Chapter 6 - The Vote That Could Destroy EverythingNathan survived.
The bullet entered below his shoulder and missed his heart by less than two inches.
Doctors called him lucky.
I wasn't sure luck had anything to do with anyone in my life anymore.
By six the next morning, I had not slept.
Emily sat beside Nathan's hospital bed under federal protection.
Dominic waited three floors below because I had told him I didn't want to see him.
He had respected that.
Again.
That somehow made me angrier.
Mercer entered Nathan's room carrying two coffees and a folder.
“The board vote is at ten.”
I looked at the clock.
7:12 a.m.
“Can we stop it?”
“Legally? Maybe.”
“Maybe isn't enough.”
“No.”
He handed me the folder.
“Victor Hale was denied bail.”
“Good.”
“Leonard Shaw left the country yesterday.”
My stomach tightened.
“Where?”
“Private aircraft filed for Montreal.”
“Filed?”
“The plane never landed there.”
“Of course.”
Mercer sat.
“There's more.”
“There always is.”
He almost smiled.
“Meridian International's American subsidiary withdrew its acquisition offer at six this morning.”
I blinked.
“Why?”
“Bellardi.”
I stiffened.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing illegal.”
“That sounded almost disappointing.”
“For me personally, slightly.”
Despite everything, I smiled.
Mercer continued.
“Dominic acquired enough of Meridian's outstanding debt overnight that their board suspended expansion plans.”
“He bought their debt in one night?”
“Apparently billionaires have very productive insomnia.”
That sounded like Dominic.
“Then the ports are safe?”
“Temporarily.”
“What about Blake Holdings?”
“Still vulnerable.”
Nathan stirred.
His eyes opened.
“Claire.”
I stood.
“You're awake.”
“Unfortunately.”
His voice was weak.
Emily held his hand.
I noticed.
The sight hurt differently now.
Not because I wanted him.
Because I remembered how much I had once trusted both of them.
“I'm sorry,” Nathan said.
“Save your strength.”
“I may not get another chance.”
“You're not dying.”
“I've had a dramatic evening.”
“That makes two of us.”
He smiled painfully.
Then looked at Emily.
“I signed something.”
“What?”
“A revocation.”
Mercer stepped closer.
“Of the voting rights?”
“Yes.”
“You said that would make the transfer permanent.”
“It does.”
I frowned.
“Then why?”
“Because permanent doesn't mean Victor gets them.”
Understanding slowly came.
“Who does?”
Nathan looked at me.
“You.”
I stared.
“How?”
“The trust language says if I revoke voluntarily, the rights revert to the nearest eligible Blake beneficiary.”
“That's Emily.”
“She waived them.”
I looked at my sister.
She nodded.
“When?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
“Emily.”
“They were never supposed to be his.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“They were yours.”
“No. They were yours.”
“I don't want the company.”
“You shouldn't give away twenty percent because you feel guilty.”
“I'm not.”
She swallowed.
“I'm giving you voting authority. Not ownership.”
I looked at Mercer.
“Is that possible?”
He nodded.
“Temporarily.”
Nathan smiled weakly.
“You now control sixty-one percent.”
For the first time all night, something went our way.
At 9:15, I arrived at Blake Holdings headquarters.
Reporters crowded the sidewalk.
News had broken.
Victor Hale arrested.
Federal investigation.
Attempted assassination of Nathan Wexler.
Rumors of organized crime.
My photograph with Dominic at the gala was everywhere.
Especially the kiss.
Fantastic.
One headline read:
BLAKE HEIRESS KISSES BILLIONAIRE MOB LEGEND HOURS BEFORE CORPORATE COUP.
Subtle.
I entered through the garage.
The boardroom occupied the forty-seventh floor.
My father's portrait hung outside.
I stopped before it.
“You could have warned me about all of this,” I whispered.
A voice behind me answered.
“He wanted you happy.”
Dominic.
I didn't turn.
“Did happiness require ignorance?”
“No.”
“Then why did everyone decide for me?”
“Because we were cowards.”
That answer made me look at him.
He wore a dark suit.
No tie.
The cut on his mouth from Victor had darkened.
“You admit it?”
“Yes.”
“You could have told me about the acquisition.”
“Yes.”
“You could have told me you were investigating Nathan.”
“Yes.”
“You could have told me Dad asked you to protect us.”
“Yes.”
I stared.
“You're making it difficult to argue.”
“I've been married before.”
I blinked.
“You were married?”
“For thirty-one years.”
“What happened?”
“She died.”
The words were quiet.
“I'm sorry.”
“It was a long time ago.”
He looked toward my father's portrait.
“She used to tell me admitting when I was wrong shortened arguments.”
“Did you listen?”
“Eventually.”
I almost smiled.
Then remembered why I was angry.
“I need to know something.”
“Ask.”
“Why did you really come to the gala?”
He was silent.
“Victor said you've watched my life for six years.”
“Yes.”
“That is incredibly unsettling.”
“I know.”
“Did you come because of Dad?”
“Partly.”
“What was the other part?”
Dominic looked at me.
And for the first time since meeting him, the powerful, terrifying man seemed uncertain.
“I wanted to meet you.”
“Why?”
“Because Charles talked about you constantly.”
“That can't be all.”
“No.”
He exhaled.
“I saw you at a foundation event two years ago.”
My heart shifted strangely.
“You didn't speak to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“You were laughing.”
“What?”
“You looked happy.”
He smiled faintly.
“I decided I didn't have the right to bring old ghosts into your life.”
I looked away.
“And Nathan?”
“I didn't know then what he was doing.”
“When you discovered it?”
“I came.”
“To save me?”
“To warn you.”
I laughed softly.
“Instead I asked you to kiss me.”
“That was unexpected.”
“Did you know Nathan was watching?”
“Yes.”
“You could have refused.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you?”
His eyes held mine.
“Because I didn't want to.”
The hallway suddenly felt too quiet.
Dominic continued.
“I should probably apologize for that too.”
“Probably.”
“I'm not going to.”
A smile escaped me.
Just a small one.
But it was real.
A board assistant opened the doors.
“Ms. Blake, they're ready.”
The meeting began at exactly ten.
Twelve board members sat around the table.
Three looked terrified.
Four avoided my eyes.
The rest looked exhausted.
Victor's chair was empty.
Leonard's was too.
I sat at the head.
“My father built this company.”
Nobody spoke.
“For the last six years, I trusted this board to protect what he built.”
I looked around.
“Some of you did.”
Two members lowered their heads.
“Some of you helped men steal from it.”
I placed Mercer's documents on the table.
“And one of you gave Meridian International access to our port facilities despite repeated compliance warnings.”
A director named Samuel Pike shifted.
I noticed.
“So here's what's happening.”
I slid voting documents across the table.
“I now control sixty-one percent of voting authority.”
Several faces changed.
“The proposed sale is canceled.”
Pike stood.
“You can't—”
“I just did.”
“You don't understand what you're interfering with.”
Dominic stood near the rear wall.
Pike saw him.
Stopped talking.
I almost laughed.
“Continue,” I said.
Pike sat.
“We will cooperate fully with federal authorities. Every port contract will be reviewed. Every executive tied to Victor Hale is suspended pending investigation.”
A board member raised her hand.
“What about Bellardi Capital's debt position?”
I looked at Dominic.
He didn't move.
“That is between Blake Holdings and Bellardi Capital.”
I turned back.
“And it will be renegotiated.”
Dominic raised one eyebrow.
Good.
The meeting lasted thirty-two minutes.
At 10:34, the company was mine to protect.
Not because someone married me.
Not because someone rescued me.
Because I finally took control.
As people left, Pike remained.
He closed the door.
“Claire.”
Something in his voice changed.
Dominic moved immediately.
Pike pulled a small pistol from his briefcase.
“Don't.”
Dominic stopped.
Pike pointed it at me.
“You destroyed everything.”
“No. Victor did.”
“You don't understand.”
He was sweating.
“Meridian will kill me.”
“Then testify.”
“They'll kill my family.”
Mercer entered from a side door with two agents.
Pike spun.
Dominic moved.
A gunshot exploded.
I dropped.
Dominic slammed Pike against the table.
Mercer kicked the weapon away.
Agents restrained him.
My ears rang.
Then I saw blood.
“Dominic.”
He looked down.
A bullet had grazed his upper arm.
“You're hit.”
“Barely.”
“Stop saying that.”
He smiled.
“You're giving orders now.”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Paramedics bandaged him.
The boardroom cleared.
For several minutes, we stood alone.
“You saved me.”
“No.”
“You moved before anyone else.”
“Occupational habit.”
“Dominic.”
He looked at me.
“I don't want a guardian.”
“I know.”
“I don't want someone secretly controlling my life.”
“I know.”
“And I definitely don't want anyone making decisions because they think I'm too fragile to know the truth.”
“I know.”
I stepped closer.
“But I wouldn't mind someone standing beside me.”
His expression changed.
“Claire.”
“Don't make this dramatic.”
“You kissed a stranger at a gala to make your fiancé jealous.”
“That was yesterday's Claire.”
“And today's?”
I looked at his bandaged arm.
“Today's Claire has had a very long twenty-four hours.”
He smiled.
Then his phone rang.
The smile disappeared.
He answered.
“Yes.”
His face hardened.
“When?”
He looked at me.
“What?”
He ended the call.
“Emily is gone.”
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
“She left the hospital ten minutes ago.”
“Why?”
“No one knows.”
My phone vibrated.
A video message.
Emily appeared on screen.
She was crying.
Behind her stood Leonard Shaw.
My father's attorney.
He held a gun.
“Claire,” Emily whispered, “don't come.”
Leonard smiled.
Then spoke directly into the camera.
“Bring Dominic Bellardi to Pier 17 at midnight.”
My blood ran cold.
“Or your sister won't see sunrise.”
The video ended.
Dominic looked at me.
“No.”
I stared back.
“You don't get to decide for me anymore.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
May you like
I picked up my coat.
“Then we're bringing you to Pier 17.”
