Page 97 of The Spare
He sighed. “Yeah. I figured.” He gently shook the rolled-up papers in his hand. “Grandfather was always a few steps ahead.”
“At least now, it’s probably one less thing to worry about.” I knew the vote weighed on Henry more than he had let on the last few months.
“You know, you’d probably get the votes you’d need if you wanted to unseat me.” He suggested. The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Do you?”
I grinned at his levity; I was sure he was joking. “You were meant for it, not me.”
He was always the future of the company. For a long time, I thought I wanted it. What I actually wanted was acknowledgement that I could do it. Approval. If I was completely honest with myself, I had stopped caring about the approval too. I held onto to the resentment because letting it go felt like agreement. My anger was largely out of spite. It was way past time I let it go.
“Doesn’t answer my question.” His tone became serious.
I exhaled a deep breath. “No. Honestly, I don’t.”
He looked out the window, and the car got quiet again. “Stay with me tonight. You shouldn’t be alone.” He offered; his eyes fixed on the passing traffic. We were entering the part of the conversation that made him uncomfortable.
“I’m fine.”
“Sloan.” His lips thinned. “For once, let me help.”
My shoulders slumped. “Fine.”
“Are you okay?” His eyes met mine.
I nodded.
He opened his mouth a few times but said no more. We were silent the rest of the car ride.
“Sloan?” Henry stopped me after we arrived and stood in the foyer. He laid his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll kick his ass if makes you feel better.”
I laughed. I missed Henry. Competing had turned us against each other. I couldn’t let that happen again. “I’m okay, Hen.” I shrugged. “At least now you know.”
CHAPTER49
Marcus
Iswirled the whiskey in my glass and took another sip. It was close to midnight, and I couldn't sleep.
I tried to go to bed, but the pillows smelled like her from the other night.
It was a fight, a big one, but couples did that. It would be fine. It had to be.
For the record, I wanted to stay out of it. But I owed it to their grandfather. I owed it to Henry too. He went through a lot in the last few years, and the only person he ever leaned on wasn’t around.
Henry and Sloan’s grandfather, Rishi, called me a little over a year ago and told me his plans to step down and pass the company directly to Henry, circumventing Henry’s father. I thought it was a great idea. Henry was more than capable.
The only problem was the terrible press Henry seemed to get. He was dangerously close to being voted down as the next CEO when Rishi eventually stepped aside. The last year was spent trying to avert some of the bad press, to avoid a vote of no confidence. When that didn’t work, we tried to ensure the vote—adding a seat to the board, swaying members as we could.
Nobody associated with the company could have set up a shell corporation to be acquired by Amari Global, so I was the perfect choice. I had the capital to do it, and Rishi could trust me to eventually vote in Henry’s favor when the time came. The circumstances also meant keeping all of it quiet was essential. Henry couldn’t be involved in any of it.
At the time, the impact on Sloan was an afterthought. I always assumed she was past it. By the time Sloan and I were on the jet on our way to London after the new year, the wheels were well in motion. By the time I realized how much it weighed on her, I couldn’t tell her. I was too scared to. I hoped it was something she’d never need to know. If Rishi hadn’t passed, he would have retired in a couple years and Henry would have succeeded him, as planned.
Over the last couple of months, I wanted to show her that it would be different with me. Instead, I lied to her and proved that it was more of the same. Everyone else’s wishes ahead of hers.
I was roused from my thoughts when I heard a knock at the door.
My pulse picked up with hope. All I wanted was to go to bed with her in my arms. We could figure everything out tomorrow.
It was Henry and Xander.
