Page 64 of His Master

Simon registered surprise. “Do you think she wouldn’t be after everything we talked about overnight?”

I dragged my eyes away from my phone to look at him. Despite myself, I smiled at him. “I’m not used to family being loyal to me,” I said. “Trusting them doesn’t come naturally.”

Simon smiled softly, then bent his head to kiss my shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” he said, so much softness and love in his eyes. “Whatever happens, we’ll get through it. Besides, you’re marrying into a family of corporate lawyers.”

I burst into a broad smile. “Fate really did bring us together,” I said, then kissed him back.

That kiss quickly escalated, and I had to forcibly tell myself to cut things short and pull away from Simon to get out of bed.

“We need to get moving,” I said with a sigh as I stood. “We need to bring this whole thing to a close.”

Simon smiled and climbed out of bed with me, trust and excitement coming at me through his bond. I felt like I would be able to do anything, conquer any enemy, as long as I had him by my side.

I needed that feeling, as everything swirled around me as we quickly showered and I dressed in my clothes from the day before, Simon donning a suit from his closet. There was no guarantee that the board would vote to change the bylaws or push Uncle Vincent into retirement. I knew the board members all too well, and like Vivien, too many of them were more concerned with money than what was right.

Simon’s parents were a huge help, though. While we’d been sleeping, they’d been up working. They’d obtained a copy of Victory Holdings’ current bylaws, and they’d combed through them, highlighting sections that we would probably want to change. They’d also researched the legal ramifications of changing the bylaws and what could and couldn’t be done. Then they’d emailed their work directly to Vivien, making the job ahead of me infinitely easier.

By the time Simon and I left for Victory Holdings’ office, borrowing yet another car from Frederick and Ollie, I had an entire briefcase of legal documents and a head full of ideas and arguments to use, if it came to it.

“We’re just a phone call away if you need legal representation standing by your side,” Frederick told me as he shook his hand before we left.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling it as well as saying it. “We’ll let you know how it goes.”

The drive to the office was short and quiet. Both Simon and I were thinking over the coming battle, Simon driving so that I could read through the proposed bylaw changes to make sure everything read the way I wanted it to, which it did, down to the last detail. It was nice to see that, because of the bond, we didn’t need to talk to communicate. I felt every subtle shift of his emotions, and he felt mine, I was sure. It was actually incredibly relaxing to conduct an entire conversation without saying a word.

I needed that interval of peace, because the shit hit the fan as soon as the elevator doors slid open—my security code had been restored overnight, which was a positive sign—and we walked into Victory Holdings’ reception area. The second we started heading for the corridor that would take us to the board room, Brenda picked up her phone, dialed one number, then said, “They’re here.”

I wasn’t even a little surprised to find Uncle Vincent tearing down the hallway between the offices and the glass-walled boardroom as soon as we turned the corner. It wasn’t a surprise to find the boardroom already packed either, or to see the board members all stand and turn to us as the inevitable confrontation started.

“You!” Uncle Vincent said, scowling as we neared each other in the middle of the hall.

A few of the board members, including Eddie, moved like they would leave the boardroom to join the conversation, but Uncle Vincent held up his hand to stop them. They stayed where they were. Because the boardroom walls, despite being glass, were soundproof and the door was closed, they would see but not hear whatever happened.

“How dare you defy me, after everything I’ve done for you?” Uncle Vincent seethed quietly instead of shouting.

I was ready for his anger, so I took in a deep breath, steadying myself, and said, “Given the events of the last few days, not to mention the last year, I think it’s you who has behaved badly, Uncle Vincent.”

Uncle Vincent was so angered that he shook visibly. “Everything you have, you have because of me,” he spat. “I raised you. I formed you. It’s the worst kind of insult for you to go rogue and defy everything I’ve worked to build for you.”

“For him?” Vivien asked as she stepped out of the office just behind where we’d stopped to have the confrontation.

Uncle Vincent twisted to glare at her with a look that matched his ire for me. “For both of you. For the family,” he corrected.

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you, Dad.” Vivien crossed her arms. “The least you could do is be honest and say everything you’ve done you’ve done for yourself.”

I was surprised by her bluntness, and when my uncle said, “Of course I’ve built it for myself. No one in this world ever willingly does anything for anyone else. Other people are ungrateful idiots.”

He turned back to me, narrowing his eyes again, like I counted as other people. He also glanced to Simon, which immediately had me on guard.

“I won’t be around forever, though,” he said. “This was all supposed to be yours when I’m gone.”

“Provided I turn into exactly the sort of corrupt, uncaring, power-hungry alpha you’ve become,” I said.

“And what’s wrong with being powerful?” Uncle Vincent snapped. “Power gets things done. Power moves mountains.”

“Power should be used to help people, to better the world,” I argued.

Uncle Vincent snorted. “Pearls before swine,” he said. “The world is full of grubbing, ungrateful, lazy wretches who deserve what’s coming to them.”

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