“Good afternoon, everyone. If you could please take your seats, we have much to discuss, and considering the last-minute nature of this meeting, I’m sure you don’t have time to waste.”
Getty’s face was a deep, angry red. I maintained my composure. If he was angry now, he was about to be furious.
“Is this meeting about the newspaper article from the weekend?” one of the partners asked.
“It is. As my business partners, we need to maintain an open discussion, especially considering the circumstances surrounding my inheritance of my father’s shares.”
A bunch of faces nodded.
I glanced at Mom, who smiled confidently at me.
“There are a few things to address today. The first one is the article. Noah and I got married in Las Vegas. That was our choice. We wanted a private ceremony. Two friends attended the wedding with us. One of them, the one that appears in the photo you’ll have seen in the paper, is Noah’s best man, Jaxon Brooks.”
I’d printed out two photos we took with the guys during our hotel suite reception. In one, I was feeding Noah wedding cake. We were both laughing. The other photo was the four of us with the cake before we cut it. I passed it around the room for everyone to see.
“Please tell me what other evidence you may require that my marriage to Noah is very much real. I could kiss him right now, but I’d like to keep things professional.”
Noah snorted, and my mom shook her head.
“The next thing I’d like to discuss is this.” I held out the brown envelope with the photos.
Noah
My heart sank when Lior got the envelope out. I hadn’t seen the photos since Lex had taken them away, and I didn’t want to see them again.
“Inside this envelope are a bunch of photos that show Noah in compromising situations with other men,” Lior said.
Most of the partners were shocked, but Getty looked almost smug.
Lior continued. “These contents were intended to humiliate my husband and create doubt and division between us. Someone wanted to embarrass my husband and me to weaken our relationship and attempt to remove me from this company. There are two reasons this person will not succeed.”
Everyone hung on Lior’s words. I looked at his mom, who smiled back.
“My marriage is solid. Noah and I love each other and intend to stay married for as long as he can put up with my ornery ass. False accusations and doctored photos aren’t going to come between us. Yes, these photos have been proven to be fake. It’s also not going to be easy to oust me from this company. For your convenience, I’ve arranged for copies of the relevant section of the company’s bylaws to be handed out.”
Lior’s secretary handed out a thin folder to everyone. I took in their reactions as each partner opened their folder. Some looked relieved while others were confused. Getty would have smoke coming from his head if he was a cartoon character.
“As you can see from the highlighted area, the only person with any real power in this room is my mother.”
I looked at Mathilda, who stood up. Lior put his hand on my leg under the table.
“As you might take from this information, gentleman, even if my son hadn’t met the stipulation of my husband’s will, he would still be the first in line to run this company. I assure you I have enough money to buy my husband’s shares, and I don’t need to tell you who I will pass them on to. Save yourselves the extra work and leave Lior to do what his father intended all along, especially as he met the stipulation of the will by getting married within the timeline, and as he’s confirmed, he will more than meet your request to remain married for at least a year. Can I have a nod of agreement?”
The majority of the partners acknowledged Mathilda’s request. Getty was predictably as stiff as a board.
“That’s settled then,” Mathilda said, sitting back down.
Lior stood. “Thank you all. I will continue to do my best to earn your trust and I hope that together we can take Van Stern Enterprises to new heights. Well, most of us. Mr. Getty, is there anything you’d like to say?”
Getty straightened his tie. “No. What would I have to say?”
“How about an apology and a confession?” Lior asked. “Gentleman, Mother, it has come to my attention that Mr. Anderson Getty hired a personal investigator to follow my husband because he didn’t think our marriage was real. When he didn’t find any evidence of that, he did the next best thing, he faked it. The photos we received anonymously were paid for by Mr. Getty.”
Getty stood. “He’s lying. This is preposterous. I worked with Lior for over twenty years. I would never have done such a thing.”
Pierce stood. “That’s not exactly right, is it, Anderson?” He didn’t have to say anything else because Anderson knew his scheming was up.
“I don’t have to stand for these accusations. You’ll be hearing from my attorney.” Getty grabbed his folder and left the room.
