Page 46 of Threaded Lies

I’m not a board member.

I don’t have a seat.

I have no say in anything to do with the company.

And yet … the invitation was extended to me as well.

Either that or he’s announcing the deal is done, the company officially sold, and he wants to watch the shock of it all hit me. Almost like it’s his little vindictive payback for my getting engaged to Chad.

“Rowan?”

I look down the hall to where Audrey stands with her hand on the conference room door and her eyebrows raised at me.

Yes. Sure. No problem. I can’t wait to sit in the conference room where the reminder of Holden and I having sex on the table is a constant.

“Coming.” I force a smile and prepare myself for the gut punch of seeing Holden again. Then again there can’t really be a gut punch when my stomach has been twisted in knots ever since his lips touched mine on Friday.

With a fortifying breath, I enter the room to the list of usual suspects. The board members—mostly men—seated around the table. Many of the faces I saw less than seventy-two hours ago at the engagement party, but this time around, rather than smiles and glasses lifted in cheer, irritation and impatience emanate off all of them.

“The stupid fucking painting,” I hear my brother grumble to Chad, but then their heads shock still when they see me there. Others take notice and they turn to see what Chad and Rhett are looking at. “What are you…?”

I shrug. “I was asked to be here.”

“But…” But you’re not a board member. I can see it register on everyone’s faces around the table at different times.

I take that as my cue to smile politely and move to the only open seat left, which is, of course, at the head of the table. The one place where it’s impossible to fly under the radar.

I set my things down and get settled, purposely avoiding Chad’s probing stares as to why I’m here. I want to tell him I don’t have a clue, but the other part of me wants to watch all of them squirm.

The deal is done, no doubt, and this is the unveiling of Holden Knight as the new majority owner.

Even though he threatened stability to everyone but the very people sitting in this room, here I am proving his intentions true. If I’m here, change is coming or is somehow on the horizon, and no doubt it’s probably unsettling to all of them.

“Such a great party the other night,” the man to my immediate left, Barney, says. A man who Gran’s notes say is a solid guy who has secret bank accounts to hide his gambling addiction from his wife. “Susan and I were so thrilled at the news of you and Chad. You’ll—”

“Good afternoon,” Holden says as he strides into the room and commands its occupants’ attention. Heads whip and bodies shift uncomfortably in chairs. The man definitely unsettles people.

“What’s the purpose of all this?” Rhett asks, his chair scraping back as he stands. You’d think by now he’d know not to go head-to-head with Holden in front of an audience, and yet here he is, doing just that.

“Take a seat, Rothschild,” Holden says, not looking his way. But he looks mine and holds our gaze. “Rowan,” he murmurs with a soft nod.

I don’t know how I feel about being called out in a room where I’m already an oddity, so I just nod in response.

Holden clears his throat as he takes his place at the front of the room. “I know it was short notice so I appreciate you all coming in today.”

“You didn’t really give us a choice,” someone grumbles, but no one dares take their eyes off the man who owns our attention.

“You’re right. I didn’t. Just like Rhett didn’t give anyone a choice in making pay cuts last year—for the good of the company—while he gave himself a raise.” His smile is as biting as his tone.

“Again,” Rhett grits out as his cheeks flush red. “Why are we here?”

“I’m here to announce that the deal has been closed. I am now the new majority owner of TinSpirits.” There’s shuffling around the table but everyone listens with rapt attention.

Including me.

“And as your new majority owner, there are a few changes that will be made, effective immediately.”

In my periphery, I see Rhett glance at Chad and then back toward Holden. My brother is the one who signed the fucking deal, so why is he so leery when he didn’t get screwed out of anything?