Page 4 of The Exception

“We’re supposed to be on the helicopter in ten.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It sounds serious.”

No shit. The board could call an emergency meeting at the request of two directors, but it rarely, if ever, happened. The fact that they’d called one now did not bode well.

“Did they say what it’s about?”

He shook his head but stepped inside and closed the door softly behind him. “I don’t know, but Donahue looked downright gleeful.”

“Fuck.” I turned toward the window and the view of the Los Angeles skyline.

Fred Donahue was one of the Huxley Grand board members—and a pain in the ass. He almost always opposed me. And ever since my biggest ally, Steve Harrel, had died, Fred had been even more determined to push his own agenda.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, wondering what he was up to this time. I had a few theories, but I didn’t like any of them.

“Tell the pilot we’ll be late—both of them.” The helicopter was supposed to take us directly to the private airfield so we could leave for Mexico. There was nothing I hated more than being late. Well, being late and surprises.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “Anything else?”

“Have my siblings been notified about the board meeting?” I asked, knowing that Carson would understand I was referring to both my actual siblings, Jasper and Sloan, as well as my cousins, Knox and Nate, who had always been more like siblings.

“Jasper’s and Sloan’s assistants are aware. I secured proxies from Knox and Nate, as they were both tied up.”

“Good.” I stood, gathering my laptop and shoving it and some papers into my bag. Very good. “And, Carson?”

“Yes?” He paused at the doorway and glanced back at me.

“Thank you.”

He lifted his chin in acknowledgment then disappeared into the hallway. He was a good assistant, proficient. Quick. He didn’t scare easily, like most of my previous assistants. All of them except one—Liliana.

I gnashed my teeth at the thought of her and her blog.

Liliana Fontaine.A great asset until she’d decided to start blogging about my company. I could admit thatmaybethere was some truth in her reviews. But I wished she’d come to me first, instead of sharing those thoughts with her millions of followers.

I squared my shoulders and smoothed down my tie. That wasn’t what mattered right now. I pulled out my phone and texted Pierce, my lawyer and the closest thing I had to a best friend.

Me: Running late. Board called emergency meeting.

Pierce: For what purpose?

Me: To piss me off.

Pierce: Think there’s going to be a vote?

Me: Fuck if I know. With the way things have been going lately, it’ll likely come down to the tie-breaker again.

Me: Any progress with our plan to acquire additional shares?

Pierce: Still working on it.

Shit.I hated being in a vulnerable position.

According to the terms of my grandparents’ will, all five of us had received an equal number of shares. Ten percent went to Knox, Nate, Sloan, Jasper, and me, so that the family continued to hold fifty percent of the company. But to pass anything, we needed at least fifty-one percent of the shares in favor. Now that Steve was gone, that was a much more difficult proposition.

Not only had his death left a huge void on the board, but his family had been forced to part with most of his shares to pay his medical bills. If I’d known, I would’ve settled the bills myself. Not to curry favor or increase my position, but because it would’ve been the right thing to do. Because he’d been a friend.

But I hadn’t known. I hadn’t realized how dire the situation was until it was too late.

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