business was about lifting up everyone around you, not just yourself.”
I turn towards the back of the room and see Darryl’s expression darken. Suddenly he’s not sitting in the catbirds seat the way he thought he was.
“And that’s why I did what I did on Monday. Not to take control of this company, but to keep it in the hands of the people who created it, and who still know best how to run it.”
I turn my back on Darryl, who’s seething now, and face the head table—face Sarah—again.
“The choice is yours,” I say. “Sarah, Jenna, Candice. The fate of the company rests with you. You can take Millie’s offer and sell, or you can hold onto your shares and trust that I’ll let you continue guiding the company. It all comes down to who you trust more.”
“I call for a recess!” Darryl barks from his spot at the back.
Linda Davies looks perplexed, but nods. “In light of this information, we’ll take a short break. We’ll reconvene in ten minutes.”
I stand my ground, hoping that Sarah will come to me. To my right, I watch Lawrence stalk his way up to the front of the room. Next thing I know, he and Millie are headed off into an alcove together.
What…?
“Did you mean that?”
Sarah’s voice startles me and I turn to see her standing next to me, her wide, wet eyes piercing right into my soul.
“Every word,” I say. “Please, Sarah, you have to trust me on this. I had nothing to do with Darryl’s raid. The only thing I’m guilty of is being a white knight again, but this time I couldn’t see any other way.”
“Tell me what happened.”
I explain to her about Nigeria and not being able to get through, about throwing together the shell corporation and jumping into the bidding.
“I know Darryl’s behind everything that led up to the stock price falling,” I say.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s a brilliant strategy. And outside of the illegal aspects, they’re tactics I’ve used in the past. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth.”
She mulls it over and finally nods. The world seems to disappear around us as she closes the distance between us so that we’re only inches apart.
“Now the real question,” she says. Her voice is soft, and yet it’s the only sound I hear. “Were you telling the truth? Do you really love me? I have to know.”
I take a deep breath. Everything comes down to this moment, to the two of us and the greatest gamble I’ve ever taken in my life. If I win, I take everything. If I lose, I lose it all.
I take her left hand in my right as my own left hand reaches into my pocket. Then I drop to one knee on the tatty old carpet of the ballroom floor. We’re surrounded by bodies, but we’re the only two people in the world.
“That’s not the real question,” I say as her eyes widen and her lovely lips part. “The real question is this: Sarah Bauer, will you marry me?”
25
Sarah
The world tilts under my feet.
Justin is on one knee, holding a rock the size of a baseball and asking me to marry him. My heart threatens to beat right out of my chest as I search his eyes for the truth.
“Justin—“ I breathe.
“Sarah, I know this is sudden. But I need you to believe that I only want what’s best for you, and the only way I could think of to convince you was this.”
“But this is crazy!” I can hear the gasps as people around us see what’s going on.
“I don’t want you to ever have any doubts about my love for you,” he says. “I’m not asking for a prenup, I’m not putting any conditions on this offer. If you marry me and then turn around and divorce me a week later, you get half my fortune. If that doesn’t convince you that I’m not after your company, then I guess I’m out of ideas.”
I clutch the hand holding mine to keep from tilting over and falling. It’s crazy, it’s ridiculous. My entire life, I never wanted to be saved by a man… but now, here with Justin, I realize I couldn’t stand to lose what we have together. The thought of living life without him makes my soul ache, but the thought of being together forever is like God carrying my heart on a pair of angel’s wings.
“No,” I say. “I won’t marry you, Justin.”
His face drops and I realize I’ve just inadvertently crushed him. I go don onto my knees in front of him on the floor so we can talk face to face.
“That’s not what I meant,” I babble, reaching out to take his face in my palms. “I love you, Justin, more than anything. But I don’t need to marry you for me to trust you. I believe you.”
He lets out a shaky breath as I pull him in for a kiss. He returns it and I feel a sudden peace deep inside me that I never knew was possible. Everything else going on is nothing compared to this feeling, and it’s the only thing I care about right now.
“What in the holy fuck is going on?” Jenna bellows as she and Candice jog up to where we’re kneeling. They’re goggling at us along with the rest of the room.
Justin and I break our kiss. “I’ll tell you later,” I say to Jenna. “For now, I want you two to decide what you’re doing. Are you cutting bait and selling to Millie, or are you sticking with me and Justin?”
Justin holds up a finger. “Before you answer, you might want to look over there.”
He points to an alcove next the side door, where Millie and Darryl Lawrence are talking animatedly.
“What the hell?” Candice whispers.
“I know she’s your friend,” says Justin. “I thought she was mine, too. But I’m pretty sure she’s working with Darryl. If he can get control of your shares, he’ll have the controlling interest in the company. It’s not a full fifty-percent-plus-one, but he has the same potential advantage that we do. If you sell to her, you can bet that Darryl Lawrence will be running the show.”
“It’s up to you,” I say. “If you hold onto your shares and side with me, I can’t guarantee their value will go back up, but I can guarantee that I’ll always be your friend and I’ll continue to rely on you, just like I always have.”
They don’t even look at each other. “We’re with you,” they say in unison.
“To the end,” Jenna adds.
“We’re sorry we doubted you.” Says Candice, fighting tears. “Both of you.”
“There’s time for making up later,” says Justin. “Right now, I think you need to confront Millie.”
I rise to my feet, pulling Justin up with me, and we both dust off our knees. Then Jenna, Candice and I turn as one to face Millie and Darryl. The three of us stalk across the room to where they’re standing like gunfighters in an old TV western. When they finally catch sight of us, Millie’s face turns ghostly white.
“Millie,” I say. “Just catching up with Darryl here?”
“Listen to me,” Darryl jibbers, pointing his index finger in our
direction.
“No, you listen to me,” Jenna growls. “Shut your mouth and move your finger if you still want to be able to pick your nose with it.”
“What’s going on, Millie?” I can feel the anger ebbing out of me, replaced by sorrow. “Why would you do this to us?”
Her throat bobs up and down while her mouth works silently.
“Millie, we were best friends,” says Candice. “If Jenna and I ever had a baby girl, we were going to name her after you. What went wrong?”
“Don’t you say a word,” Darryl warns, but he’s suddenly snatched backwards two feet. I look to see Justin’s hand in a C-clamp around the base of Darryl’s skull.
“Let’s leave the girls to talk, DW,” he says casually. “There are some things you and I need to discuss on our own.”
Millie’s eyes are wild as a trapped animal’s as she wrings her hands. Finally tears burst forth and flow down her cheeks and her body starts to shake with her sobs.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry!” she wails. “It was—I got in over my head and—”
My heart aches to see her like this, and I can tell that Jenna and Candice are barely holding it together themselves.
“It’s okay,” I say, taking Millie’s hand. “Just tell us.”
“Tim let’s me handle all the money,” she sobs. “And I put all our retirement into a private fund that was supposed to be the next big thing. I thought I was being so clever, but then the owner took off with all of it and disappeared. We’re… we’re broke.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Jenna asks. “Millie, we could have figure something out!”
“Because you three are all so smart,” she snuffles. “And it was such a stupid thing to do…”
“The stupid thing was thinking Darryl would help you,” I say, trying not to sound too judgmental. “What the two of you had planned was technically illegal, Millie. You could have gone to jail.”
