Chapter 7 The Tree of Life #2
Glancing at Andreas’s fidgeting fingers, I said, “Please wait outside.” My voice was steady, but my stomach did handsprings.
She nodded, her expression never changing, and ghosted out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I turned to face Andreas, and was startled to see him looking as off-balance as I felt. His eyes were staring, his mouth slightly open, and his mask was nowhere to be found.
Unsettled, I decided to get straight to the point. “What did you want to tell me about the change in shareholders?”
He took a moment, physically steadying himself by bracing both hands on the back of one of the chairs. “I have bought out Tobias’s shares.”
I blinked, momentarily thrown. “You now control eighteen percent?” I moved further into the room.
He nodded. “I also bought six percent of Henrik’s shares.”
I could feel my blood pressure ratcheting with confusion. This was more than unexpected. This didn’t make any sense.
I forced myself to sound calm. “Why only six percent? Why not all?”
He exhaled, a little laugh with no humor. “He would only sell me six percent.”
I cocked my head, surprised by his appearance of candor. “How could you afford that? That must’ve been—I mean the stock is worth—”
“I leveraged loans based on my nine percent as collateral. Both Tobias and Henrik were desperate to sell, and I negotiated a price less than a third of the market. They are cash-strapped at the moment.”
I did the math. “Why did they not simply sell to the market?”
“Neither of them wanted to devalue the stock since they are absolutely convinced they will be able to successfully contest the will and take your father’s shares from you.”
I stared at him, incredulous. “Who convinced them of that?”
He hesitated, then admitted softly, “Me. In a way.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Naturally. So, you lied to them.”
“No,” he said, his voice still quiet. “I ensured certain incorrect information made its way into their possession.”
I huffed a laugh, sharp and brittle, because this wasn’t surprising. “I see.”
He pressed his lips together, eyes on me, plainly assessing my reaction, then said, “I wanted you to know I control twenty-four percent of the current votable shares and that the Vince Group will vote however I instruct them to vote. After today’s meeting, your fifty percent will be votable, but not until a proxy is approved. ”
I froze, the realization hitting me all at once. With twenty-four percent plus the Vince Group’s three and a half percent, Andreas would decide the vote. He would determine whether Dr. Hauser was approved as my proxy.
I folded my arms, frustrated with myself for considering Martin’s perspective, that Andreas might be sincere, that I simply needed to give him a chance, to listen and judge his sincerity for myself.
Sincerity wasn’t a word in Andreas Kristiansen’s vocabulary. Everything was a ploy.
“I’m guessing you’re telling me this because you want something, correct? You want to use your control over whether Dr. Hauser is approved as my proxy in order to negotiate with me.”
Andreas visibly winced, swallowed thickly, then shook his head. “No.” The word was rough, gravelly, as though it cost him to say it. He cleared his throat and added, “But I thought you should know before the meeting starts. I will, obviously, approve whomever you put forth as your proxy.”
Nonplused, I walked to one of the chairs and sat down, frantically working to puzzle through this current game of his, what trap he was setting for me. It was no use. He was so much more adept at maneuvering and having patience than I would ever be.
“Okay, I give up.” I shrugged, barely keeping my voice level. “Tell me why you did this.”
He hesitated once more, then said, “I wanted your proxy to be approved.”
I felt the urge to scream. “So you can force me to do what exactly?”
Andreas’s eyebrows pulled together again, making his features look pained. He gave his head a little shake. “I do not wish to force you to do anything.”
I knew that wasn’t true.
My eyes stung. My head throbbed. For months, this man had twisted me into knots, manipulated the world around me, and never once asked for forgiveness or said he was sorry. Now, he stared at me like a kicked dog and expected me to believe him just because he said so?
“You did this so I’d feel indebted to you.” I gripped the chair’s armrests as my voice trembled with a cocktail of rage and hurt.
He shook his head but said nothing, his gaze tangling with mine.
I leaned back in the chair, closed my eyes, and counted backward from fifty, struggling to keep my composure from shattering. I was so, so tired of not knowing what the hell he wanted, of being his pawn, of playing into his hands.
When I opened my eyes, Andreas stood in the same spot, watching me openly, and his eyes once again seemed to be wide with hope.
Before I could speak, he blurted out, “I miss you.”
The words hit me in the chest, a perfect shot to the heart, and I flinched at the impact. An alarm bell rang between my ears almost immediately because these were words I wanted to hear, had desperately hoped to hear months ago, but instead all he’d given me was silence.
I’m not falling for it. I won’t fall for it.
Finding the edges of my self-respect, I mentally pulled it around me like a numbing cloak and stood from my chair. “Anything else?” I said, voice flat.
But in my head, I begged him to just apologize. Just once. Maybe I wouldn’t forgive him, maybe it was too late for that, but part of me really needed to hear the words.
Straightening from the chair he held, Andreas seemed to gather himself, the mask I was accustomed to seeing on his face finally slid over his features.
“I hope—” He stopped, took a deep breath, and spoke with more force.
“I hope you know that I will always be here for you, if you ever need anything. I will always want to be of help to you. I will always be on your side. And I will always want to know you.”
I couldn’t think of a single response that wouldn’t lead to an epic argument. Luckily, my phone buzzed at that exact moment, vibrating loudly in the tense silence.
Grateful for the interruption, I glanced down at the screen, and saw a text from Kaitlyn’s husband.
Martin: Can you meet us at the er Kaitlyn fell in the bathroom and is still unconscious I couldn’t wake her up and since I have Joey I can’t ride in the ambulance will send you the hospital information
The world contracted to a pinpoint. Tangentially, I registered the lack of punctuation, which made the entire message just feel more frantic and urgent.
I looked up at Andreas, who was still standing there, waiting for something from me. I couldn’t remember what.
“I have to—I have to go,” I choked out, and then I bolted.