Chapter 59 Jace
JACE
“He’s bluffing,” Marcus said, running a hand through his hair, his jaw clenched tight.
I sank into my chair, the weight of reality crushing down on me. “He’s not.”
“They can’t do this.” Marcus paced the office. “We have a team of lawyers. We’ll go over that contract with a fine-tooth comb. Both the purchase agreement and whatever bullshit rights these board members think they have.”
“Marcus—”
“Did you even see that photo?” His tiny eyes narrowed to slits. “I caught a glimpse before he snatched it away. It was grainy as hell. There’s no way they can know for sure that’s Scarlett in that photo.” He hesitated, and I watched him slip from colleague to friend. “Is it true? You two dating?”
When I said nothing, he dragged a hand over his face. “You could date anyone, Jace.”
The unspoken words hung between us: dating her, of all people, jeopardizes everything we’ve built. He had every right to be pissed, every right to remind me what was at stake. But being the friend he was, he swallowed the lecture. My stomach twisted into knots. Poor Scarlett.
“I can’t believe someone was following us.”
“So, all we have to do is convince them that it’s not an employee in that photo.
” Marcus snapped his fingers, the sound sharp.
“We could even hire someone to play the role of your girlfriend. If there’s no proof it’s an employee, there’s no morality clause to execute.
If Scarlett is willing to deny this relationship and deny it’s her in the photo, they have no ground to stand on. ”
“I just admitted to dating her,” I reminded him.
He flicked his fingers, like this was a minor detail. “We’ll retract that statement, say you misspoke. To execute the clause, they’ll need cold, hard proof. Witness statements.”
A strange feeling washed over me. Not the familiar burn of anger at being betrayed or the cold calculation of business strategy. This was different. Protective, fierce. “I won’t put Scarlett in that position. I won’t ask her to lie for me.”
“Look,” Marcus said, his voice gentler now. “I know you’re honorable and noble or whatever—”
“Am I?” I asked, snapping my eyes to him, the weight of my past pressing down on me.
Marcus thinned his lips. “Now is not the time to bring that up.”
“They’re executing the morality clause.” A bitter chuckle escaped me. “They’re just picking the wrong thing to do it over.”
“Jesus, do not do this.” Marcus dragged a chair across from me and sat down, leaning forward. “Do not do that thing where you go into your downward spiral of self-hatred and feel like you deserve this.”
“Maybe I do,” I murmured, memories of choices I’d made long ago surfacing like ghosts. But how could I ever forgive myself when the jobs of six thousand people might suffer because of it?
“You don’t.” Marcus’s voice was steel. “That guy has been a total dick, and he’s trying to steal your company from you over a few sentences in a contract.
You need to see that for what it is. This is nothing more than a power grab.
And you cannot give into it because, if you do, those sharks are probably going to run your company into the ground. ”
“Not if you’re at the helm,” I said, meeting his gaze.
He shook his head. “I will never do that to you. I will never take that position. Especially not under these goddamn circumstances.”
“You’re the only one I trust, Marcus.” The words came out heavy with resignation. “If we can’t find a way out of this, you’re the only one I trust to take over Lockwood Holdings and not let it come at the expense of people. Unlike them, you care about the employees.”
“You sound like you’ve already given up!” His voice rose. “Where is that fire?”
“I just need a minute to think about this,” I said, walking back and forth to burn energy. “I won’t put Scarlett in the uncomfortable position of having to lie.”
“Deny,” he hedged, rubbing his chin. “We just need her to deny it before this goes any further. Or convince Randolph to change his mind. He can convince the rest of the board.”
I clenched and unclenched my fists, my thoughts racing.
All my life, my company had been my priority, my purpose, my identity.
But now, standing here with everything I’d built on the line, all I could think about was Scarlett.
Her face when she told me about her past. The way she’d trembled.
The strength it took for her to trust me.
The realization hit me like a hurricane, shattering everything that once mattered: I cared more about protecting her than saving my company. And I wanted to do right by her, not escape the consequences of my actions.
“Where are you going?” I asked when Marcus headed for the door.
His voice was tight with frustration. “I’ve protected you for years, and I’m going to protect you from this now.”
“Wait—”
But Marcus was already out the door before I could stop him.
“Goddammit.”
I paced for a few minutes, trying to decide my next move, then suddenly stilled. What if Marcus was going off on Randolph right now? Or, God help me, what if Marcus had gone straight to Scarlett’s office to ask her to lie for me?
Bolting out of the room, I pushed past my head of legal and my assistant, both of whom had been present in the tense meeting, and both were urgently vying for my attention. Instead of talking, I jogged down the hallway, down several flights of stairs, and finally neared her office.
But when I got close enough to see her, something stopped me cold: that look on her face.