Page 45 of The Next Mrs. Parrish

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist. You’re going to want to hear what I have to say.”

He took a seat again, still scowling. “I’m listening.”

“It has to do with a patent on innovative protective goggles. For some reason, the patent is in your name only, but you didn’t invent them, did you?”

Wade shot up from his chair again, his voice rising. “You need to leave.”

She pulled out some papers from her briefcase and tossed them onto his desk.

“I think you might want to look at these.”

He sat, grabbing the papers and scanning, his eye widening.

“Where’d you get these?” He looked up at her, his eyes squinting in anger.

“The more salient question is, do you think you’re going to get away with screwing over Shane Ellis?”

“Just who the hell are you?”

“I’m a businesswoman with a proposition. Now before we go any further, I want you to know there are more copies of those documents. If anything were to happen to me, say an auto accident or some other misfortune, they will be made public, and your despicable actions made known to everyone.”

“What do you want?”

“Information, for starters. You own thirty percent of the private stock in White Orchid Designs. Did a onetime investment get you those shares or are you still funneling money into Daisy Ann Briscoe’s company?”

He looked at her like she had two heads. “I don’t understand. What does White Orchid have to do with this patent business? I thought you were here to get money for Nancy Ellis.”

“Who said I’m here to help Nancy? An opportunist like yourself should understand.” She pointed at the documents on the desk. “This is my leverage. You don’t need to worry about why I want what I want. And you’d better not let Mrs. Briscoe know anythingabout this meeting. My husband, Hugo, and I are interested in investing in her company.”

He gave her a confused look. “First you come in here threatening me, and now you’re asking about investing. What do you really want? How much for your silence?”

Amber shook her head. “I don’t want your money. I want information. How much did Valene Mart offer to buy the company?”

“I’m really not comfortable disclosing…”

She stood up. “Fine. I’ll just share what I know with the authorities.”

“Okay, okay. Don’t pitch a hissy fit! They offered her thirty-one million. Much more than the company’s worth. That’s how anxious they were. We would have made a pretty penny.”

“She turned them down. Why?”

“They wanted to mass-produce White Orchid Designs. She could’ve made a fortune, but Daisy Ann about had a stroke when I suggested she consider it.”

“I guess when you already have a fortune it’s easy to be cavalier about saying no.” It made Amber sick to think how spoiled and entitled the little princess was.

“It’s not just that. White Orchid means a lot to her. The original designs were her mama’s. This company’s like another one of her babies. She’d rather see it close than have it taken over by some huge company that will turn her jewelry into cheap imitations.”

That confirmed what Amber had read from the article from a year ago. Good. Daisy Ann still didn’t want them to buy her precious company.

“Back to our business, Mr. Ashford. We’re no Valene Mart. We want to elevate her designs. We have contacts in Europe. Upscale with a capital U,” she said, reeling off the false story she and Jackson had come up with. “We want twenty-five percent, and we’re willing to make a generous offer for her shares.”

“I’ll try, but I’m telling you, she won’t want to give up that much. She’s hell-bent on keeping voting control.”

Amber was out of patience. “She owns seventy percent right now. She’ll have forty-five, you’ll have thirty, and Delancey-Flynn, the new investor, twenty-five. Then when it’s done, you’ll sell us your shares as well.”

Amber could see the lightbulb moment in his eyes.

“So you want controlling interest,” he said.

---