Chapter 49
She turned and gave Mia a once–over like she was the dirt on her shoe. Mia’s eyes lowered to the floor, obviously affected by Xander’s mother’s disdain for her.
And then, Amelia turned to me with a sweet, practiced smile. “Xander never did learn the most important rule of business.”
“This has to be interesting,” David said beside me.
More like entertaining. I angled my head, waiting for her to finish.
“Business is business. And personal grievances shouldn’t get in the way of smart deals.” She pressed her hands together. “Forgive him. Let me fix this. Let me make it right.”
This woman obviously coddled her son. Always appearing to save the day and clean up his mess. Now I understood why Xander wreaked havoc on the lives of every woman he met.
“I can give you Jane.”
My head snapped to attention. What? I should have known worse was coming. Someone like Amelia Blackwood never played fair.
“You can’t give me what was never yours to keep,” I said simply, even though Fen was furious inside me. But her smile didn’t falter. I was beginning to lose my cool. So, I pushed back. “She’s not a thing. She’s not leveraged. She’s not your bargaining chip.”
I gritted my teeth when her smile turned evil. She knew she struck a
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chord.
Amelia waved a dismissive hand. “Then tell me what it is. Tell me what I can offer that’s within control. I need something, Mr. Lorenz. Give me something I can work with.”
I didn’t answer right away. I looked around the room.
Rowan had taken a step back, letting Mama wolf handle the negotiations. I was sorely disappointed. I expected more from him.
Xander’s jaw was set tight, his whole body stiff like he might launch himself over the table at any second. Mia on the other hand looked like she didn’t want to be here. Her eyes darted between us nervously.
Finally, I turned back to Amelia and looked her dead in the eye. “I don’t want anything from you. Even if you begged, the answer would still be no.”
I heard Mia gasp slightly. She was obviously terrified of this woman. That didn’t mean I had to be. From the way she readjusted her shoulders, I knew she was taken aback by my response. She wasn’t used to people saying no to her.
But still, she didn’t quit.
“Do you need an apology From Xander?” She nodded toward her son like was some unruly child, not a full grown man in his 30’s fully capable of making his own decisions.
It was then that Mia spoke. “What if there’s another way?”
Everyone turned to her.
She cleared her throat, as if trying to gain the confidence to speak her
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mind. “Xander could drop the charges against Jane. Jane drops hers too. They split everything… assets, public holding equally. And they both walk away without any press leaks or verbal confrontations. There‘ s no need for revenge.”
I looked away. That suggestion wasn’t going to go down well with these power hungry people.
As if on cue, Xander’s head whipped toward her. “Are you serious?”
Amelia looked like she’d swallowed something sour. She didn’t even look at Mia as she spoke. “Did anyone ask for your opinion? How many times do I have to tell you not to speak when the adults are talking?”
“I’m not divorcing my wife. That is out of the question,” Xander snapped. “And I sure as hell am not giving her half of my property.”
It was all chaos from there. David and I watched quietly as Xander threw a temper tantrum and stormed out of his office, slamming the door behind him.
Nobody chased after him. Amelia seemed like she’d been expecting it. She pulled out her phone, dialed and said, “Come back when you’ve calmed down.”
“We’ll do what Mia suggested,” Amelia said, throwing a glance at her. Then to me: “But we’ll have to sweeten it.”
David and I exchanged looks. This couldn’t be good.
“The contract would last for five years now, not ten. Split sixty–forty. You take the sixty.” That menacing gaze came out again. “If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to sue for wrongful termination.”
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David cleared his throat. “I’ll have to step out with my client and discuss your terms.”
Amelia nodded. “Do what you must.”
I pushed my chair back and followed David out. We didn’t speak until the bedroom door closed behind us. We moved further down the hallway, until we found a secluded spot that wasn’t within earshot.
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