Chapter 6

"How do you know this?" Mrs. King asked.

"Well, a mail was sent to Madi this afternoon, and it was about this transaction. His email is still somehow  logged into Madi's laptop." Alex explained.

Mrs. King stared into the phone screen, trying to understand how Jacob could have such an amount of money in his account. It had to be a mistake; she just needed to find out  the mistake. But it was his name, Jacob Reed, that was on the cheque. 

After a short while of staring into the phone, she returned the phone to Alex. "So she doesn’t know about this yet?" Mrs. King raised her eyebrow and crossed her legs. 

"Not yet," Alex answered, obviously not sure. 

"It doesn’t matter; they are divorced, and that’s it," she said, grabbing a cup of whiskey from the couch’s side table. 

"But it’s only a matter of time before Madi finds out. The mail is still logged into her laptop, and..." 

"And what if she finds out?" Mrs. King asked. 

"You know Madi...she..."

"My daughter is not a goal digger, Alex Grayson." 

"No, that's not what I mean." Alex tried to defend himself. 

"Alex, we don’t have time for this kind of detour," Mrs. King said. "We have more pressing issues, like the next board meeting."

"I...I know, but this is also her money too," Alex said, now getting a little impatient in his voice. 

"What do you mean?" 

"The dates," Alex said, settling down beside her on the signature living room couch. "The dates on the check state that it was paid into his account a day before the divorce" 

"...and?"

"What if we can prove that Jacob was supposed to pay Madi part of the ten million dollars?" Alex said, "We can get that ten million dollars off of him."

Mrs. King frowned a little. She stood up and walked to the three-arm-wide window that opens to the garden in the king's mansion.  She'd do anything to make Jacob suffer, but for the first time, she wasn't seeing any need to punish him, especially when he could afford a Lawyer. 

Alex stood up and walked closer to her. "We are talking about ten million dollars here," Alex added.

Mrs. King, still looking out the window, said, "There are more reasons why we should tread carefully. He can afford all the lawyers in the world with that kind of money" 

"Except, he'd not. I know Jacob; he cannot pick a fight against Madi. Never" 

Mrs. King turned to face him and asked, "Are you sure it is possible?"

Alex smirked. "I have never been so sure."

"About what?" Madi interjected.

Mrs. King gave a sudden smile and scurried towards Madi. "My baby," she said as she approached her with an embrace.

Madi had a look of confusion on her face as she looked to her mother and Alex, then asked, "What were you two talking about?" 

"Nothing much, my darling, just the way forward."

…

The elevator opened, and Jacob was directed straight to Christine’s office.

The last time he was in an office this big was when he went to confront Steve. The difference between both offices was the abstract painting on Christine’s office wall and the fact that she also had furry seats and a huge bear skin in the middle of the brown-colored couch by the side of the office.

"I see you have cashed in your check," Christine said as she stood from her seat.

She dismissed Jacob’s escort. "Let’s sit," she said, pointing to the brown couch.

Jacob hesitated a little, his face stuck on the bear's head. He had always had a strange kind of fear of bears. That’s exactly why he never went camping or hiking.

"It’s dead," Christine said, after tracing his gaze to the bear skin.

"What?" Jacob squeezed his face.

She stretched to the seat and asked, "Shall we then?"

They both sat.

"So?" Christine asked.

"I am ready."

"Ready for?"

Jacob sighed. "The marriage."

Christine smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because it’s not just about getting married; it’s about what it entails, Jacob."

"And they are?"

"Listen," she adjusted forward, facing Jacob, "marrying me means you’d lead the company; you’d have to deal with my family. And you see those two," she laughed a little, "they come with their pain and gain. More pain than gain if you ask me."

"I am aware."

"No, Jacob, this is not about being aware. Competitors, partners, and everybody else will be involved in your life now. You’d be hated for things you didn’t do and loved by people who would hate you with just a random tweet. It's a crazy world of kill or be killed."

Jacob took a deep breath and looked at Christine. "In a week, I have seen everything that I love, need, and want—all of ‘em ripped from me like it is nothing. Now tell me, Christine," he said, leaning forward. "Tell me, what more is to kill? You can’t kill a dead man."

Christine went quiet. She looked at Jacob and could see the darkness in his eyes and the pain and hunger on his face. She smiled as she nodded. "Then it’s official. Get yourself ready for the contract." Christine stood up and walked up to her desk.

"Just like that?"

"More or less. I’d introduce you to the company’s team, and from there, we’d get started."

Christine and Jacob left the office and went to another room. It had fourteen chairs around an oval-shaped desk: twelve on each side, with two opposite each other at the edges. Christine made him sit by her at the right as she took the seat at the edge opposite the door, and in less than ten minutes, every seat was filled up with people dressed in suits.

The habitual smile that Jacob knew was on Christine’s face wasn’t there anymore. She looked no-nonsense, and she acted it as she kicked off the meeting, asking for different types of reports.

Jacob couldn’t help but notice the man at the other edge of the oval office. Their eyes kept crossing, and Jacob could tell the man was keeping a long stare at him. The man definitely wanted an explanation of why Jacob was in there.

"Now I’d love to introduce Jacob," Christine pointed at him. "He’d be working with us soon and taking the position of CEO of this company."

The man chuckled. "And on what grounds are we having a stranger come into this company as CEO?"

"Sorry?" Christine raised her eyebrows.

"You brought a stranger to our board meeting, knowing quite well that our plan to get the rail project is being discussed. He could be a spy, don’t you think?"

"Jesus Christ! This is not the FBI, and he’s not my fiancé!"

"Impossible!" The man shouted, slamming the table.

"What part?" Christine asked.

The man’s face turned red; he stood up and pointed at Christine as he said, "Whoever this is cannot be in this meeting. He is not a part of this company and will never be."

Christine’s face was still unshaken by what the man was saying: "Legally, I can." She looked at all of them and said, "Mr. Lycon left with an instruction that must be adhered to. Whoever I marry takes charge of this company. It was his will. And unless you have something more superior to what he said, his words will be obeyed. I’m getting married to Jacob, and he’d lead this company. Meeting dismissed."

Everyone stood up in a murmur, except for the man who sat opposite her. He didn’t flinch; his face was stuck on her and hers on his. Everyone soon left, and it was just the three of them.

"Whatever plan you are planning, Christine..."

"This is not a plan. I am getting married."

"Whatever this is," he said, getting up and walking closer to Jacob. His eyes were looking into Jacob's. "I’d figure it out."

He went out and slammed the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Jacob looked to Christine.

"Don’t let him scare you. He’s harmless."

"Harmless? How was any of that harmless?"

"He was just pissed; his plans were crushed." Christine laughed a little.

"What plan?"

"Hmm," Christine got up, "don’t worry about it."

"If you don’t like him and he doesn’t like you, why is he still working with you?"

"You mean it for me. Why is he still working for me?" Christine walked to the door and said, "Because he is my uncle."

"What?"

Jacob’s phone buzzed,

"Your uncle?" he said as he brought out his phone from his pocket.

"Hello?"

"This is Lydia."