“Julia.” The way Mom said my name was confirmation enough of why I hadn’t called earlier.
“I love him. He loves me. I can’t imagine marrying anyone else.”
“You two are really married?” Dad asked.
“Do you have proof?” Mom asked.
“Beyond my word?” I took a breath. “Yes, Dad, we are. I’m sorry we married without the two of you, but I didn’t feel as though I had an option.”
“Donovan wouldn’t allow it?” Mom asked.
Gritting my teeth, I gripped the phone tighter. “No. The decision was mine.” My hand trembled with emotion, yet I kept my voice strong. “I want to have the two of you in my life. Van’s not making me choose him over you. I’m the one who is asking for a choice.”
“Little girl?”
I closed my eyes, imagining my father was in front of me. It was difficult to not cry. “It’s your choice, Mom and Dad. Accept that Van is my husband, and that I am a part of Wade Pharmaceutical—a real part—or decide not to be a part of our lives, and I will still fight for my part of Wade. I know what I hope you’ll decide.”
“You’re our daughter,” Dad said.
“You are giving us an ultimatum?” Mom asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“You are always our first choice, Julia,” Dad said.
I let out a breath. “What has happened regarding Grandpa Herman’s will?”
“We’d…” Dad began. “Your mother and I can be up to Ashland tomorrow. Things have gotten…” He paused. “You deserve to hear the truth in person. You and Donovan.”
The truth.
Instead of agreeing, I said, “We’re coming to Chicago on Thursday. If you want to tell me in person, you can tell me then.”
“Thursday?” Mom asked.
“You’ll know more by then. Since the Butlers sold their stock, the current stockholders are demanding an emergency election to fill the executive board.”
“You know about the Butlers?” Dad asked.
“Julia Ann, our stockholdings are frozen,” Mom said. “They can’t be passed to you until this mess ends. Until that time, they remain in our care. By the bylaws, only stockholders can be a part of the board.”
“I co-own Wade Pharmaceutical stock, Mom. Van and I are married. What was his is now half mine.” I remembered what Van told me on our wedding night about bowing. Squaring my shoulders, I evened my voice. “I’m Mrs. Julia Sherman. I am eligible for the executive board.”
“Julia.”
I shook my head at the sound of my name. Turning away from the window, I looked at Van. “What did he say?”
Exhaling, Van sat back against his tall leather chair. “Lennox said he and his wife would like to have dinner with us the next time we are in New York.”
Not what I was asking about but okay.
“Really? Do you go to New York often?”
“I told him I’d let him know the next time we have plans.”
“What about Wade?” I asked.
“He said he’d see what he could do. Demetri Enterprises is diverse in its investments. As Jeremy told us on the phone last night, Lennox and his wife have invested in Biogen. Lennox is familiar with a few of the members of the executive board. Biogen is a publicly traded company based out of Massachusetts, not far from the Demetri Enterprises American headquarters.”