Now wasn’t the time to remind her that running Wade into the ground was exactly what she and Gregg had done.
“Trust,” Julia said again.
Ana sat straight, her expression devoid of emotion. “You.”
“Me.” Julia said, her hand flinching in mine. “It was all to be mine. In trust until when?”
“That was up to you and the executive board,” Gregg said. “Herman took out the part about marriage. He said he didn’t want you to be forced to marry. What he meant was to marry a man like Ana married.”
Un-fucking-believable.
Julia’s eyes grew to the size of saucers, yet her trembling had stopped and her voice was strong. “Wade could have been mine before now—before this injunction?”
“Little girl,” Gregg said, his tone begging for Julia’s understanding. “Marlin and Gwen, they knew everything. We came to an agreement. You and Skylar. You two were already inseparable.”
“We were pre-teens.”
Gregg’s head shook. “It was what was best for both families. We would all benefit. When Herman passed away, we didn’t know what the future would hold. We had grand illusions of success.” He lowered his chin. “Never had we predicted that we’d be in this difficult financial situation. Our plan—the four of us—was to stay invested in a family company. Your marriage to Skylar was the glue.”
Julia turned to me. “Where do we go from here?”
My lips came together as I leaned back and took a deep breath.
Yes, I’d fucked up my family, but I didn’t do it while planning a wedding. I didn’t do it behind their backs. Hell no. I was all about taking credit for their downfall.
“There is nowhere to go,” Gregg said, gripping the back of the chair where he’d earlier sat. “Marlin bailed. He’s fighting other battles.”
We knew about that too.
Gregg continued, “Marlin threatened to testify against both Ana and me if we didn’t release him from our agreement.”
“Agreement?” Julia asked.
“When Herman passed,” Gregg began, “the four of us agreed to stay in Wade together. That meant the Butlers couldn’t sell if our shares were frozen.”
“They couldn’t sell without us selling also,” Ana clarified. “It was what we planned with Biogen.”
“Marlin threatened to testify against you?” I asked.
Gregg and Ana nodded.
“There is somewhere to go,” Julia said. “Regardless of your rude and unjustified attack on my husband’s assistance, we have a plan.”
“The two of you?” Gregg asked with the first sign of hope I’d heard since we entered this office.
“We have the help of another shareholder. Come to the executive meeting and find out what we propose as a possible way to save Wade.”
“The injunction?” Ana said. “I don’t want Gregg going to jail.”
I shook my head. “You stole your daughter’s inheritance.”
“No,” Gregg said, “it was always the plan that she and Skylar would—”
I stood. “Let me rephrase, Mr. McGrath.” Ana’s and Gregg’s eyes grew wide. “You conspired and diligently followed through on a plan to retain an inheritance that was not yours to receive. Not only that, but you also constructed this falsehood in a way that required Julia to marry a man you predetermined, not based on love but for the only purpose of cementing the agreement between you and your co-conspirators. In that process, you denied your own daughter her rightful inheritance and her choice in a husband.”
“The Butlers didn’t…” Gregg’s eyes closed. When they opened, he was looking at Julia. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t supposed to end up this way. We thought we had an out. I never wanted that out. I wanted Wade to succeed.”
Julia stood. “It will but not because of either of you or the Butlers. Come to the executive meeting. It will be your last.”