Reign of a King (Kingdom Duet 1)

“This is my company now.”

I must’ve heard something wrong, because I think Jonathan said this is now his company.

“What are you talking about?” I meant to snap, but my voice comes out small, fearful even.

Jonathan motions at the men with him. “My lawyers will give you the acquisition papers. I bought the stocks you used as collateral with the bank.”

Layla and I take the papers with unsteady hands and study them. My eyes bulge as I stare at the bank director’s signature beside Jonathan’s.

“But he said…” Layla swallows. “He said he’d give us time.”

“Your time is up,” Jonathan continues in his haughty voice that I wish I could mute or, better yet, throw it and him out the window.

“Still,” I compose myself, even though my heart is about to leap out of my throat. “Layla and I have ninety per cent of the stocks. We only used twenty per cent each for the bank’s collateral. If you acquired forty per cent of the shares, we still have fifty combined.”

Jonathan smiles as if he expected me to say that. It’s a weird one, his smile. It always feels like a declaration of war and a promise to crush. Like he wouldn’t willingly smile for any other reason.

“Correction. You both combined had eighty-nine per cent of the shares. Now, it’s forty-nine.”

“It’s still more than your forty.”

“Who said I have forty? Harris.” He motions at the man beside him who’s holding a tablet and a black document on which ‘King Enterprises’ is engraved in bold golden letters with a crown on top.

Harris, a lean man who appears prim and detached, adjusts his glasses with his index and middle finger and offers me the folder. I open it the fastest I’ve ever done anything in my life.

The world starts to blacken as I see the signature beside Jonathan’s.

Lucien Vincent. Our silent investor.

“I’ve gotten in touch with your third investor and he transferred the whole eleven per cent of his shares to me. I now have fifty-one per cent and own H&H.”

“Mr Vincent can’t do that,” Layla whispers to me. “We signed a contract.”

“We did.” I jerk my spine, facing Jonathan. “The transfer of Mr Vincent’s

shares is null. We signed a contract that he can’t sell his shares unless he speaks to one of us first.”

“Or in case of bankruptcy.” Jonathan’s words feel like a whip to my back. “Which is the current situation. The transfer is completely legal. Certainly, you can fight a few years in court if you feel entitled to, but you won’t win, so you might as well save your efforts and finances.”

My mouth opens, then closes again. No words would come out, even if I tried to speak.

God.

Oh, no.

I can’t believe I lost the company this way. How? Where did I go wrong?

Blaming it on Jake is useless. He might have stolen from us, but I’m the one who trusted him when I shouldn’t have.

“You manipulated the bank director, didn’t you?” Ethan speaks for the first time since Jonathan came in. His expression has lost the triumph it gained when we shook hands earlier. “You must’ve switched banks for one of your subsidiaries that has a significant net profit to said bank to make the director agree to sell the shares.”

Jonathan smirks with pure sadism. “One step ahead of you, as usual.”

“I wouldn’t light fireworks yet, Jonathan.”

“Always a pleasure to crush you, Ethan. Needless to say, your investment in H&H is declined, effective immediately.”

Ethan steps in front of Jonathan, and a clash of gazes erupts between them. It’s like two Titans gearing up for a fight.