Filed to story: Watch Out, I’m The Lady Boss (Eleanor & Sebastian) Book PDF Free
Louisa’s face hardened, but she didn’t interrupt.
I took a breath and went for the part that mattered.
“What if I could persuade Prescott to share? Not management, but shares. Enough for Daniel to live comfortably, to have security for the rest of his life. That way, you won’t need to keep fighting Prescott. Daniel will still be looked after, no matter what happens in the company.”
Louisa’s hand tightened on her spoon.
“And what about Daniel’s place in the business? He deserves to have a seat at the table. He is my son.”
“You know as well as I do that Daniel has no talent for management. He’s not cut out for it. And right now, after what I saw at the charity dinner, he needs detox more than he needs a boardroom. Throwing him back into the company will not save him, it will ruin him further. Prescott won’t allow it anyway, and Clive knows the truth as well as you do.”
Louisa inhaled slowly, her knuckles white against the porcelain cup.
“Daniel is my son,” she repeated, but softer this time, more like a plea than an argument.
“I know,” I said.
“And that’s why I’m saying this. Let Prescott rise. Stop undermining him. If he succeeds, he can look after Daniel in ways the company never will. And if he fails, it won’t be because of you sabotaging him from the inside.”
For a long moment, Louisa said nothing. Then, finally, she gave a small, bitter laugh.
“You’ve become clever, Elean. Too clever for me to like it.”
“I’m only being practical,” I said.
She studied me for what felt like forever, then exhaled and sat back in her chair.
“Very well. I’ll speak to my people. I’ll tell them to stop working against Prescott. But if he ever betrays this family, if he ever turns against us, it won’t be me he’ll have to fear. It will be Clive.”
I nodded. That was as much of a victory as I could expect.
When I told Prescott later that afternoon, his reaction was almost comical. He blinked at me as if I’d told him the sky was green.
“She agreed?” he asked.
“She agreed,” I confirmed.
He let out a low whistle.
“Elean, you’ve done what I thought was impossible. Louisa Granger never changes her mind.”
“She has this time,” I said.
Prescott grinned, shaking his head.
“Then a deal’s a deal. I’ll arrange your introduction to Haldane. But I’ll warn you again. He’s under pressure. If you bring up LGH, he may cut the meeting short before you even get a word in.”
“I’ll take that risk,” I said.
Besides, I wouldn’t be going in unprepared.
I had never been comfortable around Emmett Carlisle.
He was Yvaine’s older brother-tall, sharp-featured, and always dressed in dark suits that seemed to make his edges even sharper. If Yvaine was sunlight, Emmett was steel. He carried himself like a man who measured every word before letting it out, and most of the time, he decided that silence was better.
When I called him to ask for a meeting, he agreed, but I could hear the unspoken question in his voice: Why me? Why now?
We met in his office, a glass-walled space high above the city, with views stretching to the harbor. The shelves were lined with files, ledgers, and a few awards. Nothing personal, not even a photo frame. It was the office of someone who believed sentiment had no place in business.
“Eleanor,” he said when I walked in, his tone clipped. He stood, shook my hand briefly, and gestured for me to sit.
“Thank you for seeing me,” I said, settling into the leather chair opposite his desk.
He watched me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
“Yvaine said you’ve been… busy.”
“She worries too much,” I said.
“No,” Emmett replied.
“She doesn’t worry enough.”
That silenced me. He leaned back, steepling his fingers.
“Why are you involving yourself in this? These fights between corporations, this tug of war at city hall-it’s not your world.”
“I know,” I admitted.
“Then why?”
I hesitated, then forced myself to meet his eyes.
“Because Sebastian’s in trouble. And if I can’t help him, then what am I to him? Love isn’t just standing around hoping things work out. It’s protecting the people you love and the things they’ve built. Sebastian spent years building LGH. If I can do anything to keep it safe, then I have to.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then, unexpectedly, the corner of Emmett’s mouth lifted, almost a smile.
“Love as strategy. I never thought I would hear that from you.
“It isn’t strategy,” I said quickly.
“It’s survival. If he loses LGH, he’ll lose a part of himself. I won’t let that happen.”
Emmett regarded me with something like amusement, though his eyes stayed cool.
“You have more fire than I gave you credit for.”
“Does that mean you’ll help me?”
He tapped his fingers against the desk.
“The proposed moratorium is a disaster waiting to happen. Not just for Sebastian. For every developer in this city. Of course I oppose it. And if Gerard Haldane is the one pushing it, then there may be a reason.”
“That’s what I need to know,” I said.
“Careful, Elean,” he said, his voice dropping lower.
“Digging into men like Haldane has consequences. You think you are stepping into Sebastian’s world, but Sebastian knows the rules. You don’t. One wrong move, and it won’t be him who pays the price. It will be you.”
“I’ll take that risk,” I said.
Again, that flicker of amusement.
“Very well. I will put some people on it. But it will take time.”
“How long?”
“A week. Maybe more. Be patient.”
Patience had never been my strength, but I nodded anyway.
***
True to his word, a week later, Emmett summoned me back. He was waiting in the same chair, but this time a slim folder sat open on his desk. He pushed it toward me as I sat.
“This is what we found,” he said.
I flipped through the papers, my pulse quickening. Bank transfers that didn’t match his declared assets. Land purchases hidden under shell companies. A mistress tucked away in a serviced apartment. Even a gambling trip to Macau where the losses were staggering, but mysteriously covered by unnamed benefactors.
I stared at the pages.
“This is…”
“Enough to destroy him,” Emmett said.
I swallowed.
“This is what Lea used, isn’t it? This is how she forced him into pushing the moratorium.”
Emmett nodded.
“That’s my guess as well. Lea Lopez is not someone to underestimate. If you think you can outmaneuver her, think again. She plays with sharper knives than you have ever held.”
“I don’t care,” I said.
“You should.”
“I don’t have a choice. If I wait, Sebastian loses everything. If I act, maybe we still have a chance.”
Emmett studied me for a long time, then finally gave a short nod.
“Very well. But if you play this card too soon, she will know it was you. And she will retaliate.”
“I’ll be ready,” I said, though my stomach knotted as I spoke.
He closed the folder and slid it into a plain envelope.
“Then this is yours.”
***
A week after that first meeting, I stood outside a hotel conference room with the envelope clutched in my bag. The hotel was one of those sleek, modern places with marble floors and brass accents, full of people in expensive suits who looked like they had been born negotiating.
I paused by the door, checking my reflection in the glass wall opposite. My lipstick was steady, my hair pinned neatly. No trembling hands, no racing heart visible from the outside. Inside, though, it was a different story.
I thought of Sebastian lying pale in his hospital bed, of his bandaged hand, of the fever that had nearly killed him. I thought of Lea’s mocking voice, telling me I was no threat.
Then I straightened my shoulders, lifted my hand, and knocked.
The hotel conference room smelled faintly of coffee and air freshener. Gerard Haldane was already there, seated at the head of the table. He rose when I walked in, his hand extended, his politician’s smile warm and well rehearsed.
“Miss Vance,” he said, as if we were old friends.
“Prescott tells me you are quite the designer. I must admit, I expected someone… older. Please, sit.”