It was rare for us to be this open and honest with one another.
When we are on the same page talking things through calmly, fate once again gave us the opportunity to deepen our love for one another. Even God had hinted at us to hold hands and walk through life. What else couldn’t we accomplish together?
I clutched his hand tightly and rubbed it in anticipation of his response.
We sat in silence like that for close to a minute. “I’ve told you the answer to this question before. Why else do you think he’s here?”
Ashton jerked his chin towards Holden.
I breathed a sigh of relief at that. The old adage of taking a step back had never been more applicable than it did now.
Men had to be coaxed. As long as a woman was willing to put aside her ego, everything would naturally fall into place.
“But, business isn’t for the fun of it,” Ashton suddenly interjected. “Even if you had a letter of authorization from Marcus, it’s not the same as replacing him. Ultimately, this is the White family business. His prolonged disappearance had caused his staff to worry. If it gets to the point of his company being acquired, then it’ll be the only way out for White Corporation. What I am doing now is just bringing that eventuality forward.”
Ashton spoke with the conviction that Marcus would not return.
I felt uncomfortable. “Do you mean to say that you would buy White Corporation and return it to Marcus when the time comes?”
As soon as I had said that, Ashton scowled. He withdrew his hand from my touch. “Currently, White Corporation has some competition amongst the industry. I could compel the shareholders to begin the acquisition of the project. If I delayed any longer to ensure that all competitors have given up, I may not be able to lobby for any more changes. Upon acquisition, the shares will be diluted. It is an unavoidable outcome; the only consolation of which would be that White Corporation would not fall into the hands of foreign companies.”
Aside from me and Ashton, the shareholders of Fuller Corporation comprised Joe and several elderly executives who had reached the age of retirement. They only appeared during festivities or corporate events and they virtually did not care about how the company was run. But when it came to money matters, the swiftness of their response was astonishing.
Upon completion of the international acquisition of Eisen Corporation which involved the transfer of tens of billions, the shareholders who planned on having an uneventful retirement may not approve of another massive risk of acquiring White Corporation within such a short time frame.
What Ashton meant was that Marcus would forever be a shareholder in his company, but the company may not belong to his family forever. The decision to return the company to Marcus was no longer within Ashton’s control. It all depends on whether Marcus had the ability to match the price that was paid. I retracted my hand, not quite knowing what to say.
Ashton did all he could, so I couldn’t nitpick. The fate of Marcus and White Corporation could only be unveiled one step at a time. All we could do right now was to be optimistic about Holden’s success in tracking down Marcus.
The atmosphere was dense with an impasse. Ashton’s phone suddenly rang. We could see that it was a call from Joseph. Ashton glanced at it and went out to the balcony to answer the call.
I watched his back, suddenly filled with a sense of foreboding. Instinctively, I rubbed my belly and felt calmer.
The men who had treated me the best in my life were Marcus and Ashton. For them to be experiencing difficulties at this critical time, I believe that God would not deny them the due success, for all the kindness that they had done for me.
I heaved a slow sigh of relief. Suddenly, I felt Holden nudging my arm with his elbow; I had forgotten that he was still here. “Scarlett, would you like to go into a business with me?” he asked, with a brisk businesslike expression on his face.
