It surrounded me. A supernova.
I married the man of my dreams. No, Van was beyond any dream I’d ever had. I’d married the man perfect for me. The passion in his touch and love in his tone gave me the strength to take the step I wanted to take, the one I knew was the right decision. With Van, I’d opened my petals and found not only a man to love, but I found myself.
Following the executive board meeting, I floated on air. Or perhaps it was that I was being carried by friends.
Lena’s support.
Skylar’s and my understanding.
The media’s interest in Wade.
Our early negotiations with Biogen and Sinclair.
And above all, my father’s on-record declaration.
Darkness came when the candle was extinguished.
One puff of air and a room had no choice but to surrender to the shadows.
It wasn’t a puff of air but a gunshot.
Meant for me.
I was Phillip’s goal. He wanted Van to suffer the loss of his wife as Phillip suffered Madison’s loss. Knowing that I was the target made my father’s shooting all that more unbearable.
Van and I didn’t leave for Ashland as we’d planned.
We stayed in Chicago—in Lincoln Park to be exact.
Van worked from my father’s study as I took the reins at Wade. With the proximity, I could work from their home or the downtown offices.
When Mother wasn’t at the hospital with Dad, we talked.
I was in their home, not as their little girl, but as a daughter, a wife, and the new CEO of Wade Pharmaceutical.
After Dad’s surgeries and hospital stay, he was moved to rehab where he rebuilt his strength. Even now, with Mom and Dad home, I couldn’t predict the future of my relationship with my parents. I could only say that what we had was better than it was before.
My mother became resigned to me taking my place at Wade, even offering to help. Her time was limited. Taking care of Dad had become Mom’s new obsession. The thought of Dad telling her to let him be and stop fussing brought a smile to my face.
Together, my parents made the decision that the time was right to retire. While they didn’t own stock, officially, they were named consultants for Wade, the same title as Lena. Lena refused a salary, instead wanting her compensation to come from dividends as she predicted Wade’s soaring profits. For my parents, their new position came with a yearly salary.
The deal with Biogen went through. While numbers with lines of zeros danced in my head, the final agreement was a bit less. Nevertheless, it was substantial, and not only relieved Wade of its debt, but gave Wade a cushion as we worked to increase insulin production.
Sinclair and Wade weren’t alone in their new coalition. Three other small pharma companies joined—two in Ohio and another in Illinois. This agreement was in its infancy, but the potential was there.
My father confessed to the court regarding filing a fraudulent will. While Van hadn’t been able to find previous copies of Herman Wade’s last will and testament, there were years of documents archived in Wade legal.
I don’t know all the hoops the different lawyers jumped through. I know the negotiations involved Sherman Corp attorneys—the company name was officially changed—and Wade Pharmaceutical’s legal as well as the Cook County prosecutor’s office. In lieu of jail time, Dad was given a fine and the court ordered that he never return to Wade’s governing body.
What I do know was that the Lincoln Park house and thirty-nine percent of Wade became mine.
Not really.
The morning before Van was shot, I sold my shares.
For a quarter.
Van joked that with Wade’s growing value, it was undeniably the best deal he’d ever made. I didn’t disagree that it was mutually beneficial—but not the best. Agreeing to marry Van and accepting the coiled white ribbon was undeniably the best deal I ever made.