Iscariot

And now I'm falling, so promise that you'll catch me.

Matthew growled under his breath as he drove back to the office, Mika's energy still buzzing under his skin like an overdose of caffeine. It served as a reminder of how much she trusted him, spurring him to keep going despite the hurdles that continued to rise up. He refused to consider his own nerves.

Once Naomi left, he spent the entire night in his office, rehearsing what he'd pitch to who, fine-tuning his slides, and reviewing the acquisition contract David Anderson was proposing. Then he was out with the dawn, heading to the lakefront. The run went as planned, though the conversation with the board member was not nearly as thorough as he'd hoped for. He'd secured a vote but not an ally.

The temptation to enthrall the woman had been strong, too strong for Matthew's liking. With the pressure mounting, it would have been an easy win. The way she looked at him, he knew he could have simply seduced her for the vote but that would have only hurt him in the future. Once revealed, it would give ammunition to anyone looking to discredit him. Not to mention, there was only one woman Matthew was interested in now and he wouldn't betray Mika for anything.

It was only a small win, though, before everything went sideways. The breakfast he'd scheduled was canceled, three potential votes slipping through his fingers without any explanation. The first law firm he hired found that delaying the process of acquisition was beyond his reach. He wasn't a leading shareholder, wasn't a board member, and had no legal connections to Harold or the Anderson family. Harold may have given him and his brothers identities and money, but he never officially adopted them into his household.

Without winning the vote, Matthew had no way of slowing or stopping David from selling, short of evidence of fraud or illegal business practices that would trigger a full-fledged federal investigation. And he had worked meticulously to ensure such a thing could never happen in any of his business practices. If anything, he'd strengthened the company's legal policies while working for Andrew.

Even with Mika, the chances of stopping the acquisition were slim without securing the vote. She owned majority share but she wasn't a board member, wasn't CEO, and until last week, was only a student, unaffiliated with the company. Her ties to the direct conductance of business, despite owning it, were nonexistent. Without having an established leadership role, overthrowing the decision of David and the board wouldn't be defensible in a court of law.

That left his backup plan. Matthew visited the second law firm he hired to review the actual agreement. The contract David was proposing was tempting from both a monetary and a corporate development standpoint. More than tempting, he learned it already had an endorsement from the trade commission and the stamps of no fewer than four other law firms. The documentation was tight; Madison Entertainment had done their homework and made sure everything was in line. All it needed were the right signatures and Anderson Toys would be no more.

"Fuck!" Matthew slammed the steering wheel in frustration. Don't lose it now, Talbot. Don't lose it now. Things are tough but you can still pull it off. It's not over. Your brothers will save Mika, you'll save the Company.

Pulling into the parking lot once more, his brows rose at the number of cars he recognized parked around his own spot. Even the members he was supposed to have breakfast with were here. He jumped out of his convertible, hitting his fob to lock it as an afterthought as he stalked inside, his stomach dropping further.

The reception area was empty but the building wasn't silent. He bypassed the elevator and took the stairs, wanting to burn some of the anxiety rearing up at what he would find, listening to the rumble of distant conversation from the floors above.

"Matthew!" Jeanne approached the moment she saw him, tablet in hand.

"What's going on?" He glanced around. The executives were gathered in small groups, looking as worried as he felt. Board members were talking and walking down the halls as if it were a social gathering.