“Your brother and the Butlers,” Julia replied without hesitation. “We were up in my bedroom and Vicki said you were in Dad’s bar with Dad, Marlin, and Logan.” Her head shook. “I knew something was up. I even told Vicki that you didn’t like them and wouldn’t cozy up. She said that maybe you were playing nice before sabotaging them.”
“Vicki thinks I’ll sabotage Wade?”
“She said she’d heard that the Butlers were worried about what you would do.”
“So their solution was to bring in a fake me…” I mused aloud.
“But he isn’t you. He can’t pretend…can he?”
“He already did. The damage is done.”
“Then undo it. Have Sherman and Madison make a counter statement. Call Connie.”
I shook my head. “They’ve already obtained the shock factor. How many news stories do you read or see that later have a retraction?” I didn’t pause. “The initial story sells news or gets hits. They’ve accomplished that. The retraction will get lost.”
“There’s nothing we can do?”
“I’m weighing our options.”
“What options?” Julia asked. “They succeeded if they wanted to delay our return to Ashland and deflate the value of Wade stock.”
“No, Julia. They didn’t win. This is far from over. I also won’t go to the press and feed their frenzy. Instead, we’ll use their actions to our advantage.”
Julia’s face paled before me, the blush leaving her cheeks.
“What? Are you all right?” I reached for her arm. “Did he do something?”
“Van, what if my parents were in on this? Remember the letter I gave my mom from your legal department?”
I took a deep breath. “It warned against selling or purposely devaluing your stock.”
“Do you think they were in on this?”
“You do know that we could sell all of our stock in Wade,” I said, “both of us, and walk away. Your future is yours. It doesn’t need to be tied to Wade.” I wouldn’t do that. I’d run Wade into the fucking ground to watch everyone who has hurt Julia suffer. Still, I wanted her to know she had the option of walking away.
“I know. It’s what Mom said about me taking a pious position because of you.” She grinned. “I love you, but not for your money or as a safety net, Van. Tell me honestly. I trust you. Is my determination to make Wade succeed a hopeless battle? Am I a spoiled brat who wants her way?”
“No, beautiful. You’re not spoiled. You’re determined.”
Julia grinned. “Vicki said the same thing.”
“Vicki is right and so am I. Your determination is something I love about you. Don’t compromise it for the easy way out. Will we succeed? I can’t promise. It would be fucking easier to sell Wade off for parts and watch the Butlers face the consequences of what they just pulled.”
“Is that what you think we should do?”
Phillip had said that Julia was my replacement for Madison. Staring at her, seeing the shine in her blue eyes as she talked about her family’s company, and listening to her resolve were all glistening examples of how Julia was different than Madison.
Madison wasn’t a fighter.
She wanted complacency in her life.
It set her apart from Lena and others like us.
In hindsight, I thought I could make Madison’s dreams come true. No, I thought I could change her dreams into mine, wanting more, bigger, and better. Julia was different from the moment we met.
It was Julia’s grit that sent her walking in a blizzard. Her honesty and openness attracted me, but it was her self-assuredness when we parted ways for the first time that secured my interest, setting a hook to ensnare my heart.
“Be honest,” Julia said.