Page 20 of Bliss with a Billionaire

“Itiscreepy, Kyle. How is it not creepy?” Sierra asked.

“It’s not. She keeps showing up at the bar he works at. It looks like she’s interested in him.”

“Except she’s not.”

As she leaned against the cool wall, the weight of the day pressed down on her. Even the banter floating from Kyle’s room couldn’t mask the undercurrent of fear for Harrington Global’s fate. Julia heaved a sigh before her chiming phone drew her attention. She tugged it from her pocket, spotting a dire message from Grant about Lydia’s ownership of the company.

A message from Alex also awaited her.Got news. Call me ASAP.

Julia swallowed hard at the cryptic words. Coupled with Grant’s message about Lydia now owning over one-third of the stock, it painted a chilling picture of what was about to happen. And she felt powerless to stop it.

The device clutched in her hand felt like both a lifeline and a harbinger of doom all at once. Alex’s message could either be the key to saving Harrington Global, or the final nail in its coffin.

CHAPTER 5

GRANT

Grant’s jaw clenched, and he curled his fingers into fists. “We’ll see,” he growled.

Despite the grim outlook, he refused to back down. He wouldn’t leave without a fight.

Lydia smirked at him, her eyes sparkling with the expected win. “Yes, we will. Oh, before we begin, I thought you may like to meet my new husband.”

She glanced behind her, her smile faded as he sat at the table, oblivious to her presence. “Alexander,” she hissed before she snapped her fingers and tilted her head to motion for him to join her.

He leapt from the seat and hurried over. “Yes, my pet?”

“That’s more like it,” she said with a satisfied smile. “Grant, this is my husband, Alexander Knight.”

Lydia looped her arm through the younger man’s. “Darling, this is my ex-husband, the formerly great Grant Harrington.”

“Hi,” the scrawny man said as he thrust his hand forward. “Loving the old-school vibe in this conference room. It’s very…Godfather.”

The comment did little to dissipate his frustration and anger.

“I don’t think this is your taste, though, dear,” Lydia answered before she grinned and leaned closer to Grant. “I’m going to let Alexander do whatever he wants with the place. Except the CEO’s office. That’ll be mine.”

“I’m thinking bean bags chair and lava lamps,” Alexander said as he glanced around. “And definitely get rid of all this wood. Ugh.”

“Whatever you want, darling. It’ll be fun.” Lydia grinned, shooting a pointing glance at Grant. “Well, we’d better sit down and get started. Oh, I can’t wait to take over this company.”

Grant’s heart thudded against as he strode to the table, trying to portray enough confidence to win over any last voters that could give him the edge. With the news of the second company’s purchases, this was likely a losing prospect no matter who stood with him. His measly nineteen percent wouldn’t stand a chance against her fifty.

He slid into his chair, wondering if it would be the last time he ever sat at the head of this table. Next to him, Mitchell raised his eyebrows, a silent question of whether he was ready to proceed.

He offered the man a nod as his pulse quickened.

Mitchell cleared his throat, plopping his legal pad onto the polished wood of the long table. “This emergency board meeting has been convened to discuss the leadership and strategic direction of Harrington Global,” he announced in a formal tone.

“Oh, come off of it, Mitch,” Lydia retorted from across the table. “This meeting was called because I now own a majority stake in this company. And I think it’s high time for a change inleadership. I call for an immediate vote to remove all high-level executives including the CEO from their roles at this company.”

Caroline Foster, one of Grant’s strongest supporters leaned forward, a challenge on her features. “Immediate removal with what plans to replace them?”

Lydia fluttered her eyelashes at the woman. “A monkey could do better at this point. This company is sinking. Grant’s leadership has done that. Two years ago, this board was on the verge of voting him out based on his behavior alone.”

She rose from her seat and paraded behind the row of chairs as she continued her impassioned speech against him. “He tidied up his image. Went and married that sweet little wife of his. And I think he’s even been faithful to her…”

The smirk appeared on her face again as she shot him a glance. “Although we’ve all seen direct evidence that she hasn’t been to him.”