Midnight’s Queen (Stroke of Midnight #3)

Chapter 12

Portia stared at the man who’d been her best friend from childhood. They hadn’t been as close since the bombing—and maybe they never would be again—but she trusted him when it came to the business.

“What’s bad?” She sat behind her desk and waited.

Killian took the visitor’s chair. “Aleksander Lind from the Solveig Consortium called me last night asking for a meeting today.” He tilted his head and looked at her. “You’ve met, right?”

Portia caught her breath. That was a very mild word for her encounters with Aleks. She got her mind out of the bedroom and back on the company.

Truth be told, she hadn’t expected the end run, but maybe she should have. Ridiculously, it hurt that he was talking to other people about the Tremaine Corporation. “Yes, we’ve met. He’s the one who requested the meeting with Dizzie. Is that why he contacted you?”

Killian shook his head. He leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. “He was surprisingly circumspect about Dizzie. His goal was something else.” He looked her straight in the eye. “He wanted my shares.”

Portia gasped. “Your shares?”

“Yes. And he offered a pretty penny for them. A few times more than their worth.”

She swallowed hard. This couldn’t be happening. “You told him no, didn’t you?”

Her hands clenched. What would she do if Killian had agreed to sell? His family was one of the original backers of the company. Their stock ownership was second only to hers. Losing that much control to Solveig... Her stomach turned.

“I told him no,” Killian assured her, “but I wasn’t the first investor that he’d approached.”

“What?” Portia stared at him in horror. “How do you know?”

Killian sat up, looking a bit abashed. “A few of them called me after their meetings with Lind. Apparently, the offers he’s making are very tempting. Especially when he let slip to a few that the company would be worth significantly less in the future.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” But she knew. Just as the analyst had predicted, the Solveig Consortium was either buying something big or going to war. Why not both?

“This is a disaster.” Unable to sit still, Portia lunged to her feet. She paced a few feet away, then whirled to face Killian. “Why did they contact you after the meetings and not me?”

“We’ve worked together on the board. And I was the point of contact for information about the company while you were in mourning.”

In mourning. What a nice way to say that she’d been wrecked by grief. The only thing getting her out of bed those first days had been her driving need for revenge. After, when Dizzie had suddenly become untouchable, running the company and cleaning up the mess her father had left had kept her focused and halfway sane. Yet no one had come to her with their problems.

“It’s because I’m a woman, isn’t it?” Despite the fact that she’d worked at the company since she was a teenager and worked her way up, the amount of sexism and pushback she’d encountered since she’d taken over the company had been insane and infuriating.

Killian stood and ambled over to the window. He tucked his hands in his pockets and studied the view for a moment. He turned back to Portia and leaned against the glass, arms crossed over his chest.

“No,” he said after a long pause. “It’s the Ice Queen thing. The way you lean into it.” She opened her mouth to argue, to defend herself, but he continued. “I know why you started it. And I know that you think it protects you. But I think it’s doing more harm than good right now, Portia. It scares people off.”

Not all people, she wanted to argue. It hadn’t scared off Tommy. Or Aleks, she had to admit. He’d approached her at the bar after she’d delivered a particularly bruising setdown to unwanted company.

“What do you suggest I do, Killian? Get all touchy-feely with the investors? My employees? I’ve got a company to run. I don’t have time for that.” She rubbed her eyes. Why was the answer always to tone herself down?

“You need to make time, Portia, or you’re going to lose the company. The consortium is gunning for you because your father was an asshole. If you turn into him, you might as well give up the Tremaine Corporation now.”

His words stung. She was nothing like her father. “Is that a threat? Do as you say or you sell your shares? You’ll help them dismantle the company?”

She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. Her fear had gotten the best of her and she’d lashed out at her best friend. Again. If he decided he’d had enough, she wouldn’t blame him. But she’d fight him tooth and nail if he tried to sell his shares to anyone but her.

“I’ll be honest, Portia. If Dizzie wanted me to dismantle this company brick by brick, I’d do it for her. This company has ruined too many lives. Hers, yours, Tommy’s. But she doesn’t, so I’ll help you fight for it. What I won’t do is stand by and watch you turn into a monster like your father. I can’t. So please, please , don’t ask that of me.”

Portia stared at him, speechless. Is that really what he thought of her? That she was a monster like her father?

When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “I’ll run interference with the other investors and keep them from selling. But you need to solve this Solveig problem before they make a move that sticks.”

With that, he left his post by the window and crossed swiftly to the front door. He turned to look back at her. “Take care of yourself, Portia.” He gave her a sad smile and left her office.

“Fuck you, Killian,” she whispered to the empty room. “I’m not a goddamned monster. I’m not.”