Free Takeover: A Step-Brother Romance (The Legacy Series Book 1) by Lana Grayson Page B

bunny.”
    He didn’t refer to an animal. The blonde in the picture somehow scrunched her legs onto his lap and pressed more silicon than actual skin against his wrinkles. Max perked an eyebrow, hiding his grimace with a well-timed throat clear.
    “With all due respect...” I earned Max’s amusement. “Bunny would benefit from the stock as well.”
    “True. Don’t I know it!” Samuel cackled. “But she doesn’t have a mind for numbers, you see.”
    Obviously.
    “They offered me a good price.” He hocked a cough and sipped his water. “You can understand that, Nicholas. I’m an old man. I want to take care of my family and treat them well.”
    “I understand.” More than anything, I understood. “But you are a voting member of our stock holders, and the company that wished to purchase your shares...”
    “Josmik Holdings.”
    I steadied my expression. “Yes. They represent a private corporation which was formed by the recently passed Atwood Brothers, Josiah and Michael.”
    Samuel nodded. “Messy business.”
    “Indeed.”
    “Nicholas, I’m sorry. I signed the contract before the boys died. My attorney is preparing the agreements now with their executor. Everything should be settled within the year.” He rapped a finger against the table. “Have you met their sister? Young thing. Pretty. Smart too.”
    “She’s actually…” I hadn’t admitted it since locking her inside her room. “My new step-sister. You attended my father’s wedding a few months ago.”
    “Ah! That’s right, that’s right. Well, good, it’s settled then. Speak with Ms. Atwood. She may be willing to halt the sale.”
    Yes. Sarah probably would, given my father’s persistence. Then again, if his original threat hadn’t crippled her, I doubted we could do much to rattle Sarah Atwood.
    Max’s hands usually stained with blood, but mine seldom dripped with crimson. My soul, of course, withered and died years ago. I might not have swung the punch, but my orders busted car windows, broke jaws, and threatened more than one family with financial ruin. All in the name of business. All to protect the Bennett Corporation.
    Samuel shrugged and tossed his napkin on the table. “It’s not the news you wanted to hear. Nothing personal.”
    He stood, but I raised a hand. “Is there any chance you might be able to cancel the deal. Any chance at all?”
    “You put me in a tight spot.”
    “Are you selling for the money?”
    Samuel returned to his seat. His hand shook over his cane, but he glanced from Max to me.
    “I’ll be honest. I respect you, Nicholas. I do. But your father...”
    Max leaned away from the table. We both tensed like we were kids again, sneaking into the pool after curfew. The sting of the crop burned through the years, the precise strikes that hid too well beneath a child’s suit.
    I urged him to continue the thought before he lost it in a fog of dementia. “My father?”
    “Darius is not a classical businessman, not like you. We know how the company made those seven percent gains. The research division was slashed in half. Distribution’s contract negotiations were messy and costly. And the union problems?”
    I steadied my voice. “Price of doing business in this day and age.”
    “Maybe.” Samuel sighed. “Darius took a proud company, retained the polish on the outside, and rotted the interior. And that’s hard for you to hear, but his leadership is reactive and quick to burn. His temper gets him in trouble, and, in this economy, his methods won’t stand the test of time.”
    Max hid his agreement in a quick swig of his water. I didn’t have the luxury of denial while face-to-face with one of our largest investors.
    “Drought hit the West bad, Nicholas. Farms already had their fertilizers and products purchased, but this year coming up?” He shook his head. “The farmers are gonna need more than rain to stay afloat, you hear?”
    He was right. I knew it. Reed knew it. That was why he fought to