Today is a two-fer! Chapters 80 & 81 have been posted! Don't miss the previous one!
WARNING: LANGUAGE . . .
"Pacing will not make the time go faster," Noemi informed Dick as she and her husband, Luca, watched him complete another lap around the conference room.
Dick shot her a look, but didn't take a seat. He couldn't. Elle was in that room with only a crusty, old lawyer acting as a buffer between her and her brother. He hadn't missed the hatred in Aiden's eyes as he had brushed passed them in the hall.
The will reading itself got a late start, but that was entirely Dick's fault because of his insistence that he accompany Elle into the room. The lawyer had insisted that only Cedric's two primary heirs be present for the initial reading. It was irregular and Dick didn't trust it. He already knew that Cedric had changed his will in the last few weeks to leave the vast majority of his wealth and holdings to his daughter, and he already knew what Aiden's reaction was to that.
He kind of wished now that he had asked Bruce to stay. Hell, even Tim would have been a comfort. Bruce's business acumen and Tim penchant for exhausting a subject would have both been helpful in this circumstance. Bruce knew his way around a contract and basically that was exactly what a will was; a contract made by the deceased for the benefit of his descendants. If he had given Tim a head's up, Dick knew the eighteen year old would have arrived this morning already an expert in hereditary law.
He stopped by the floor to ceiling glass that took up one wall of the conference room provided for him and the Constanzos to wait. There was a tray of beverages and healthy snacks for them, but Dick's stomach churned too much to partake of anything but an occasional sip of water. How much of his upset was his and how much was Elle's? If she were too upset, Dick knew he would barge into the lawyer's office without a qualm, Cedric's wishes be damned.
Elle's grandparents sipped at their cappuccinos that one of the assistants had made for them and chatted quietly in Italian. They watched him wearing a track in the carpet with unconcealed amusement.
He frowned. Hadn't they met Aiden before? Didn't they know of the man's hatred for his younger half-sister? He thought that perhaps Aiden hadn't accompanied Cedric and Elle to Italy very often for her grandparents to not be in the know. Whatever had happened, the elder couple didn't seem to realize the danger the man posed. Noemi seemed as sharp as a tack. He couldn't believe she would be as obtuse as Cedric had acted if she were around the siblings for any length of time.
He checked his watch again in his agitation. Five whole minutes from the last time he had checked it. Dick sighed. He could see Lake Michigan from here. The view was spectacular. Any other time he might have enjoyed it. Instead, his gaze turned inward as he wondered what was happening in the other room.
"Do you have any questions?" Mr. Avery Sheldon leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers as he observed Cedric Hamilton's two grown children.
He had known Cedric for years; had been his lawyer almost from the beginning of his career. He had met the man's children on numerous occasions, but seldom ever at the same time. Usually those times had been during company events that Cedric had invited him to and they were there and then weren't as each were drawn away because of social obligation.
He knew Aiden a little better than Arabella. The man was strong-willed and quite intelligent, but Sheldon had seen glimpses of a hot temper underneath that icy exterior. The younger man made him uncomfortable, and without Cedric steadying presence and rock-hard personality, Sheldon knew he would have made up some excuse to have dropped Hamilton's company as a client.
When Cedric brought him to his Lake Michigan home to revise his will, Sheldon had practically applauded his decision to leave the bulk of his wealth and assets to his daughter. Arabella, while a sweet girl, was not exactly a pushover, he had discovered some time ago.
He had been present on more than one of those rare occasions when Cedric had talked her into attending a difficult or hostile negotiation. Sheldon would have given up hoping for a peaceful resolution when this previously quiet girl, seemingly too young to be in on such an important brokered deal, would politely begin interjecting facts and statistics that no one had thought to bring to attention before. Suddenly, in a remarkably short time, an agreement would be struck that benefitted everyone . . . But probably none so much as Hamilton Industries itself. The men, who had only an hour earlier would have been but inches away from leaping across the table and strangling one another, would be shaking hands, laughing amicably, and congratulating one another.
It had been the damndest thing he had ever seen.
Arabella would congratulate the men she had just negotiated under the table, as if they hadn't just bartered away their assets to her, and then quietly slipped away in the aftermath as if she had never been there at all. But Sheldon had noticed and remembered. And he understood perfectly why Cedric had been so intent on convincing her to join the company on a full time basis.
Aiden, however, would have investigated the other company, its CEO, and board of directors; and then would have either threatened or blackmailed them into agreeing to his terms. Aiden has an intense and overpowering personality. He was blunt and gruff and often left enemies in his considerable wake. Cedric had often had to scramble to smooth the troubles brought about by his son's aggressiveness. Had Aiden Hamilton been left in control of the company, Sheldon was sure that it would only a matter of time before the man would have run his father's legacy into the ground.
Giving over controlling interest to Arabella was one of the smartest moves Cedric had ever made. His careful maneuvering to ensure she could step into the role he carved for her would provide the company with solid footing for the future. The board of directors and a vote of the stockholders had been very nearly unanimous in approving Cedric's decision. The will had been drawn up as well as the contracts and other documents that promised a smooth transition of power from one sibling to the other.
At least, legally speaking. How smoothly things went personally between the two heirs remained to be seen. But that question was seconds away from being answered right here in his office, and Sheldon was feeling far more apprehensive about it than he had an hour ago.
The look in Aiden Hamilton's eyes over the course of the past hour had gone from irritable to irate; angry to furious. Sheldon noted the vein pulsing at his temple. He glanced over at the man's sister. Arabella was calm but pale. He worried a bit for her, but she took a breath and seemed to reach deep to draw forth the steel that made up her core.
She stood; reaching across the desk to shake his hand. Sheldon scrambled to his feet; admiring the quiet strength she had in her. If he could just get the two of them out of his office without them coming to blows, he thought Arabella would be just fine. But he suddenly understood the apprehension of her fiancé to allow her to step into the office with her brother without him being present.
"Thank you, Mr. Sheldon. I would like to retain your company's services in regard to Hamilton Industries, and you in particular if you are agreeable, that is." Arabella smiled at him.
Sheldon smiled back. "I would be honored."
"Good," she nodded. "I have my own lawyers that handle my personal affairs, and I would like to continue using them as well and perhaps expand their services in light of my inheritance. I will arrange a meeting between us all sometime next week to go over those details and determine exactly what part each of you will play. Is that alright with you?"
"I will let my secretary know," Sheldon said. "We should be able to arrange something amenable to all of us."
He turned to face Aiden.
His heartrate increased as the son rose to his feet. Aiden exuded menacing power. He was not at all pleased with what he had received. Sheldon knew that there would be a fight on the horizon, but Cedric had expected as much and had prepared. There was nothing Aiden Hamilton could do. Even without Cedric's passing, this outcome would have been inevitable. While the split of Cedric's estate wasn't close to being equal; what Aiden had received was still quite generous. The son had not been left destitute in the slightest. In fact, he was still one of the wealthiest men in Chicago and easily in the top five percent in the country; ten percent in the world.
Not that the man appeared to be grateful for that fact, however.
Despite that, Aiden leaned across the desk to shake Sheldon's hand. The younger man's eyes were at half mast, but that did nothing to hide his anger. Regardless, Aiden's grip was firm; the shake was sharp and abrupt, but thankfully there was no true violence to be found in it despite that look in his eyes.
"Sheldon," Aiden said. "Would you mind terribly if I had a private word with my sister?"
Sheldon gaze darted over to Arabella. She made no move to refuse and appeared to be resigned; as if she had been expecting this request.
"Ah," he stammered, searching for a way to refuse on her behalf without causing the man to combust. "I realize that this reading came right on the heels of your father's funeral, and that emotions might be somewhat tumultuous at this stage . . ."
"Sheldon," Aiden said softly.
"I, ah . . . " He cleared his throat nervously. "Only if Miss Arabella feels comfortable with that."
Arabella pursed her lips and nodded her acquiescence; her gaze lowered. Sheldon would have felt better if she would have met his eyes while assenting to this potentially volatile meeting.
"We'll be out shortly," Aiden told the man as Sheldon yanked out his handkerchief and mopped his suddenly damp brow.
The lawyer stopped at the door to his office and turned around. "I'll be right outside the door if either of you need anything," he said. "Anything at all."
Once the door had been shut in his face, he turned to his secretary. "You might want to send for Miss Hamilton's fiancé. Mr. Grayson-Wayne can be found in conference room C."
His secretary took one look at Mr. Sheldon's face and left at a trot; going to summon the gentleman in question personally.
Aiden took ahold of the doorknob and waited patiently for the elder man to step out before closing the door softly behind him. He turned to face the woman responsible for the stripping of his inheritance right out of his hand.
"Sister," he acknowledged her for the first time since entering the office. He raised an eyebrow.
Bella had turned to face him; leaning back against Sheldon's desk in what might at first glance appeare to be a relaxed manner. Aiden knew better, however. She was scared.
"Aiden," she said as she finally lifted her head and met his gaze from across the dozen or so feet that separated them. "You heard the man. The will is ironclad. There is nothing either of us can do about it."
"I heard," he said.
Her hands flew up in frustration. "Then what do you want?"
His hands fisted. She saw the movement and swallowed hard, but amazingly Bella didn't flinch. He smiled, but it was not one of his pleasant ones he gave out to others. It was the smile he saved only for his . . . sister.
"Do you truly wish for me to answer that for you?"
She sighed. "There is nothing more to say, Aiden. My lawyers are drawing up papers that will give you complete and utter ownership of Hamilton Trading. You will be entirely free from the umbrella of Hamilton Industries with no ties to us whatsoever. You will be able to do whatever you want with it without mine or the board of directors' approval."
"I don't think your position gives you that kind of power," Aiden remarked.
"Perhaps not," she conceded. "But it will if I can obtain the approval of the board of directors and a majority vote from the stockholders."
"They will not give it to you," he told her confidently.
Bella smiled. It wasn't a happy smile or a fake one, but one of triumph. He frowned.
"They already have. The papers are, even now, in the process of being drawn up," Bella told him.
His frown intensified. "How," he demanded, taking a step forward.
To her credit, she didn't move. "I contacted them last Thursday for an emergency vote to take place this past Sunday. It was unanimous. The members all seemed to understand that there might be . . . a bit of resentment between us following the changes that Poppa made that could possibly lead to some small show of . . . hostility. They agreed with me that a clean split would ultimately be in the company's best interest."
Aiden gaped at her. He hadn't thought she had it in her.
"As of twelve o'clock tomorrow, Hamilton Trading will be all yours to do with as you will. Hamilton Industries will not be responsible legally nor financially for your company beyond any deals made before that point. Like Poppa said, you can sell it, build it up, or burn it down. I don't care, and what's more, Hamilton Industries won't care either."
"How did you manage this in just one weekend?"
Bella tilted her head as she matched him glare for glare. "Truthfully? I didn't."
He blinked.
She didn't. "This has been something that has been in the works since the weekend Poppa told us about the will."
"You couldn't do that," he growled. "I was still CEO at that time!"
"You were 'acting' CEO at that time. Poppa had apparently already arranged for me to take over as soon as I was prepared to do so. I discovered that I did not even have to wait for him to die before exerting a little influence and preparing for your future departure. I would have been stepping into your position by February had Poppa not died and advanced the timeline. I merely put a rush on it, so that all would be ready by tomorrow," Bella stood up and smoothed non-existent wrinkles from her dress. "All the T's have been crossed and all the I's have been dotted."
"You're lying," he snarled through clenched teeth.
"It's a good deal, Aiden," Bella told him. "You should be pleased."
"You little bitch!"
Surprisingly, Bella smiled. It was full of her annoyingly usual good humor.
"When it comes to being a bitch, Aiden," she said calmly, "you will find that there is nothing 'little' about me." She picked up her handbag. "In fact, you can take full credit for that yourself. You taught me everything I needed to know, after all.
"Oh, and by the way," Bella added. "I've had everything that Poppa wanted you to have packed up and put into storage. Franklin was a dear and helped me with that. The key is at the front desk under your name. The code to the gate at the house has been changed and new locks on all the doors, so you can keep your key."
She opened her bag and pulled out a keyring with two keys on them and a business card. "These are Poppa's and my keys to the penthouse. You can keep, sell, or burn anything I have left there and anything of Poppa's that is there as well. Here is the card with the name and address to the storage facility that currently holds your property. It is paid up until the end of the month. I would consider retrieving it before then, however. Their prices are a little steep."
Aiden automatically caught the keys and card that she dropped into his hand.
"Have a nice life, Aiden," Bella told him. "Stay the hell out of mine."
He turned, stunned, as she walked out the door. Sheldon stood by his secretary's desk and looked back and forth at Aiden's gaping mouth and Bella's retreating back. She paused only long enough to retrieve her blasted bondmate; slipping her arm into his as she went. The two men exchanged looks before Bella's fiancé followed her down the hall.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
She had somehow gotten the edge on him. He had been too complacent and severely underestimated her. But it wasn't over. Aiden Marcel Hamilton was not a stupid man. There was a way he could still come out on top in all of this and regain his father's company. If he played this right, he might get it all . . . But in any event, he would do whatever was necessary to make certain that his little sister lost everything.
REACTIONS?
Hoo Boy! What's that bastard up to? Well . . . Of course, I know, but do you have a clue? This and other questions you might have will be answered shortly.
And didn't you love Elle in this? Remember, she has a degree in business as well as music. (I don't, so I tend to fumble around as I research the crap out of things, but thankfully, this is fiction, and while I strive to remain as realistic as possible, there are times when I will tweak the law around to fit my plot. But I promise that even if I'm blowing smoke up your . . . Well, blowing smoke; I will attempt to make that smoke appear to be as solid as my magic mirror can manage.
SHTF coming up!