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“Chan, do you need some water?” David asked.
I turned to Abel. “We knew it was a possibility.”
“I know, baby, but a possibility is much different than having the answer.”
Shaking my head as if I had cobwebs tangled inside, I turned to my lawyer and said. “How much more can we do to push him out? If this can’t be proved, I don’t want him anywhere near my father’s company for a second. He’ll destroy it. And I don’t want Dad to know. It would destroy him.”
David paused and nodded, opening his folder in front of him. “Currently, you own the loan he took out against his portfolio. We can foreclose anytime because he hasn’t paid on it in over a year. It was a steal when we purchased it from the last holder. They wanted to recoup anything they could.”
I remembered the email where I approved the purchase and gave my electronic signature authorizing the purchase.
“You have twenty percent of the shares, you have the five from Blake’s loan if you foreclose, there’s the five your father instructed us to buy when we first got connected, and Blake has put ten of his shares up for sale.”
“Buy them.”
David nodded, hit the conference phone speed dial, and instructed the broker to purchase the shares.
Sitting in an office talking about stocks with billions of dollars in the bank, ready for me to use, was strange. The will showed I inherited twenty percent of Barclay Enterprises’ stock shares and seventy-five percent of my father’s wealth. Blake got fifty percent of the shares, so he’d run the company and had been left twenty-five percent of the wealth to manage the business and set into a trust for that very purpose. He’d have to draw a paycheck for the first five years before he had access to the funds without an executor.
David got off the phone, and Abel rubbed his hand along my thigh, for once sitting back and letting me make my decisions.
“David, how am I supposed to get the majority stock? Blake still owns more than I do.”
“We’ll check into more public stock and buy what we can. You’ll also need to cozy up to family members who have stock in the company. If they swing their votes your way with what you have, you could outvote Blake. He no longer holds fifty percent of the shares.”
I wiped my hand down my face and tucked my hair behind my ears. Everything had turned crazy. Schmoozing with people was challenging. Abel, of course, was a pro at it, but I did better being on his arm than anything else. I stood and walked to the window. How long did I have to maintain the facade before Blake’s death was reported?
Everything needed to end now.
Going home with Abel to eat food, curl in bed, and fall asleep sounded heavenly. Waking up tomorrow and spending the day with my dad was the medicine I needed. Blake’s death, a distant memory because no way I’d mourn him.
Abel’s phone rang. “I’m sorry.” He grabbed it and almost canceled the call but stopped and answered. “Evan, hey, what’s up?”
Abel frowned, lifted a brow, and transferred his gaze to me, watching me the entire time.
“Are you sure? When? Okay, thanks for calling.” Abel hung up the phone and stood and moved toward me.
“Well, we don’t have to worry about this anymore.”
David turned his chair around and lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”
“They found Blake dead in his apartment. One of the frat brothers found him. There were drugs all over the place. The cops are there now, the word is it’s an overdose.”
This charade of a meeting was over and I fell into Abel’s arms, and like always, he caught me. The relief consumed me. Blake was gone, and people knew. Now, I’d move on with the precious time with my father, learn what I needed to reign over the company, and spend the rest of my life with Abel by my side.
Chapter 25
Abel
The drive to campus was silent. I didn’t even have the radio on. Chan stared out the window but held my hand when I laid it on her thigh. I worried about what Blake’s death would do to her mentally because, in the end, he was still her brother, and Chan craved family. She never said it but never had to. It was in how she treated people and how easily she forgave them. She hungered for closer connections.
Avoiding the frat house, I didn’t want Chan to have to see anything or deal with the cops, so I parked in front of her dorm. Relieved, the room was ready. I called the maintenance office and told them I’d give them an extra ten grand if they’d repair Chan’s room while we were away. It had been livable, and we stayed there after the fire, but I didn’t want her to live in a construction zone.
Chan looked over, smiled sadly, and exited the car. Silent still, I hated it. I loved it more when she chatted while I drove. It could be complete nonsense, but listening to her voice made me content—something I never had before her.
The elevator had several people coming in and out, and knowing my girl, people were the last thing she wanted to be around. I guided her to the stairs instead, and we slowly made the journey to her room.
Blake’s death and not by my hand both pissed me off and elated me. Now, he couldn’t hurt my girl, but the pleasure of taking him out myself was gone.
