Over the weekend, each hostile takeover prevention strategy was white-boarded and analyzed in minute detail. One such shark repellent tactic in particular caught Brigit’s attention: White Knight—an investor acquires a publicly traded company to protect it from a hostile takeover.
Could Colton stop MobiCom’s hostile takeover by taking Francesco private? By doing so, he’d buy her out of her vested shares and own the Francesco Company…again. Her gut had churned for the past three days.
Come late afternoon on Monday, the only thing the group could agree on was to disagree. They’d reached a stalemate. With Thanksgiving three days away, they needed to resolve the problem before the long holiday weekend. Time was running out.
Colton’s phone rang and he glanced at the Francesco crew on screen. “Excuse me.” He answered. “Hey, I’m in a meeting. Can I call you later?” As he listened, he clenched his cheek muscles. “Don’t cry. I’m right here.”
Side conversations ceased. Even the Francesco team shifted their attention to Colton.
“I’ll pack a bag and be ready. No worries.” Colton listened, then hung up.
His eyes were laced with concern. With a tight nod, he acknowledged his employees then shifted his attention to the Francesco team via the large monitor on his conference room table. “Terrible timing, but I have to go. We’ve got to agree on a strategy and present a united front. If MobiCom gets wind we’ve reached an impasse, they’ll annihilate us. Let’s vote tomorrow on which tactic will best stop their hostile takeover. Marjorie, can you handle that?”
“I’ve got it,” she replied.
Colton strode out without even a backward glance at Brigit. He’d abandoned their strategy session for a woman. From the soothing timbre of his voice, who else could it be? Colton wasn’t hers, but her aching heart felt otherwise.
“We’ve been going in circles for hours,” Marjorie said. “Before we call it a day, any questions?”
“My brain is mush,” Red mumbled.
“Okay team, get some rest and we’ll vote tomorrow.” Marjorie disconnected and the monitor went black.
“I’m going to work out.” Red shut her laptop.
Dez removed his glasses and stood. “Brigit, I need to know if Colton can swing the White Knight. Do you have a recent overview of Mitus financials I can review?”
“I do.” Brigit jogged into her office, retrieved a folder from her desk and handed it to Dez who’d strolled into her office.
“Knowing Colton, he’ll need convincing to make the purchase.”
“Why?” she asked.
“If he does this, the lion’s share of his finances will be tied up in this one investment. That strategy failed him years ago and he vowed he’d never do it again.”
“I don’t think he’ll have a choice,” Brigit said.
“Thanks for this.” Dez held up the folder and left.
Alone in her office, Brigit struggled with the reality of her situation. After all these years, she’d come so far only to fail her parentsagain. Losing Francesco was inevitable.
And who was the mysterious damsel in distress responsible for Colton’s abrupt departure at such a critical time? Was Brigit fooling herself into believing that what she and Colton had was more than a casual hookup? Maybe she should have heeded Vanessa’s warning. Unable to distract herself with work, she shut down.Time for a drink.Wine would help blur her reality, if just for a few hours. She ventured toward the kitchen.
As she rounded the corner, a blast of cold air smacked her face. The front door was ajar. Fear punched her gut and she whirled around. The foyer and living room were empty.Calm down. Vinny Ray is in prison and his accomplice long gone.
She started to close the door, but froze mid-swing. Colton placed his overnight bag into the trunk of a white sedan parked at the fountain. Alexandra Reed exited the driver’s side and hurried into Colton’s waiting arms. Nose to nose, the two spoke briefly. He kissed her forehead, escorted her to the passenger door and waited while she folded onto the seat and pulled her long legs inside.
Stabbing pain in Brigit’s chest crushed her lungs. She could barely breathe.Stop watching.But she couldn’t tear herself away from the unfolding scene. Colton got behind the wheel. The car rolled down the driveway and vanished around the bend. Brigit stood there mouth agape, feet cemented in place.
Her cell phone buzzed, snapping her out of her catatonic state. The Pennsylvania District Attorney’s number flashed on her screen.Why are they calling again?She felt numb, but she had to take the call. Sucking in a monster breath, she answered. “Hello.” Brigit stepped outside and closed the front door for privacy.
“Eve, Jim Sausalito. My apologies for not getting back to you sooner. I had an unexpected death in my family.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” She hastened toward the fountain. “Someone from your office called me two weeks ago.”
“Unfortunately, there was a terrible mix-up and I have bad news.”
Adrenaline spiked through her.Oh, God, please, no. No. No. No.
