Alex knitted his brows at the words.
“Come on, you can’t seriously think she should have been.”
“Well, I view Julia as a strong, competent woman who can take care of herself. Not a child.”
Grant’s shoulders slouched. “Alex, you can’t tell me you’d be okay if it was your wife facing that.”
“My dude, Ava is far better equipped to handle that situation than I am, to be frank. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. What I wanted to discuss was this…predicament.”
“Yeah, sorry, we’ll agree to disagree on what our wives should and should not be handling. Again, thank you for the show of support and the stock buy up.”
Alex bobbed his head up and down. “I did it for Julia. In fact, while we’re being honest, I wanted her as CEO, but she insisted you were the better candidate. I trust her judgment, so I went along with it. You’ve got your second chance. Now get your head out of your you-know-where, and shut the former missus down for good before she takes something you can’t replace. But trust me, I learned the hard way that being at the top means you’re a target.”
The man’s serious expression gave way to a grin as he clapped Grant on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Grantster. See you at home. Oh, Julia may not have mentioned it, but I’ll be staying with you for a few days.”
He grinned at him as he backed to the door and pushed into the hall.
Grant heaved a sigh. Despite the difficult interactions, he’d won. His company was safe, and he remained in control. They’d finally beat DG Industries at its own game.
All that remained was putting Lydia behind bars for her role in the hostage situation and all of her many other crimes. Maybe now they could finally get their lives back on track.
As he sank into the chair, taking a moment to appreciate his win, his phone chimed. He tugged it from his pocket, expecting a congratulations text from someone. His features twisted into a frown as he spotted the unexpected text from a restricted number.You think you won, but you’ll pay for this.
His fingers tightened around the phone as the threat hung heavy. The room, suddenly feeling colder, pressed in around him. He’d defeated Lydia, but had he made her more dangerous than she’d already been?
CHAPTER 6
JULIA
Julia stepped into the quietness of Harrington House, her hand still clasped in Grant’s.
Worthington greeted them as they entered. “I trust everything went well?”
Julia grinned at him as Grant wrapped his arm around Julia’s shoulders. “More than well, Worthington, we blocked Lydia from taking HG. She’s not getting a second shot at this.”
“Then it’s over?” Worthington asked.
“All that’s left is getting rid of Lydia. I can’t wait until she’s behind bars for good.”
The door opened behind them, and Alex Stone pushed between them, hanging his arms around them both. “Did they tell you the good news, Gatekeeper? G-Force is still CEO.”
“So, I have heard, Mr. Stone. I have prepared a lovely room for you in the South wing. Would you like me to show you there now?”
“Lead the way, Worthy. I’d like to retire for the night. I’ve got a few…things I need to take care of. Sunshine, see you tomorrow.” He kissed the top of her head before he twisted to face Grant. “Grantster.”
Julia offered him a consoling smile as Worthington and Alex disappeared up the stairs. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t love him, but–” she began.
“He saved my behind today. I’ll deal with it.”
“He has unbelievable amounts of liquid assets. With the short time frame, I just…took him up on his offer.”
“Julia, you bailed me out big time. If you haven’t convinced Alex, I’d have lost that vote. Thank you.”
She offered him a tight-lipped smile as she squeezed his hands in hers.
“And thank you for convincing him to vote for me, not you.”
Her features twisted. “What?”
