Chapter 17
Damien
I turn to the woman sitting beside me as the car weaves around traffic on its way to battle. Ivy looks as stoic and beautiful as ever. An ice queen who can freeze men into silence with a simple look. I should have granted her a request. She’s too close for comfort. This car feels too constricted. She’s ruining my focus.
First, she had begged me not to go through with the takeover. My response was a flat-out no. I would never say yes. The train has left the station. Too many people are attached to this deal now and want to see the takeover go through. And then when we were leaving, and I asked Nicole to take care of Lake, she resisted and only accepted if a second person also agreed to look after Lake. Thankfully, we didn’t need to do all that and the compromise we reached was sending Lake to the office daycare center. What her issue is with Nicole, I will never know.
I am about to accomplish my mission. Something I’ve been looking forward to all these years, and all I can think of is how sweet she looked when she pleaded with me. Instead of reveling in my upcoming victory, I feel like a barbarian at the gates, coming in to destroy a thriving city. They had it coming. I have to remember that. The Hawthornes are not good people and they deserve what’s coming to them. Her father’s disgust when they saw me in bed with her. Her brother’s disappointment. Her own shame as if she was embarrassed to be caught with someone as low as me. But try as I might, I just cannot hate her as much as I should.
The car hits a bump and Ivy is thrown against me. Her breast brushes against my arm. My body hardens and that familiar hunger returns. The one that only she can satisfy. She rights herself and mutters an unnecessary apology. The car suddenly feels slower even though the speed hasn’t changed. A few more minutes with her next to me and I might do something I will regret. I might take her up on her offer. Punish me. Hate me. There was an unmistakable insinuation in her voice.
Thankfully, we pull into Hawthorne Inc. parking lot, passing by a throng of journalists. Their bright flashbulbs cast flickering lights as we pass through. If Ivy wasn’t nervous before, she was now. She keeps playing with the phone she had been using to text a couple of minutes ago. I want to ask if she’s texting her brother. But what does it matter? I have enough votes anyway and she no longer has voting abilities. She can’t hurt me.
We enter the building the way I planned it. Arm in arm and with my entourage behind me. We are the last to arrive. It seems as if the boardroom is already full when we enter. Nolan is standing close to the head of the table, discussing something with his underlings. All the Hawthorne siblings are here, except for the youngest one. Is he the black sheep of the family, I wonder. It doesn’t matter, anyway. We tried courting his vote, but he instead abstained. It wasn’t good for us, but it still wasn’t bad. What it meant was that Nolan didn’t have enough votes to stave me off, which is good. The other siblings, however, were steadfast in their refusal to be swayed. They’re choosing to die together, I guess.
All of them turn their attention to us when we enter. Nolan, especially, goes dark when he sees me with his sister on my arm.
“She can’t be here,” He says. “You gave all your voting shares to him so you don’t have any say.”
I feel her turn to steel. She tips her chin up. “Actually, I do. I am here as Raine’s proxy.”
Carey, Levi, Ty and Seb who are all huddled into one group all gasp.
“You spoke to Raine?” Carey asks coming over to us. “He, too, agreed to turn traitor on his own family,” Carey smirks. “Typical.”
“Who says Raine wants to vote for the takeover?” Ivy replies.
I lean into her ear. “You never told me of this interesting information.”
“He called me just before we got into the car. I didn’t have time to say anything.”
So it was the other brother she was texting. God damn it. Too many Hawthornes to keep straight.
“Sinclair, is this your idea?” Nolan shouts from the other end of the room. Levi is on his phone with someone and soon shouts, “I have Raine!”
The room goes quiet as a voice from the phone says, “Yeah, Ivy is acting as my proxy.”
“What the fuck Raine!”
“Is that Nolan?” Raine chuckles.
“Just because she’s going to vote on my behalf doesn’t mean she’s going to vote the way you think she’s going to vote.”
“She can vote whichever way she wants,” I say. “I have enough votes as it is.”
“Can I talk to him?” Nolan says to Levi, but before Levi can hand the phone to Nolan, the call disconnects. Raine’s phone becomes unavailable after that. “Can we begin the meeting?” I say. “You had your opportunity to gather votes. Doing so now is cheating.”
Nolan’s upper lip curls. He takes a seat beside the head of the table. The woman who takes the head is the chairperson of the company. A corporate climber in her sixties who worked for Hawthorne Inc. ever since she was an intern. She might as well be a Hawthorne at this point. I didn’t even try to get her vote. She’s locked in with them. Her firm voice calls the meeting to order and everyone takes their seats. Ivy goes to sit opposite me. Fine by me. All the other siblings plus the other board members take their seats.
The chairperson goes into all the requisite information and instructions that need to be said before the vote. No one is listening. They’re all preoccupied by what’s about to happen. My gaze is on Ivy the entire time. What wrench is she about to throw? I make a mental count of all the votes in my favor. I am two ahead. Fairly comfortable buffer even if she votes with Nolan.
“…And finally, we come to the vote.” People shuffle their feet and straighten in their seats. The chairperson starts by counting Carey who’s sitting next to Ivy. He votes against the purchase. The next two votes are also against it, followed by the next, but those are the people firmly in the Hawthorne camp. Then the following group of votes are the ones in my camp. The numbers tick up in my favor until we hit a snag. My Parisian friend, Lynette, goes with Nolan. Fuck. Seems like Nolan got to her. Then comes another who was undecided but somewhat in my camp. A hedge fund manager. He goes with the Hawthornes. That’s not good. Which means by the time all the votes are cast, the votes for and against the acquisition are neck and neck. And wouldn’t you know it? The tiebreaker is Ivy.
“Ivy?” Nolan says impatiently, “What’s your vote?”
Ivy’s big eyes dart between me and her brother. She toys with her fingers. “Umm…”
“Well, what did Raine say?” Levi asks.
“He didn’t say anything.” She inhales sharply. “I’m going to need a minute.”
I do not trust her at all. It’s obvious she is nervous and a little overwhelmed. She glances around the stony faces in the room. Her eyes are weary and when they land on me, I notice something else. A plea. Some innate instinct rises from deep within my gut. A need to protect her.
I turn my gaze to Nolan. “Clear the room.”
“Excuse me,” Carey says, “According to the vote, you’re not the boss of us yet. Maybe you might never be. And besides, the only person who can clear the room is the chairperson.”
“Everyone out,” Nolan says. No one budges until he repeats it. Carey is the first to rise. Followed by Levi until everyone shuffles out of the room. When it’s finally just Nolan, Ivy, and I, Nolan says, “Let me call Raine.”
“He gave me the right to vote whichever way I wanted to.” Ivy’s voice has a wobble to it, but it is strong nonetheless. Nolan ignores her, whips out his phone, and dials. After a period of silence where three of his calls aren’t picked up, he curses and throws the phone on the table. Nolan leans over the table.
“What did he say, exactly?”
“He called, and I asked how he was. We spoke about the meeting and he asked me to be his proxy. And when I asked how he wants to vote, he said, the choice is up to me.”
I scoff. “You’re lying.”
Ivy glances at me. “Believe what you want, but it’s the truth.”
Nolan leans back into his chair and crosses his arms. “So, how are you going to vote?”
Ivy looks down. “I don’t know.”
“Perfect!” Nolan jumps out of his chair, laughing hysterically. “This is your revenge, isn’t it? Bring him back,” he gestures at me, “help him do a stealth buy, give him a board sit while you coax Raine to make you his proxy.”
“That’s not true,” Ivy shouts.
“Really? So you’re not angry at me for taking the love of your life away from you?”
Ivy’s cheeks redden as she whips her head to face me and immediately casts her eyes down. The love of her life, huh? Nolan is clearly basing this on the old-school girl crush she used to have on me. I used to think it was cute. She would buy me all these gifts to show her interest in me and I would try not to do anything about it, no matter how sweet it was. She was too young. Too innocent. That view of her changed that fateful night.
She looks up. Do you want him to leave? As though there’s some telepathic link between us, I ask her a question with my eyes. Her eyes glisten, as though to say yes.
“Leave us.”
“You don’t command me, Sinclair.”
“I want to talk to him alone,” Ivy cuts in.
Nolan stands up and straightens his suit. He marches over to Ivy and says, “Remember who your real family is,” and leaves the room in a huff.
The energy crackles now that it’s just us left. There’s an invisible pull between her and me that makes me want to flip over the desk like a savage and pull her into my arms, strip her of the pinstriped suit she’s wearing and drop her down on my cock. All of this is mixed in with the need to hold her in my arms and comfort her. Oh, and I fucking hate her too. Irrational. Fucking irrational.
She stares at me for a long time, saying nothing. When I think she’s going to say something, she gets up and starts pacing. She paces. Stops. Looks at me. And then paces again.
“I might help if you tell me what you’re thinking.”
She pauses mid-pace, facing me. She leans forward and grips a chair. A pose that looks powerful and turns me on. “If I offer you something in return, will you leave my family alone?”
“I don’t know. It depends on the proposal.”
“Do you really want to acquire Hawthorne Inc?”
“It’s a formerly blue chip company that can be returned to its--”
“I’m not an investor you’re trying to court. I am talking about the truth. The real reason you’re doing this. It’s because of me, isn’t it?”
A ‘you’re not that special’ retort dances on my tongue, but I can’t say it. It would be a lie.
“Take all your revenge on me. Do whatever you want to me. I’m the one you hate.”
She’s asking me to withdraw my assault. The only problem is I can’t reverse a decision like this on a whim. “Your plea is a little too late, princess. The barbarian has brought his horde and is here to ransack your kingdom.”
Her eyes widen. “But you are willing to consider it.”
“A lot of people are counting on this deal going through.”
“But Raine can say no, right? If I vote no, it won’t be your fault you couldn’t convince us to sell. What if that’s the case?”
“And let Nolan win?”
“Do you really care if Nolan wins, or do you care more if I lose?”
Breaking up Hawthorne Inc. and selling it for parts is my dream, right? The closer I come to grasping it, the less I want it. It’s an odd feeling. The dream was brought on by the way my relationship with them ended. And she’s right. I don’t care if Nolan wins or whatever winning means, but destroying Ivy? Why can’t I savor the possibility of finally getting my revenge? Because she’s the mother of your child. A small voice says. The child she hid from me for years. Lake’s handsome face pops into my head and anger follows.
“What can you offer me that’s worth the billion dollars I would lose?”
She straightens. “Me.”