Chapter 3
GRANT
G rant tightened his grip on the phone as he eased into a chair in the waiting room.
“Sir?” Mike Donovan’s voice said in his ear, though he barely heard it.
He shook his head as the words he’d just heard swirled in his mind. I’m not sure we have the votes to withstand this .
With a sigh, he rubbed his forehead. “Where are we with our buyback?”
“Nineteen percent, and that’s likely as far as we’ll get.”
A curse escaped his lips as he shook his head. “And she’s still climbing?”
“Looks that way, sir. We need to discuss strategy.”
He scoffed at the words. Was there any strategy that could be employed to salvage this situation? “All right. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“See you then.”
The line clicked as Mike ended the call. Grant sat stunned for a moment. He never expected the end of his company to come like this. He shook his head as he forced himself to stand. He had to keep trying to move forward. Maybe they’d figure something out.
The last time he’d faced a difficult situation like this, he’d met Julia. Could he pull off another miracle?
He strode down to his son’s hospital room and poked his head in. Sierra rubbed Julia’s shoulder as she held Kyle’s hand. The expression on her delicate features didn’t seem quite right to him. It looked like something had upset her.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he stepped inside.
“No,” Sierra shot back.
His stomach turned over. The last thing he needed was more bad news.
“Mom was here,” Sierra continued. “She just strolled in to ‘check on Kyle.’”
“More like check to see if she could finish the job,” Kyle answered, his voice edged with upset.
“Are you kidding me?” Grant asked, his features scrunching. “Lydia really had the nerve to walk into this room?”
“Yep. Although I don’t know if she’ll have the nerve to do it again. Julia went after her, like big time.”
He glanced at his wife before he slid an arm around her. “You got into it with her?”
Julia cocked her head, lifting a shoulder.
“Yeah, she did,” Sierra said with a bob of her head, “she said, and I’m quoting here, ‘Don’t push me. I will end you.’”
His eyes went wider as he tried to imagine mild-mannered Julia’s angry outburst. Although, he’d been on the receiving end of it once when they’d had an argument. She could be terrifying.
“Someone needs to end her before she ends one of us,” Kyle answered.
Grant clenched his jaw as he silently added or Harrington Global to his son’s statement.
“Sorry, I just…I can’t believe she would show her face here after what happened.”
“I can. And on that note, I need to run to the office. I’ll wait until Max can get a security guard here, though.”
Julia glanced up at him, her features twisting with concern. “More trouble?”
He heaved a sigh as he took her hands in his. “Yeah, I’m afraid so. I’m meeting with Mitchell and Mike to discuss strategy.”
“Okay, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help or if you just want to vent.” She squeezed his arm before she offered him a peck on the lips.
“I will.” His hands lingered on hers. He didn’t want to walk away from her, especially with things this grim.
He preferred to stay near her with the threat of Lydia lurking around every corner, but he had to fight her on another front before she ruined everything at Harrington Global.
“Good luck,” she said as he finally forced himself to shuffle away from her.
Glancing back as he hovered in the doorway, Grant’s eyes fixed on his family. The corner of his lips turned up. They weren’t a normal family. Not by a long shot, but they were perfect for each other. They had come together, bonded, and he wouldn’t trade them for anything.
He lifted his chin as the vision of them ignited a fire in him to protect his company and his family from Lydia’s clutches.
With a deep breath, Grant strode from the hospital and into the late morning air. The sounds of the city surrounded him, giving him some measure of comfort as they drowned out the rambling of his mind.
He pushed through the glass doors of Harrington Global with a heavy sigh. Would this be one of the final times he walked into this building?
The elevator pulled him up to the top floor where he met a flurry of activity. Ringing phones, people scrambling, and a filled conference room all pointed to signs of the crisis looming on their horizon.
He bypassed them all, striding past Evie into the quiet solitude of his office. His secretary hurried past him, a stack of messages in her hand, though she didn’t speak immediately.
With a heavy sigh, he sank into his chair at the desk and waved her over. “Come on in, Evie.”
“Mr. Harrington,” she said with a weak smile.
“I know. How bad is it?”
“Some panicked investors, several board members, and a few upset clients.”
He stared at the stack, wondering if any of it mattered anymore. “I assume you heard.”
“Yes. Isn’t there anything else we can do?” she asked.
“That’s what I’m about to find out. Let Mike and Mitch know I’m here. I want to hear their analysis and options immediately.”
She bobbed her head as she placed the messages in front of him. “Absolutely, sir. And if I may ask, how is Dr. Carter?”
“Recovering. Much better than he was.”
“Mrs. Harrington is really going for the gold on rescues,” Evie answered.
A laugh escaped him. “She really is. That’s two people rescued. Actually, four if you count Sierra and herself from that kidnapping attempt.”
Evie chuckled. “I’ll send in Mr. Donovan and Mr. Caldwell.”
“Thanks.” He leaned back in the chair as he stared out over the city, a city he’d ruled for a long time but seemed to be quickly losing his grip on. Could he weather this latest storm?
A knock sounded at his door, and Evie motioned for both men to enter. “I’ll hold all your calls,” she said before she pulled the door closed behind them.
“Sit down,” Grant said. “What’s it look like?”
Mitchell flopped his legal pad onto his lap as he sat down. “Not good.”
“We’re at nineteen percent on the stock buy, and funds are depleted,” Mike said.
“And DG?” Grant asked.
“Still gaining, currently just under twenty-four percent.”
Grant sucked in a breath, stretching his neck. “She’s going to hit the twenty-five percent threshold.”
“It’s more than likely,” Mike answered.
“Which means she’s going to trigger a vote on the executives. At least, that’s the most likely scenario.”
“It’s what’s going to happen. Lydia is out for blood.”
“Grant,” Mitchell said, “is there any chance she’d leave you in as CEO? Anything you can bargain with?”
He shook his head as he rubbed his jaw. “No. She literally tried to kill my wife twice and nearly succeeded in murdering my son. She’s not going to stop just shy of ripping this company from me.”
“Well, then we need to start making some calls and securing some votes,” his legal team lead said.
“Do we have the numbers? Or anywhere else?” Grant asked.
“That depends. We’ve got your nineteen percent–”
“And she’s got six percent more if she hits twenty-five.”
Mitchell bobbed his head. “Yes. She’s starting out stronger than we are. We’ll need to try to twist a few arms here. Anyone owe you any favors?”
“Not that many favors. What’s your count say?”
“Conservative estimate says that we’ll fall short by twelve percent.”
Grant huffed as he slid his eyes closed. “And the liberal estimates?”
“That we’ll fall short by two percent.”
“So, there’s no winning scenario?” Grant asked.
“Grant, the vote could go a dozen different ways. You could squeak by. Two percent is a pretty small margin. We could sway a few people. You could win by that same percentage.”
He leapt from his seat and paced the space behind his desk. “I don’t like leaving things up to chance.”
“We may have no other choice. I’d recommend making some calls to a few people, see if we can shift them over from the maybe column to the yes column.”
“Shouldn’t we be working on the nos?” Grant asked.
“I’d rather secure as many yeses as possible,” Mitchell answered. “That’ll be easier to do with the maybes than the nos.”
Grant collapsed into his chair again with a heavy sigh. “Give me the list.”
Mitchell tore a sheet from his legal pad and passed it over to him. Grant scanned it, his forehead creasing as he shook his head. “No, Veronica’s a definite no. And I think I can sway Harrison Blackwood.”
“From what I’ve heard, you can’t. Work on the others.”
Grant continued to scan the list, making mental notes on how to attack each request when Mike’s phone rang. “Donovan…I understand.”
He ended the call with a deep sigh. “DG Industries has amassed twenty-five percent of the stock.”
Grant’s jaw clenched at the words. “Looks like we’d better prepare for a board meeting.”
Mitchell’s phone chimed, and he tugged it from his pocket, his lips tugging into a frown. “Yes. We’ve just received official notification that a majority stakeholder has requested an emergency board meeting at seven tonight. She wasted no time.”
Grant twisted his fingers into fists. Until this point, there had been some hope that he’d avoid the tricky vote. That was no longer the case. “I didn’t think she would. I’ll make these calls.”
Mitchell nodded as he rose along with Mike. “Let me know what you come up with, and I’ll run new numbers to see where we’re at. Try to stay positive. You’re not out yet.”
Yet . It was likely only a matter of time now. Even the most liberal estimates logged this as a loss for him. And he had only hours to fix this. By the day’s end, the company would no longer be his, most likely.
He drummed his fingers on the desk as he stared at the list, preparing himself for another long set of hours begging for help.
He tossed it down on the desk before he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and toggled to Julia’s text message. Lydia got her twenty-five percent. Board meeting tonight at seven. I probably won’t see you until after .
He waited for a few minutes, hoping she’d answer and offer him something to latch on to, but nothing appeared. She must be busy with Kyle. At least, that was his hope. He worried Lydia had showed up at the hospital again to gloat about her latest conquest.
With no helpful words from Julia to get him through, he began placing his calls, explaining his side, making promises, and reassuring people. He checked off two of his maybes, but two others refused to give him their definitely support.
With a sigh, he put question marks by their name, his mind adding up the percentages in a race to a majority.
He was nowhere close to a sure win. He slumped in his chair as his phone rang. With a desperate hope that it was Julia, he snatched it only to find Mike’s number.
“Mike? Good news, I hope?”
“Sorry, probably not.”
“Please don’t tell me that she’s gotten another five percent,” he said with a disgusted sigh.
“DG Industries stopped buying at twenty-five percent. But we’ve got another development.”
Grant pinched his eyebrows tighter as Mike continued. “We’re tracking another company that’s quietly amassing a significant portion of stock.”
“What?” Grant barked out. “What company?”
“Julex,” Mike answered. “They’ve emerged from nowhere, aggressively buying up shares. This is a coordinated strike, likely exploiting loopholes we hadn’t anticipated. Their sudden involvement could not only swing the vote, but set a precedent for hostiles takeovers.”
“How much do they have?”
“They’ve bought five percent in an hour and show no signs of slowing.”
Grant’s stomach twisted into a tight knot. “This has to be her. She’s buying under another company, probably for legal reasons.”
“That would put her at thirty percent and climbing.”
Grant hung his head, his chin touching his chest. “Keep an eye on it. Let me know what develops.”
Grant poked at the end call button with a disgusted sigh as he tossed his phone onto the desk. If Lydia had over thirty percent, his chances of maintaining CEO were dwindling. He summoned the energy to make the last few phone calls he had, but even with their support, he likely couldn’t win.
A text update from Mike put Julex up another five percent. He huffed out a sigh as he realized Lydia now owned over one-third of his company.
Julia finally returned his text. Sorry, settling Kyle at home. Where are you at with your stock buyback?
He chewed his lower lip as he stared at the message. His stomach flipped as he typed back his response. We stalled at nineteen. I think she’s buying with another company. She has over a third.
His display died before she answered, and he slid his eyes closed before he discarded the device on his desk and crossed to his wet bar to pour himself a bourbon.
He settled in his chair and nursed it, the realization that he was spending his last few hours in this office suddenly apparent.
The sun sank below the horizon and the lights–lights provided by Harrington Global–blinked on across the city. He stared at them until Evie knocked lightly at the door. “Mr. Harrington,” she said, her voice just above a whisper, “the board is ready for you.”
He slid his eyes closed, gathering himself. He’d still fight, but he was prepared to lose. As he rose, he checked his messages, hoping to find something encouraging from Julia, but he found nothing.
It wasn’t a surprise. There was nothing to say. She could do the math as well as he could. They were on the losing end.
He adjusted his cufflink after sliding on his jacket again and striding from the room. Mike Donovan waited for him outside of the boardroom. He leaned closer as Grant stood outside of the double doors. “Julex amassed twenty-five percent before closing bell.”
Grant snapped his gaze to the man, his eyes wide. “That puts–”
“Lydia at fifty percent,” Mike said with a nod.
Grant slid his eyes closed as he shook his head. It was over.
Mike clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Anything could happen in there.”
He tried to offer the man a smile, to hold on to that shred of hope, but he had none. His nineteen percent wouldn’t make any difference. It was time to face the music.
With a deep breath, he swung the doors open and stepped into the room. A quiet hush buzzed through the room. His eyes fell on Lydia who rose, the smirk on her face unmistakable.
“Well, Grant, it looks like your time has finally come to a close. And mine is just about to begin.”
“You haven’t won yet, Lydia,” he answered, trying to force some solidness into his hollow voice.
Lydia’s cackle unnerved him, but he worked not to show it. “Oh, even you don’t believe that. I’m about to rip this company away from you. And I’m going to take great pleasure in dismantling it.”
The words sliced him like a knife. Mostly because he knew they were true. This was the end for Harrington Global. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.