Page 82 of The Husband Contract

“Cheers,” I say as we both head over to my desk and the leather seats that adorn the side of the room.

“Everything okay?” he asks, studying me.

There’s something about the way Jack is staring at me that reminds me of our boarding school days. He’s always been the closest one in my life, the one to cross lines other friends have been hesitant to cross. He’s never pushy, though. He’s my best friend and the only one I know I can always be honest with. I trust him more than anyone in the world. He, like me, is a stone-cold businessman, whose focus is mainly on making money. Also like me, he’s not interested in relationships. But, unlike me, he isn’t scared of getting close to people.

“Not really.” I shake my head. “I’m up to my fucking eyeballs in stress.”

Jack’s eyebrows pinch together in concern. “I heard your board of directors is threatening to remove you as CEO.”

I shouldn’t be surprised that Jack has already heard the rumors.

“Somehow word got out that Sergio resigned,” I say with a sigh, nodding at him, “that a bunch of his shares have been sold, and now the market is panicking. They think he knows something which hasn’t been released yet. Stocks have been falling. The board is threatening to remove me as CEO because they want to have a vote of no confidence.” I grit my teeth and pin him with a firm stare. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

“Of course you’re not. It’s your family company.”

“Exactly. This is my legacy. I’ve spent my entire life building it up. I’m not going to let anyone remove me. I just have to figure out a way to keep the stock stable until this mergergoes through.”

He nods and then his eyes bore into me when he says, “And what’s going on with your wife?”

What’snotgoing on with my wife? At the moment, she thinks I’m Hannibal Lecter, and I can’t say I blame her.

“Oh, I think it’s like most marriages.” I grin, though the smile doesn’t reach my eyes. “She hates me. Doesn’t speak to me. Doesn’t sleep with me.” It pains more than it should.

Jack chuckles. “Wow, you really are a married man.”

We both laugh, and then I shake my head. “Seriously though, I’m not really sure what to do.”

“You mean about Willow, or the company?”

I let out a deep sigh. I’m not ready to discuss Willow. Not after how confident I’d been when first discussing my plan for retribution and revenge. I’ve never minded people calling me cold or devoid of emotion before, but with Willow, it stings. I don’t like her thinking of me as a bad person, though I’m not really sure what the alternative would be.

“I’m contemplating some different options for the company,” I say instead, needing to drive my thoughts away from her.

Jack leans forward, his eyes serious. “Look, Sebastian, we both thrive on business. You need to invest in yourself. I’ll invest in the company. We’ll buy shares and regain control. Right now, you need to forget about the merger with Krylon—it’s a complication you don’t need. If your board of directors is trying to usurp you, you need to take care of that problem first.”

“If only it were that easy. I can’t change the board unless I take control of the company.”

His eyes light up like he has an idea. “That’s important.”

“But without the Krylon merger, all of the contracts I have in Europe will fall through. They won’t renew, andthey’re worth about two billion in profit in the next quarter alone.”

Jack looks thoughtful. “So, do you think there’s a way to gain control of the company and continue the merger with Krylon?”

“Only if Sergio takes his seat back on the board.” I pin him with an intense stare. This is once again the crux of all of my issues. Sergio.

“Do you really think that’s going to happen?” Jack asks, lifting an eyebrow. “It’s Sergio we’re talking about.”

No kidding. He’s the most difficult man on the planet.

“No. Not right now.” I shake my head, finally admitting what I’d known all along. Sergio is not going to play ball. “Willow’s gotten into his head. She’s broken him.”

And now she’s doing her best to fuck with me too. This woman knows how to worm her way into the Laurence mens heads.

“You can’t put it all on her, though,” Jacks says, always the voice of reason. “He wasn’t that interested in the business in the first place.”

My friend’s words resonate deep inside me.

“I know.” I slam my hand down on the desk. “She’s an easy scapegoat right now. If it weren’t for her screwing Sergio at that exact moment, I wouldn’t be dealing with this shit. The timing was horrific.”