Page 212 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Max and Achilles blurt laughs at the same time.

“You’re looking at the new owners of VTI,” Hercules announces.

Hercules and I are the only ones applauding the news.

“Bullshit,” Orion spits.

“We made the purchase this afternoon. If you can recall, Mom, Achilles, Orion, we added the purchase stipulations to attract investors, even if it meant selling and allowing the named Valentine—that being me—to maintain a majority stake.”

“Well, I’m a 49.99 percent investor,” I say.

“And I’m 50.01 percent,” Hercules follows up.

“No, no, honey,” Heartly says, shaking her head adamantly.

“I’m not aware of this purchase,” my dad adds.

“Dad, come on. It’s me. I got around your”—I draw air quotes—“alert system.”

“Enough of this, Paisley,” Max’s voice echoes through the big empty restaurant.

“And one more thing.” Hercules’s voice nullifies Max’s protestation.

My brother shifts in his seat and circles his shoulders to loosen them, but he remains seated.

“Rain, since you’ve been fucking Orion, you’re no longer eligible beneficiary asset.”

“What?” she and Orion burp at the same time.

Hercules maintains impeccable control as his hands drops down onto the top of the chair he’s standing behind. “Therefore, you may leave.”

“That’s a lie,” Rain cries.

Orion slouches in his seat, arms folded, smirking at Hercules.

Hercules points at one of the hostesses. “Please escort her out. I’m sure you’ll pay her for her services. Isn’t that right, Orion?”

Rain folds her arms, tightening them defiantly cross her chest. “I’m staying.”

Hercules nods at the two male waiters he paid to be his muscle just for this moment. He had told me she wasn’t going to go quiet. And since time is of the essence, she had to be escorted or dragged out before the others hit their limit. Hercules has a final trick up his sleeve. He didn’t tell me what it was but he wanted to make sure he could pay it first.

My parents give each other a horrified look as Rain is dragged out kicking and screening. Max appears as if he’s still trying to figure out what to do next. At the moment brother has craned his neck to the right to focus on Rain shouting that they owe her while banging on the glass until she’s hauled away from door.

Orion snorts snidely and then claps slowly, derisively. “Nice show, Herc. Now why all the fucking dramatics?”

“Yes, Hercules,” his mother says, rubbing the side of her neck. She appears as if she’s been made weary by all she’s seen and heard. “What is this about anyway?”

Hercules nods at the waitstaff and they file out of the room.

“All right, kid, say something I want to hear. Or I’m leaving,” Uncle Leo says. “Let’s start from the standpoint that you and my niece have bought a failing company.” He nods at me. “Congratulations, Paisley. If anyone can pull VTI from the brink of disaster, it’s you.”

I wrinkly my eyebrows in distrust. I’m surprised by how lackadaisical he seems about my purchase. One should never trust Leo, though. He’s perpetually the snake, ready to strike. I don’t think that he likes the fact that I united with Hercules at all. He wants to hear more information merely so he can figure out how to dissolve our partnership.

“But I’m still trying to figure out why my and I here for this. Seems like this Valentine business to me. And we’ll deal with the Groves side of things, the Grove way,” Uncle Leo adds.

I’m jolted back slightly.See… I was right.I have no idea what Leo plans to do to throw a monkey-wrench into my purchase of VTI, but I’m not going down without a fight. That’s why turn to look at Hercules, my warrior, me with desperation in my eyes.

Hercules’s damp palm rubs my back. He’s nervous but he has no appearance of being nervous. “Paisley and I know what occurred with the TRANSPORT software licensing battle between our families,” he says. “We also know that if we fight you, then you’ll disclose my family’s secrets nullifying our rights to the Valentine trust. Basically, things will get ugly.”