“Mills and Barnes are waffling,” he tells me with an uneasy face. “The rest are solid.”
“How much will Alistair get if Mills and Barnes sell their interest?”
“Not much. Around five percent.”
I nod my approval. “If that’s all he gets, fine but I need you to do something for me. Alistair is recently engaged to Vanessa Hargreaves. Find out what kind of deal my brother has with his future father-in-law. Alistair is broke so the money to buy out Mills and Barnes is coming from somewhere.”
Milly was right to question Alistair’s motives. Something is making him eager to get me involved in his plan and I suspect it has something to do with his recent engagement. Seamus agrees to look into the matter and before I leave his office, I call to check in with Milly. I give her a quick rundown of the day’s events
“You have two more days, sir. And then I’m finding another Ben Waterstone to marry.”
“Absolutely not,” I scoff.
“Don’t tempt me. Wrap it up so we can get hitched.”
“Yes ma’am.”
When our conversation ends, I head to the pub for a pint.
“What the fuck are you doing here,” Lewis bellows from behind the bar. “Did your bird fly the nest already?”
“No, you wanker. My idiot brother is making my life a bit difficult at the moment.”
“Yeah. He came sniffing around here earlier. Didn’t stay long.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just wiped his fingers along the bar top and scowled like a prick. Then he walked away.”
God, Alistair is so uppity sometimes. The title, which really means nothing, has gone right to his head.
“Tosser,” I mutter right before I lift my pint to my lips and take a sip.
The next morning, I get bad news from Seamus.
“Victor Hargreaves is making moves against your investors. Mills and Barnes sold out to Alistair, but Victor is going big. He’s going after Wilkes.”
Jagger Wilkes was my first, and largest, investor. He owns the most shares and is the shrewdest businessman I know. In addition to the twenty percent, he also has veto power. Even if everyone agrees on a plan, he can ruin everything with just the swipe of his pen.
“Set up a meeting. See what he wants,” I tell Seamus.
“He doesn’t have to,” Jagger says, walking into the room. “I’m right here and I can tell you what I want.”
A lump forms in my throat and my stomach drops. Will I have to make a deal with one devil to get rid of another?
“You own a few properties in Battersea Reach. I’d like to take those off your hands.”
“You can fuck right off if you think you’re getting those! They’re worth more than your twenty-percent.” His request is non-negotiable. I worked hard for each and every one of those properties.
“Well, then I guess I’ll be selling to your brother and Victor Hargreaves. They’ll have twenty-five percent and veto power.”
My hand balls into a fist. I’d love to send it right through Jagger’s smug, satisfied look. How dare he trade his loyalty for million-pound properties. But I know better than to accept the first offer and I’m not just going to walk away.
“I’ll give you two of those properties.” I counter. “And I happen to know a few more owners will be selling soon.”
Jagger appears not interested. “I want all of the units, Ben.”
“Not going to happen. These properties aren’t for sale but I’m willing to negotiate.”
