Page 58 of His Master

“Your father has lost his mind, that’s what’s going on,” Victor said, sliding an arm around my waist as the limo made its way back onto the highway we’d just driven across.

Vivien huffed a laugh as she drank her coffee, then said, “He’s saying the same about you. He’s got some story about you kidnapping omegas and having deviant sexual tastes.”

Anger and a touch of embarrassment flared in Victor. “He’s the one who sanctioned his former business partner’s kidnapping of an omega out of pure spite. I still don’t understand that.”

“As far as I understand,” I chimed in, “Colin Gregory was after revenge against Mason Canton, his former businesspartner, for dissolving the company they’d built together. Colin had also built backdoors into the software for the security systems their former company provided to a variety of businesses. Mason made sure those backdoors were patched or new systems were provided to replace the vulnerable ones, though.”

“Mason?” Vivien asked, one eyebrow arched.

“Mr. Canton married my brother, Hayden,” I said.

Vivien nearly choked on her coffee. “So you’re the brother of the omega that was kidnapped?”

It sounded like she knew more than she’d let on.

“I am,” I nodded. “But that’s irrelevant to the current situation.”

“I don’t think it is,” Vivien said. “Dad has been going on about losing access to valuable information and doors closing on him.” She narrowed her eyes in thought, then stared at Victor. “You haven’t been helping close all those sneaky little systems backdoors, have you?”

Victor’s eyes widened, and I felt a thrill through the bond. “Not directly, but I have charged several members of one of the tech companies Victory Holdings owns to work with Canton Enterprises to fix the gaps in the systems that Colin Gregory left.”

Vivien spread her arms and gestured with her free hand. “There you have it. Dad is mad at you for taking away his access to insider information. That’s what he’s so pissed about.”

I was shocked. Was that what this was really all about? Vincent Woodbury was angry with Victor for blocking his path to information? Information was power, after all.

I shook my head a little. “I don’t think that’s the whole story, but I agree it’s probably part of it. But based on the bylaws of Victory Holdings and the contingencies for what would happenif any one of the three of you is removed as an officer of the company, even if you remain part owners?—”

“The whole company falls apart,” Vivien interrupted me, the same way she’d interrupted her father on the phone. She glanced to Victor and said, “He’s bluffing, you know. He doesn’t want Victory Holdings to fall apart, he just wants you to fall in line.”

“Did he say that?” Victor asked.

“Not in as many words, but I know my dad,” she said, her voice flat and her eyes narrowed. “You’re the son he always wanted. It burns him that you’ve decided not to be his little alpha protégé. He’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back in line.”

“I’m not going back in his line,” Victor said, his voice surprisingly calm. Then again, there was enough bitterness and resentment in Vivien’s voice and expression, and enough sad sympathy coming through the bond, that I was sure he felt sorry for Vivien being second-best with her own father.

“Good,” Vivien said. “No one should bow to someone else like that.” She glanced to me with a smirk, then added, “Unless that’s their kink.”

I didn’t know whether to feel ashamed or proud. I opted to push both emotions aside and focus on the matter at hand.

“Whatever his intentions, what your father is doing isn’t good for your business,” I said, laying things out as simply as I could. “At the same time, it looks like Victory Holdings has reached a crossroads. Two of the three owners want to go in entirely different directions. Either someone is going to have to cave, or you might have to resign yourself to the company dissolving and reforming as something new.”

“Is that what you think would happen, feisty omega?” Vivien asked me, grinning sharply.

I felt a wave of protectiveness from Victor, but I wasn’t sure it was necessary. I liked Vivien as much as she professed to like me. It didn’t make sense, but I didn’t think she was the same asher father. Maybe that had something to do with Vincent liking Victor more than her, which I was sure was the case.

I shrugged. “Corporate bylaws aren’t the be all and end all,” I said. “They can be changed. If you want to save Victory Holdings in the form it is now, you could have the board of directors vote on a change to the bylaws that would preserve the company, should one of the owning officers be ousted from their active role in the company.”

Both Vivien and Victor registered surprise at that statement.

“It never occurred to me to change the bylaws,” Victor said.

“You’d have to get the board to agree to it,” Vivien said, tilting her head to one side. “But if there is a way to remove Dad without destroying the company, I’d be all for it.”

I nearly gusted out a breath in victory. Vivien was on our side after all. That might just be the difference between saving Victory Holdings as it was or forcing everyone in the Woodbury family, and everyone employed by them, to start from square one.

“And if we’re able to change the bylaws?” Victor asked, staring hard at Vivien. “You’d be alright with forcing your father to retire?”

Vivien shrugged one shoulder, but her frown contradicted that casual gesture. “Dad should have retired a long time ago, if you ask me.” She paused, staring at a spot on the seat beside Victor, then said, “And it’s well past time that I was allowed a more active role in Victory Holdings, too.”

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