Chapter 2
JULIA
T he icy, sterile air of the hospital surrounded her, sending a chill down her spine as Julia skirted past hospital staff on her way back to her stepson’s hospital room.
Grant had received yet another urgent call from Mike Donovan as they continued to battle against the hostile takeover attempt orchestrated by Lydia through DG Industries.
The weight of the situation wore on him. His nerves had been taut since the situation started, and she wasn’t certain she’d noticed any release in them since he’d finally confided in her.
He had been desperately trying to conceal the situation, afraid she’d bolt in the face of adversity. But their relationship had been forged in the fires of difficulty.
She’d reassured him about the strength of their partnership, needing to hear the words herself. She hadn’t said them out loud when they’d spoken about their relationship. And she’d forced an unfair restriction on it–one that had made the situation worse rather than better.
In a desperate attempt to give her a perfect life, he’d withheld the issues he faced at Harrington Global.
She sighed as she stepped into the hospital room, the constant beep of the heart monitor a comforting sound announcing her stepson’s continued life.
Sierra slept in a chair near the bed, her head propped in her palm. Julia smiled at her as she crossed as slid a lock of hair away from her stepdaughter’s face.
She sucked in a breath and squinted up at her. “Good morning, step-mommy,” she whispered.
“Good morning,” Julia answered as she pulled Sierra closer and kissed the top of her head. “Did you get any sleep?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
Julia nodded as she stroked her hair. “I did get some, yeah. I think Kyle slept through the night.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yeah,” Julia said as she stared at her stepson’s still-sleeping form in the hospital bed. The rushed rescue had been wild, and they’d just made it in time to save him from a death sentence.
The bruises still shining on his face were a testament to the abuse he’d endured at the hands of Lydia’s henchman.
“Where’s Daddy?” Sierra asked as she rose.
“On the phone with Mike Donovan. There’s a crisis at HG.”
“When isn’t there?” Sierra said. “I’ll go check on him.”
“He’d appreciate that.”
Sierra kissed Julia’s cheek. “Don’t let Kyle kiss you while we’re gone.”
Julia chuckled at her stepdaughter’s comment as she squeezed her hand. “Very funny. I think I’ll be safe.”
“Never know!” Sierra called. “He’s on medication. He’s probably loopy.”
“I’ll watch myself,” she said with a wink as Sierra disappeared from the room, leaving her alone with Kyle.
Julia wandered closer to the bed, glancing at the screen displaying his vitals as she slipped her hand into his. They’d nearly lost him last night. He’d stopped breathing while still at the warehouse, but her sister, Alicia had performed CPR until the paramedics arrived and stabilized him.
His rescue had been a team effort, and she couldn’t be happier with the result. She rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb as she smiled down at him.
His eyes fluttered open, and he sucked in a sharp breath, wincing as he shifted in the bed.
“Hey,” she said softly as he glanced around. “You in pain?”
“Yeah,” he answered, his voice hoarse.
“I’ll grab a nurse,” she said, but he tightened his grip on her hand.
“No, please don’t leave. I’ll just…use the button.”
He grimaced again as he reached for the call button.
“I’ve got it. Just relax,” she said as she pressed the red button.
“Thanks, Julia.”
“Of course,” she said as she smiled at him. “How did you sleep?”
His fingers tightened around hers again. “Okay. I…woke up a few times. Thank you all for staying.”
“We weren’t leaving you alone,” she said as the nurse bustled in, checking his vitals and administering pain medication through his IV.
“Better?” Julia asked after a few minutes as his breakfast arrived.
“Yeah,” he answered. “Much, much better.”
“Good, because there’s someone who would like to say hello to you,” she said with a grin as she lifted her phone.
He stared at the display for a second, his eyebrows furrowed. “Is it Dad? He’s gone, right?”
“No, he’s still here. He’s just fielding some calls in the waiting room.”
“Oh, who?” Kyle asked as he sipped his orange juice.
Julia grinned as she dialed the number on her phone and toggled on the video chat as she perched on the edge of his bed and leaned closer.
“There he is! Grant Junior,” Alex Stone said as he grinned at him from the phone. “How’s he doing, kid?”
Julia smiled at the phone. “Much better.”
“Well, he certainly looks better than the last time I saw him,” Alex admitted.
Kyle crinkled his brow. “Last time you saw me? You mean…at the dinner party?”
“Ahh, no,” Alex said, a more serious expression replacing his smile. “I…was on a video call with your lovely stepmother when she found you. You weren’t looking too hot, so I dispatched police and paramedics.”
“And just in the nick of time, Alex. Thank you so much for what you did,” Julia answered.
“Anytime, kid. I’m really glad it all worked out.”
“So are we,” she answered.
“Well, little Grantling, you seemed to be recovering nicely. And I take it you didn’t sustain any injuries during what sounded like an epic brawl, right, Sunshine?”
“I’m perfectly fine, and we are doing much better now,” Julia said.
“I am very glad. It just wouldn’t have been the same without you around Mini-Grant.”
Grant and Sierra appeared in the room, crossing to the bed. Grant slipped a hand into hers, whispering his desire to say thank you to Alex.
She nodded and twisted the phone toward him.
“Grantster. What’s up, bro?”
Julia held in a laugh as Grant’s jaw flexed. “Alex. I just…wanted to say thank you for what you did to help Kyle.”
“No worries, broheim. Happy to do it.”
Grant nodded at him as Julia shifted the phone back to her. “Hey, Alex, do you have a second? I wanted to ask you something.”
“For you, I’ve got time, Sunshine.”
“Okay, just give me a second.” Julia clicked off the video and held a finger over the microphone before she glanced at Grant. “Be right back, okay?”
“Sure,” he answered as she kissed his cheek.
“Alex?” she said as she hurried from the hospital room. “Hi, so there’s something I need to discuss with you. I’m going to apologize ahead of time.”
“No need, kid. Discuss away,” Alex answered.
She heaved a sigh as she stepped into the waiting room and kicked the door stop away, letting the door gently thud behind her. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together scenarios with Harrington Global’s assets and liabilities. She needed to find out if Alex had any ideas she hadn't considered.
“So, there’s a situation with Harrington Global courtesy of Lydia.”
“The Iron Lady strikes again, does she?”
“Yeah,” Julia said, sinking into one of the chairs. “On the heels of my near-poisoning and Kyle’s almost-death–”
“Whoa, throw the vehicle in reverse, Sunshine. Your what now?”
Julia sucked in a breath, recounting the nearly unbelievable story. “She put arsenic in my toothpaste. It nearly killed me. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for Kyle.”
“My God, this woman is totally whacked.”
“Yeah, tell me about it. She’s put this family through hell, and she’s not finished yet.”
“No kidding. So, what’s the sitch at the HG HQ?” Alex asked.
“She’s buying stock in an attempt to trigger a board vote on the executives.”
Alex whistled before he spoke. “That’s rough. I assume the Grantster doesn’t own a controlling interest to block?”
“No. They’re doing a stock buyback but they’re trailing her, and they’re running short on capital.”
Alex sucked in a breath. “Ouch. And likely over-leveraged at this point, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah. Grant’s got way too much on his plate right now to explain the specifics of this or any potential solutions, but I wondered if you could.
I’m just trying to vet solutions, if there are any.
It would be such a shame to see Lydia destroy what he’s built.
With Lydia controlling the company, it’ll collapse. ”
“I hear you. If anyone came after StoneCorp, I’d feel the same way. I’ve maintained a controlling interest to that end. In terms of solutions, borrowing is no longer an option. How do his votes look? Sure, or can Lydia turn them?”
“I’m going to safely say she can turn enough to make his nervous. When I married Grant, some of the board members were out for him. This gives them the perfect opportunity to try again.”
“Hmm, you need an ally. Someone who can give him a controlling interest or close.”
She flicked her eyebrows up. “A white knight play.”
“Right.”
She furrowed her brow, wondering if Grant had already pursued this. “I’m not certain if they’ve discussed that. The problem would be finding someone with that much capital readily available to buy up…oh gosh, at least fifteen to twenty percent, I’d think, in a really short amount of time.”
“How sure are of you that if you found one, Grant could turn this around?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean, he’s gotten himself in a position where he’s deeply in debt and fighting a hostile takeover. That could collapse a company.”
Julia sucked in a breath as she considered his question. “I’m certain he can fix this. The problem is Lydia seems to have an endless supply of cash.”
“Where’s she sitting?”
“Last I heard, twenty-two percent.”
“And G-Force?”
“Eighteen.” Julia sank her head into her hands as she searched for a solution.
Alex sucked a sharp breath between his teeth. “Not good.”
“No, and she can trigger a vote at twenty-five.”
“But not win it if he can sway a majority of votes his way. Hence the need for a strong ally. And you’re certain he can do this if he maintains control?”
“I am. And I speak from experience. I was CEO of Harrington for a while there.”
“Really? I feel like you’d make an excellent CEO. Any chance of making the play that they vote you in?”