Chris and her sisters stared at her. ‘You never told me,’ hissed Violetta.
Carlotta shrugged. ‘Well, it didn’t make any difference,’ she said, and avoided Chris’s pointed look.
A knock at the door came again and the secretary popped her head back in. ‘I have a few gentlemen to see you.’
Violetta’s stomach fluttered. Please let it be all right, she thought, I have finally found what I want to do, please don’t take it away from me.
A man walked through the door, older, greying and wearing a striped suit. A lawyer, thought Violetta. Then a woman walked through, elegant, fabulous and tailored. Violetta felt her heart sink. She hadn’t figured it would be a woman, maybe a designer.
The two strangers sat down at the table. Grace afforded them a nervous but welcoming smile. The woman tossed her hair and flicked her a small smile. Violetta sat up in her chair. The dress was Oscar De Larenta, Violetta noted, and the hair was like silk, at least a five-hundred-dollar haircut.
‘Chris Koch,’ said Chris, standing up and extending his hand.
‘Marion Willmers,’ said the exotic woman in a transatlantic accent.
‘Gregory Stone,’ said the man, and he shook Chris’s hand.
‘Shall we get started?’ asked Chris.
‘We are waiting on one more,’ said Gregory Stone.
Just as he spoke another man walked into the room. Carlotta gasped. It was the man from Matthew’s apartment.
Grace’s hands flew to her mouth. There in his suited splendour stood Frank. He walked into the room, sat down next to Marion and ignored the sisters. Grace felt herself becoming dizzy, and Carlotta grabbed her hand beneath the table and squeezed it hard.
‘I’m Frank Thurlow,’ he addressed the room. ‘I am the purchasing party of the remaining shares in Pajaro and I believe I own forty-nine per cent,’ he said formally.
Chris nodded and smiled at Carlotta who looked shocked.
‘I have bought these shares for the sum of twenty-five million dollars,’ he added, looking down at the notes that Marion Willmers placed in front of him.
‘Do you intend to stay on at Pajaro as an active shareholder?’ asked Nicholas Canturi.
Frank cleared his throat for effect. ‘No, I do not. At this point I have had my lawyers, Marion and Gregory, draw up an agreement to sign the shares over to the de Santoval sisters equally.’
‘Excuse me?’ asked Nicolas Canturi.
There was a dull hum in the room from the conversations and comments, but the sisters sat still.
‘As I said, I will sign these shares over to the sisters equally.’
‘For what cost?’ asked Chris carefully. Who was this Thurlow guy, he wondered.
‘Nothing, it is my gift to them.’ He looked at Grace who remained shocked. ‘The only thing I ask is to give any children I have stock options, which I have outlined in the documents we have drawn up.’ He looked pointedly at Grace who turned her head away from him.
‘So if I can sign here, we can stop these arguments about ownership and hopefully go back to our lives.’ Frank looked pointedly at Grace who refused to look at him.
Frank took the pen that Chris offered him. He signed the papers and both his lawyers witnessed them, and then Frank pushed the papers towards the sisters. Violetta signed first and gave Frank a brief smile. As her eyes met his she realised how nervous he was and he accepted her smile gratefully. Carlotta signed next, speechless. Finally it was Grace’s turn. She held the pen in her hand and then looked up at him, her eyes cold. She signed while she kept hold of his stare and then pushed the papers towards him.
Frank picked them up, his hands shaking a little and handed them to Chris. ‘I believe you will find everything in order.’
Chris laughed. ‘Man, this company is crazy,’ he said, and a few people in the room laughed nervously with him.
‘Well, that’s all in order then. We can contact you if we have any questions?’ Chris asked.
‘Of course,’ said Frank, looking at Grace.
The room stood up, except the sisters. Chris and a few of the board members introduced themselves to Frank and he spoke briefly but pleasantly to each one before they left the room. Violetta saw him whisper to Marion and Gregory and they too left. Then it was just the sisters, Chris, Spencer and Frank.
