Page 23 of Collateral Damage
The only consolation in this is that the shares go to the children, so Conrad won’t have his hands on them. But if there’s one thing I know about this man and his sons, it’s that Cooper and Ethan will bend over backward to please their father.They’re terrified of him, and he’s used that to shape them into his perfect yes-men. In the end, Conrad will be pulling the strings, and we all know it.
“Ethan and Cooper will each get a five percent stake in Laurence,” Conrad brags. “And Gregory’s four children will each get two-point-five in King.”
And Arden is one of the four. It still feels so surreal she’s mysister.
“We’re going to fight this,” our lawyer starts, but our interim-CEO, Lance Vale, gently raises his hand to speak, and the room goes quiet.
Vale has been silently observing this entire interaction, barely showing an ounce of emotion. That’s Lance—unflappable and unreadable, the kind of person who could make a killing at poker.
I know him fairly well; he’s been around the family a lot. He was our dad’s right-hand man for decades as the chief operating officer and has since stepped up to CEO while the board deliberates on who will be the next for that job. It’s not common to take this long to fill the job, but it’s not unusual, either. CEO of a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate is one in a million.
Honestly, they’ll probably elect Vale soon, especially if he can figure out a way to navigate this new mess.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Conrad?” Lance asks. “You separated from Laurence for a reason. You wantedoutof these relationships, and now you’re intermingling them, and to what end?”
The two men exchange an unreadable glance, and I wonder how much bad blood is between them.
“It’s done, Lance,” Conrad says with finality. “Let’s move forward, shall we?”
Lance shakes his head, not breaking eye contact, but doesn’t say more.
“What’s yourplanhere, Conrad?” Mom asks, drawing the wordplanout like it’s a lifeline.
Conrad smiles. “You’ll have to ask my sons. This is all part oftheirlegacy, after all. Let the children show us what they’re made of.”
Ethan shifts, his expression grim, but Cooper doesn’t move a muscle. He’s a statue. Unreadable. Unmovable.
“I’m giving my ownership to Arden,” Ethan says, and his father and brother turn on him with dark gazes. “I don’t want it. She should have it. ShewasGregory’s daughter, after all, and she didn’t get shit in his will, but she will get this. She can do whatever she wants with her shares.”
Ethan makes a great point, and knowing Arden, she’ll probably sell them off. I’m sure we could get her to sell them to us at market value if we asked. She’s been pretty clear she’s moved on with her life and doesn’t plan to work for Laurence again.
Annoyance chips at Cooper’s steely-gaze, and I have to stop myself from doing a happy dance. I know it’s small, but Ethan’s decision couldn’t have been in Conrad’s plans.
Way to go, Ethan. Way to stand up for your wife. Way to stick it to your father.
“Is that really a wise choice?” Conrad gives Ethan a hard look—the kind that normally produces the exact response he’s after—but Ethan shrugs.
“Sorry, Father, but I’m not going to war with my wife or her family. This is your game. I’m not playing.” With that, he stands and walks from the room.
Relief bubbles in my chest, and I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of the guy.
Then a smug smile tugs at Cooper’s lips. “I’m not giving my shares away,” he states. “And last I checked, your family has fifty-four percent ownership, which means now you’ll haveforty-nine. It’ll still take my five percent to get the sway you’ll want if things come into question. I heard a rumor your board doesn’t often agree on things.”
“The board is fine,” I snap. “We vote on important matters together.”
He chuckles. “Does that mean I get a vote now?”
“No. My family getsonevote.”
Conrad shrugs. “Great. So, tell whoever casts the Laurence votes they need to run things by Cooper first.”
“It doesn’t work that way.”
“It works that way now,” Conrad says, steepling his fingers together and smiling as brightly as blinding headlights on a dark highway. Cooper may be doing his dirty work, but no doubt this is all about Conrad and his suffocating ego.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Lance Vale interrupts. “We see what’s done is done. Let’s move on from this. We’ve got work to do.”
Everyone gets up, and it kills me that we are leaving this conference room defeated.
