Page 31 of Wrong Place, Wright Time
“Does anyone even know who called this meeting? Or what it’s about?” my Uncle Bruce asks, frowning at his watch as he sits in his big chair at the head of the boardroom table, Wright Media’s logo proudly displayed on the wall behind him, framing him like it’s the halo of power.
To his left is my father, Paul, and to his right is my other uncle, Graham. They nod, backing Bruce up as they look across the table to my cousin’s and me.
“I didn’t have anything to do with this,” one says, while the other lifts his hands and adds that it wasn’t him either.
All eyes fall on me. “Well, it definitely wasn’tme,” I shoot back with a frown. “We’re not the only people in this world with the power to call a shareholder’s meeting.”
“We’re the only people with enough collective power to vote on anything,” my father points out. “Whoever called this meeting had better have a good explanation or I’ll be billing them for all of our time.”
I press my lips together, deciding it’s not worth entering into any further debate until we know exactly why we’re all here. Bruce taps his fingers on the table obnoxiously, and when the door finally opens, I almost want to kiss whoever it is just for making that impatient grumbling stop.
But then, I turn to see who it is, and I don’t just want to kiss him. After a huge amount of thought and soul searching, I think I might want to marry him—if he’ll still have me, of course. Third time’s the charm, right?
“Banks?” I say on a gasp, shooting to my feet as he steps through wearing one of his tailored suits and a stony expression.
“You know this man?” my father asks, to which I nod and slowly lower myself back into my seat, the absence of any sort of warmth in Banks’s eyes making the contents of my stomach sour. He’s not here for me. And after refusing to consider his proposal when we last saw each other, maybe I deserve that. Maybe I deserve whatever’s coming here.I should have said yes. I should have at least said I’d think about it.But instead, I watched him walk out of my apartment and my life. I have so much regret now.
“Good morning, all,” Banks says, business in his tone as he ushers in his friend Ronan. “We’re still waiting on a couple of people, but we have their permission to get this ball rolling in the mean time.”
“Exactly what is this about? Who are you jokers?” Bruce bellows, his jowly cheeks shaking along with his frustration.
“We,” Ronan starts as he and Banks take a seat, “are representative of the bulk percentage of your shareholders. And we come with a proposition for you.”
“You think you own the bulk of Wright Media’s share?” Uncle Graham scoffs. “That’s impossible. The family owns controlling shares.”
“You’re right,” Banks says. “Each member of the Wright family has a certain amount of shares in their portfolio, giving the family that magical fifty-one percent to swing any motion to challenge leadership.”
Uncle Bruce starts chuckling, my father and Graham joining in before Bruce abruptly slaps the table. “You’ve got rocks in your head if that’s what you think is happening today.”
“Not rocks,” Ronan says, opening a folder in front of him and taking out a sheet of paper. “A different number.” He pushes the sheet of paper across the table, and the older generation snatches it up before muttering things about impossibilities.
“So,” Banks starts, addressing the three brothers clearly, “in a vote to replace the current leadership with next in line, Isla Wright, Kenyon Wright and Darius Wright, all we’d need is one percent more.” Banks’s eyes swing to me, warming just a touch before they move onto my cousins. “The swing vote will fall to you three.”
Warmth blooms in my chest as Banks finds my eyes again and lets that cool façade of his slip just enough for me to read his intentions. And it’s all about me.
Without being asked, without knowing how I’d respond, and without any guarantee this Hail Mary of his will pay off, he’s stormed the castle of Wright Media to fight off the dragons so his Rapunzel can take her rightful place in this world—at the head of Wright Media. This beautiful man is giving me the one thing I’ve always wanted and never been able to get for myself. The chance to make a difference. And if I hadn’t decided I wanted to marry him before, I certainly do now. Hell, I might even give him babies after this one too. He’s truly proving his staying power and the lengths he’ll go to to fight for me.
“Thank you,” I mouth to me, tears catching in my eyes as his eyes turn tender before he nods then turns back to Ronan.
“Fifty percent!” Bruce yells, slamming the piece of paper on the table. “How on earth could you even manage that? It’s impossible.”
“That’s a question I can answer for you, father,” a voice from the doorway says, causing us all to turn our attention to Tanner Wright, Bruce’s only son and original heir to the company throne. He’s also been marred as public enemy number one after dragging his father through the courts to make him honor his commitments to Tanner’s disabled sister, Camille. It was a PR nightmare and saw our share price plummet. I didnotenjoy work while that storm was brewing, but I still understand why Tanner did it.
“You don’t own enough shares to do this,” his father responds.
“I didn’t,” he says, grinning like the cat who got the cream. “But as Camille’s court-appointed guardian, I control her shares, and Ash, well, he very kindly sold me his. So now I do.”
“I vote with Tanner!” Kenyon yells, shooting his hand in the air like he’s in grade school.
“Me too,” Darius joins in, meaning I have a massive smile on my face as I nod and look back to Banks.
“Me too,” I say, wishing I could reach him from where I’m sitting to at least hold his hand. As it is, all I can think about is touching his skin again, kissing him and making never ending love to him. He’s just given me the most wonderful gift, and I don’t think I can ever repay him. But I’m sure going to try.
“The ‘I’s have it,” Ronan says, standing up as he closes his folder and grins. “Let the minutes reflect that Isla Wright, Kenyon Wright and Darius Wright are the new heads of Wright Media effective immediately.”
“You…You can’t…You can’t do this!” Bruce bellows, his head shaking as he looks to his brothers who just sit in stunned silence. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my father or my uncles look dumbstruck before. But now, looking at all three of them sitting there with there mouths open and their eyes bugging out, I realize that no one has ever kept them down before either. They’ve lived so long with their power that they just couldn’t let it go.
“We have, and we did. Best of luck, and we’ll see you at the next shareholders meeting,” Banks says, standing with Ronan and heading out with Tanner, leaving us all in the boardroom with our stunned parents.
