“I thought you were mad at me. What changed?”
He brushes my cheek. “My anger at you is a constant state.”
How does he sound so irresistible while throwing barbs at me? Good to know he will always despise me. “If it’s me you hate, then take all your revenge on me. Not my brother.”
He stares into my eyes. I can tell that he’s working over something in his head. Am I convincing him? I push further. “Hate me. Punish me. I will take it all if you spare my family.”
His jaw ticks. He inhales. Just when I think he’s about to be convinced, he says, “Let’s go. I don’t want to be late.”
Chapter 17
Damien
I turn to the woman sitting beside me as the car weaves around traffic on its way to battle. Ivy looks as stoic and beautiful as ever. An ice queen who can freeze men into silence with a simple look. I should have granted her a request. She’s too close for comfort. This car feels too constricted. She’s ruining my focus.
First, she had begged me not to go through with the takeover. My response was a flat-out no. I would never say yes. The train has left the station. Too many people are attached to this deal now and want to see the takeover go through. And then when we were leaving, and I asked Nicole to take care of Lake, she resisted and only accepted if a second person also agreed to look after Lake. Thankfully, we didn’t need to do all that and the compromise we reached was sending Lake to the office daycare center. What her issue is with Nicole, I will never know.
I am about to accomplish my mission. Something I’ve been looking forward to all these years, and all I can think of is how sweet she looked when she pleaded with me. Instead of reveling in my upcoming victory, I feel like a barbarian at the gates, coming in to destroy a thriving city. They had it coming. I have to remember that. The Hawthornes are not good people and they deserve what’s coming to them. Her father’s disgust when they saw me in bed with her. Her brother’s disappointment. Her own shame as if she was embarrassed to be caught with someone aslow as me. But try as I might, I just cannot hate her as much as I should.
The car hits a bump and Ivy is thrown against me. Her breast brushes against my arm. My body hardens and that familiar hunger returns. The one that only she can satisfy. She rights herself and mutters an unnecessary apology. The car suddenly feels slower even though the speed hasn’t changed. A few more minutes with her next to me and I might do something I will regret. I might take her up on her offer.Punish me. Hate me.There was an unmistakable insinuation in her voice.
Thankfully, we pull into Hawthorne Inc. parking lot, passing by a throng of journalists. Their bright flashbulbs cast flickering lights as we pass through. If Ivy wasn’t nervous before, she was now. She keeps playing with the phone she had been using to text a couple of minutes ago. I want to ask if she’s texting her brother. But what does it matter? I have enough votes anyway and she no longer has voting abilities. She can’t hurt me.
We enter the building the way I planned it. Arm in arm and with my entourage behind me. We are the last to arrive. It seems as if the boardroom is already full when we enter. Nolan is standing close to the head of the table, discussing something with his underlings. All the Hawthorne siblings are here, except for the youngest one. Is he the black sheep of the family, I wonder. It doesn’t matter, anyway. We tried courting his vote, but he instead abstained. It wasn’t good for us, but it still wasn’t bad. What it meant was that Nolan didn’t have enough votes to stave me off, which is good. The other siblings, however, were steadfast in their refusal to be swayed. They’re choosing to die together, I guess.
All of them turn their attention to us when we enter. Nolan, especially, goes dark when he sees me with his sister on my arm.
“She can’t be here,” He says. “You gave all your voting shares to him so you don’t have any say.”
I feel her turn to steel. She tips her chin up. “Actually, I do. I am here as Raine’s proxy.”
Carey, Levi, Ty and Seb who are all huddled into one group all gasp.
“You spoke to Raine?” Carey asks coming over to us. “He, too, agreed to turn traitor on his own family,” Carey smirks. “Typical.”
“Who says Raine wants to vote for the takeover?” Ivy replies.
I lean into her ear. “You never told me of this interesting information.”
“He called me just before we got into the car. I didn’t have time to say anything.”
So it was the other brother she was texting. God damn it. Too many Hawthornes to keep straight.
“Sinclair, is this your idea?” Nolan shouts from the other end of the room. Levi is on his phone with someone and soon shouts, “I have Raine!”
The room goes quiet as a voice from the phone says, “Yeah, Ivy is acting as my proxy.”
“What the fuck Raine!”
“Is that Nolan?” Raine chuckles.
“Just because she’s going to vote on my behalf doesn’t mean she’s going to vote the way you think she’s going to vote.”
“She can vote whichever way she wants,” I say. “I have enough votes as it is.”
“Can I talk to him?” Nolan says to Levi, but before Levi can hand the phone to Nolan, the call disconnects. Raine’s phone becomes unavailable after that. “Can we begin the meeting?” I say. “You had your opportunity to gather votes. Doing so now is cheating.”
Nolan’s upper lip curls. He takes a seat beside the head of the table. The woman who takes the head is the chairperson of the company. A corporate climber in her sixties who worked forHawthorne Inc. ever since she was an intern. She might as well be a Hawthorne at this point. I didn’t even try to get her vote. She’s locked in with them. Her firm voice calls the meeting to order and everyone takes their seats. Ivy goes to sit opposite me. Fine by me. All the other siblings plus the other board members take their seats.
