CHAPTER 1
GRANT
Grant Harrington’s footsteps echoed off the sterile walls of the hospital corridor. With his phone pressed to his ear, he squeezed his eyes closed. Grant felt as though time had warped in the whirlwind twenty-four hours since Kyle's rescue and in the subsequent days of Lydia's stock acquisition. Every second in the hospital felt like an eternity, yet Lydia’s maneuvers against Harrington Global appeared to unfold at a breakneck pace.
At least his clever wife had found his missing son, and not a moment too soon. Despite having sustained life-threatening injuries, he had successfully made it through surgery. Though his condition was improving, Grant preferred to remain close to the hospital. He’d nearly lost his family last night, including his wife and daughter as they’d raced to find his son and attempted a daring rescue that resulted in them being attacked.
His urge to protect his family stopped him from racing to the office to protect his business. Grant wasn’t certain howlong it would last, though. Overnight, his phone had become a battleground of alarming messages and urgent alerts. Things looked grim for Harrington Global.
With limited options, he failed to find a path forward. He braced himself for the looming inevitability of being removed as CEO of a business he’d built from the ground up.
The thought stung him as he settled into a chair in the waiting room, letting his forehead fall into his palm.
Letting Lydia win twisted his stomach into a knot. She’d destroy Harrington Global, dismantle it brick by brick just so he’d be forced to watch it crumble.
Of course, after nearly watching his wife die, then his son, it seemed a small price to pay.
A warm hand slid onto his shoulder, and he picked his head up to find Julia’s smiling face next to him. “Hi.”
“Hey,” he answered. “Everything okay with Kyle?”
She nodded. “He’s still asleep. But I woke up to find you already gone. Did you get any sleep?”
“A little,” he answered, the corporate problems still weighing heavily on him. At least Julia knew about them now, which made his life so much easier. He’d tried to hide it from her, afraid the complications would drive her away from their newly formed relationship, but he’d been forced to tell her when things went from bad to worse.
As always, she’d been understanding. But it didn’t make facing the loss of his company any easier.
“Things not looking good?” she asked with a wince.
He glanced down at the tile floor below his feet as he pressed his lips together. “No. Not really.”
“I’m sorry. We didn’t get a chance to talk about it last night with everything going on with Kyle. Maybe we can brainstorm something now.”
He smiled at her before he leaned closer to give her a peck on the lips. He really loved his wife and her supportive nature. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a lot to think about. It’s basically a race to see who runs out of money first.”
“So, she’s buying up all of the stock. And if she gets to…”
“If she gets to even twenty-five percent, she can force a vote on the executives.” He rubbed his palms together as he stared into space, images of Lydia’s haughty features as she voted him out as CEO taunted him.
“How close is she?” Julia asked.
His features pinched as he recalled the last percentage he’d been given. “Twenty-two percent.”
“Where are you?”
“Around eighteen.” Vocalizing the answer twisted his stomach into a knot. He squeezed his fingers into fists at the words. How had Lydia gotten so much further ahead of him?
They’d never hit twenty-five percent first, especially with their dwindling funds.
Julia rubbed his shoulder in a silent display of support, though it somehow made him feel worse. He stood on the edge of a precipice, staring down into the abyss of failure. Disappointing Julia, after everything they’d been through, cut deeper than the fear of losing his company. It was a betrayal of the silent vows he’d made to himself about their future, a future he was now powerless to secure.
“Where is she getting the capital to fund this?” Julia murmured.
Grant leapt from his seat, flinging his arms out to the sides as he paced the floor. “I don’t know!”
She offered him a consoling smile despite his outburst. “I’m sorry, Grant.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry,” he said as he sank into his seat again and took her hands in his. “I’m…distracted and stressed.”
