Chapter 8: The Hostile Buyout
"They arrested her," Julian said, pouring two glasses of scotch in his corner office.
It was late Tuesday evening. The Seattle skyline glittered outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Evelyn sat on the plush leather sofa, her heels kicked off, reviewing the finalized contracts for the Bluehaven defense project.
"Vanessa?" Evelyn asked, not looking up from the tablet.
"Caught trying to flee the state," Julian confirmed, walking over and handing her a glass. He sat down next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him. "And Grant is facing thirty years. But there is a secondary issue. Mercer Development has a massive portfolio of unfinished commercial properties. With the company in receivership, the banks are panicking."
Evelyn set the tablet down and took a slow sip of the scotch. The golden liquid burned perfectly down her throat. She looked at Julian, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, brilliant light.
"The banks want to liquidate the debt," Evelyn murmured, the puzzle pieces clicking into place. "Grant leveraged everything to cover his bail and legal fees. If we buy the debt from the banks..."
"...We own Mercer Development," Julian finished, his voice dropping into a dark, thrilling register. "We don't just beat him, Evelyn. We absorb him. We take the name off the door and turn his empire into a parking lot for our own."
"Do it," Evelyn commanded without a second of hesitation. "Execute the buyout tomorrow morning. I want to own the very walls he built."
May you like
Julian looked at her, his eyes burning with absolute, unrestrained worship. He didn't see a victim. He saw a queen. He leaned in, his lips brushing against hers, a slow, consuming kiss that tasted of victory and absolute power.
"Consider it done, Madam Architect," Julian whispered against her lips.
