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“How did you get an application in so fast? My contacts at the government told me I was the only applicant interested in the land in Roston.”
“I guess your contacts were wrong.” I don’t even attempt to hide my grin, enjoying the nice shade of purple that sweeps over Reginald’s cheeks.
“Something’s fishy here.”
“Are you just going down the list of animals, or…?” My grin widens. Nico, sitting in the corner of the room, chokes on a laugh.
Reginald spins around, huffing out a grunt. He walks back and forth across the room, throwing me hateful glares. “I’ll find out who told you about this and wring their neck.”
“Doubtful.”
“You did something illegal. I’ve heard how you operate, Gerhard. You did something wrong, and I’ll find out what it is.”
“You’ll sign on the dotted line and let the Gerhard Corporation absorb your company.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Cute.” I push my chair back, standing up. Turning my back to Reginald, I stare out the Stirling office window at the city sprawled at my feet. I feel like an explorer discovering new lands. Donovan’s protests only make me hungrier for more. More success. More money. More business.
In the distance, the castle gleams in the bright, summer sun. I stare at the building, wondering what Penelope is doing now.
“I’ll never hand my company over to you, Gerhard.”
“Of course not.” I glance over my shoulder, grinning. “You’ll still maintain some control over your operations, Reggie. On paper, at least. The only thing that will change is you’ll have to report to us.”
“I’d rather die.”
“That can be arranged.”
Donovan huffs, kicks the leg of a sofa, and winces. “I found that land months ago. It took weeks to get the geotechnical reports approved to prove the existence of diamonds. Putting the proposal through to purchase the land took even longer. How the hell did you manage it so quickly? A few weeks ago, I was assured no one else knew about it.”
“Someone did,” I answer.
“Who?”
“That, I can’t say.” My eyes flash. I would never throw Penelope under the bus. I’d never tell Donovan or anyone else that she approached me. All Penelope did was tell me about an opportunity and arrange a conversation between me and Mick Burgundy. She had no say in who was sold the land near Roston, or whose application for mining rights was approved. The parliament handled the actual application.
Still, I feel the need to protect her from any criticism. There’s no corruption here, just an opportunity—but would the public see it that way?
Donovan swears, then turns on his heels and leaves without another word. I wait for the door to close behind him, then let out a sigh. Sinking down into my chair, unease gurgles in my stomach.
“He’s mad,” Nico says from his chair on the edge of the room.
I glance at my second-in-command, shrugging more nonchalantly than I feel. “It’s understandable. I scooped his get-out-of-merger-free card out from under his nose.” And I did it with the blessing of the Queen. “He knows he has nowhere to go, and he knows his shareholders will accept the deal we propose. He’s done.”
“How the hell did you manage that? You still haven’t told me your source.”
Scrubbing a hand over my jaw, I glance out the window at the castle again. “Confidential, Nico.”
“Even from me?”
I grin. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Where’s the progress report on the design of the site offices? We need to break ground within weeks.”
Nico throws me a glance as if to say, I’ll find out your source eventually, which I ignore. He stalks out of the room and I finally release a long breath. My shoulders slump.
What will happen when Penelope finds out about the merger? Will she know I failed to tell her about my interest in Donovan’s company? Will she think I used her for information?
Did I use her? Have I done something wrong here?
