Page 65 of His Master

I shook my head. “You’re entitled to think that as much as you want, but I won’t let you turn a company that I’ve given most of my life to so far into a corrupt, oppressive bully that hurts people instead of helping them.”

“And I won’t let you give my life’s work away to common people who don’t deserve it,” Uncle Vincent said.

“Your life’s work?” I asked, feeling Simon’s encouragement and goodness through our bond. “Does that include all the criminal activity you’ve been involved in for the last few years? The deals with shady business partners and the political interference?”

Uncle Vincent snorted. “Call it what you want, but I’ve gotten things done.”

It chilled me to see that he didn’t deny any wrongdoing. It made me wonder just how deep his bad dealings went.

“I plan to get things done, too,” I said, standing taller. “Things that will actually benefit mankind. With or without you and Victory Holdings.”

“Over my dead body,” Uncle Vincent growled.

Vivien held up her hands. “Alright, you two. Stop alphaing it up so much.” We both turned to her with frowns, but I had a feeling she was on the right track. “Let’s take this to the board and see what they have to say.”

“Yes, let’s,” Uncle Vincent said.

They were the least reassuring words I’d heard from him yet. His swagger as we all moved toward the boardroom door hinted that he thought he knew something I didn’t. He thought the board would be on his side.

I glanced to Vivien as we entered the room, but her expression was blank and stony, and she didn’t look at me inreturn. It turned my stomach and made me worry we’d played his whole thing wrong and everything was about to come crashing down on me.

“So what’s this all about?” Eddie asked as we all moved to our usual places around the table.

None of us answered as everyone rushed to take their places. Eddie usually sat next to me near the foot of the table, but I pulled that chair around so that Simon could sit next to me.

It worried me that Vivien sat by her father’s right hand at the other end of the table. Their positions gave off the feeling that it was them against me, that Vivien had never been on our side. That was my main worry amidst a sea of worries.

One thing that gave me hope was that Artemis was there. He didn’t usually sit directly next to me, but he broke protocol to take the seat to my left, around the edge of the table. He sent me a quick nod as if to say he would back me, no matter what happened. I was grateful.

“Could someone please explain what’s going on?” Charles, one of the older board members, who had known Uncle Vincent since they were boys, asked.

Both Uncle Vincent and I stood, but Uncle Vincent beat me to speaking.

“My nephew here thinks he can oust me from running my own company,” Uncle Vincent said. “Meanwhile, he’s off kidnapping omegas and nearly getting himself arrested. He’s ruined the family’s good name, and I believe he’s the one who should be removed as an officer of this company.”

I caught my breath, suddenly wondering whether it was such a good idea to change the bylaws so one of us could be removed after all. That person could end up being me.

Sure enough, Eddie spoke up, saying, “Neither of you can be removed. Not without the company dissolving.”

“They can if the bylaws are changed,” Vivien said, standing to make the point. “I brought you all here to vote on changing the bylaws so that one or more of the family officers can, in fact, be removed from an active role in Victory Holdings without the entire company folding.”

A thought occurred to me, and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Oneor moremembers.

Deeply suspicious of my cousin’s motives, I stood as well, moving the briefcase that I’d put on the floor to the table and opening it.

“I’ve had my lawyers go through the bylaws and outline every section that should be changed,” I said, taking out a stack of papers, copies of the bylaws with the sections to be changed highlighted. I handed the stack to one of the interns, who started passing them out. “Also highlighted are sections showing that this vote is perfectly legal under the bylaws, and that all we need is a two-thirds majority to make the changes, effective immediately.”

I watched as all sixteen of the board members were handed their copies of the work Frederick and Ollie had done. Their reactions were curious. They all pored over the papers they’d been handed, but I had the weird feeling that they were just checking to see whether whatever was in the air was possible.

I met Vivien’s eyes across the table. Now she was looking at me, but her grin was anything but reassuring. It gave me the feeling I’d walked into a trap.

Or maybe not. One of the provisions I’d made certain was changed in the bylaws was the strict non-compete clause, should any of the family be ousted from anything but part ownership in Victory Holdings. If Vivien had plotted behind my back, if she pushed the board to reform the bylaws so that she could snatch at everything, she would also give me a way to spread my wings and fly somewhere else.

I grinned right back at her. Against all odds, even though I could see her knives were out, I knew we were on the same page.

“This is all pretty clear,” Eddie said, leafing through the bylaws without really reading them, another hint that something else was going on. “I move that the board accepts the bylaw changes as proposed by Victor Woodbury.”

“Seconded,” another of the board members said right away.

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