“I suggest you stay put. Someone’s looking for you from the looks of things.” A lump appeared in my throat as I glanced over my shoulder towards where Hudson had nodded.
My eyes instantly latched onto my father. He was standing inside the doorway with a dark expression. As soon as he saw Phoenix, his eyes roamed over our party before he started moving.
He was clutching a bundle of papers and did not look happy.
Jasper and Theodore exchanged a worried expression as he approached.
“I’d start to think of a way to dig yourselves out of the shit, right about now,” Reed suggested with a smug look, moving to one side to give my father some space.
“Daddy?” I questioned as he appeared next to Reed, slamming the papers against Theo’s chest.
Jasper’s father’s hands rose automatically to grasp the documents, his watery eyes confused.
“Care to explain what the hell is going on, Theo?” Dominic Summers barked. I went to move to my father’s side, but Reed stopped me with a hand on my arm.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
“Your fiancé has some explaining to do,” Reed replied, loud enough for everyone to hear.
And then a heated discussion began, right there in the ballroom of my wedding rehearsal, minutes before we were due to sit down to dinner. It was like a face-off, a them-and-us scenario, as the two Remmington men attempted to explain what they had done behind my father’s back.
It didn’t take me long to realize what the Sawyer boys had uncovered.
“So, you decided to attempt a majority share throw-over after all?” my father growled, dashing a hand through his hair. I noticed his bow tie was missing.
Theo tugged the papers down and glanced at them, reading them with a perplexed look that soon morphed into guilt.
I glanced at Reed, who wasn’t even trying to hide his look of contempt. Hudson had his arms crossed, and Phoenix stood there with awe got youlook.
Screwing the papers into a ball, Theo lowered his hand. “What can I say, in my defense, you pushed me into a corner, Dominic?”
My father turned away and then twisted back, “How did I do that? By managing my side of the business?” He was gesticulating with his arms, which had drawn some attention from those standing closest.
“Apart from taking your eye off the pulse when you decided to play mayor. There are countless opportunities we’ve missed over the years, purely by your lack of drive to branch out.”
My cheeks must have been bright red as I tried to take in everything they were saying.
“If refusing to agree to an allegiance with questionable officials in the underbelly of the government is my lack of drive to branch out, then I hold my hand up, guiltyas charged. I became the Mayor of Newport to sort that shit out, not to add to its problems.”
There was a moment’s pause before my father chewed Theo out while we all watched in silence.
“You can’t still be sore about losing the mayorship? That was years ago.”
“The Remmington crew are clearly grudge-bearing men,” Phoenix chipped in.
Theo’s expression darkened, and the corner of his mouth filled with spittle, “It isn’t about the mayorship. Which, I might add, you secured by thoseunderhandedmeans you just mentioned. From what my son has deduced, you’ve cost the company millions, Dominic and I feel, as a major shareholder, it is my role to do something about that.”
“By attempting a hostile takeover behind my back?” My father yelled, no longer able to rein it in.
“You forced my hand,” Theo whisper-shouted, stepping forward.
“Look, there must have been some misunderstanding,” Jasper interjected, his voice, dogs only high.
“I forced nothing, Theo.” He then turned on Jasper. “And as for you? You’re as conniving as your father. To think that I took you under my wing, showed you the ropes, gave you my daughter’s hand to cement our union? You’ve been playing a dangerous game, boy.”
Jasper’s face turned ugly as he shot me a look of disgust. I felt Reed’s arm come around me. “And isn’t that the point. You haven’t, Dominic. You’ve played it safe for way too long. If you don’t take risks, you miss out on opportunities. You took your eye off the ball years ago: to be honest, you both have.” It didn’t surprise me that he had no qualms about throwing his father under the bus.
“You may see me as being overly cautious, but I am a businessman with a keen eye for due diligence. Something I clearly failed to do when I put you in a position of authority. And more fool me. I didn’t give you enough credit for how ruthless youcould be, Jasper. I would be interested to learn how you secured my nephew’s shares?”
