Chapter 16 - The Iron Throne of Blackstone: Consolidating Power and the Arrival of a New Enemy
The air in the executive suite of Blackstone Crest Holdings had changed,
it no longer felt heavy with the scent of expensive cigars and the stagnant air of a boys' club,
it felt sharp,
electric,
and clinical.
I stood at the window,
the glass cool against my forehead,
watching the fog roll off the Hudson River like a shroud.
In my hand,
I held a report that would have sent Everett into a tailspin of panic,
but to me,
it was simply the next move on the chessboard.
A hostile takeover bid had been initiated by a conglomerate known as Ironwood Global,
a firm led by a man named Julian Vane.
Julian was a predator,
the kind of man who didn't just want to buy companies,
he wanted to skin them alive and wear their assets like a trophy.
He had been a mentor to Everett,
or so Everett thought,
but I knew the truth—Julian had been waiting for the moment Everett tripped over his own ego.
My phone buzzed,
breaking the silence.
"Ms. Hart,"
Sarah said,
her voice steady but tight with urgency.
"Julian Vane is in the lobby."
"He doesn't have an appointment,"
"but he says he’s here to 'save the lady of the house' from her own ambition."
I smiled,
a slow,
predatory curl of my lips.
"Send him up,
Sarah."
"And tell Marcus to stand by,"
"not for my protection,"
"but to ensure Mr. Vane doesn't lose his way when I have him escorted out."
I walked to the center of the room,
sitting behind the massive obsidian desk that had replaced Everett’s mahogany relic.
The doors swung open,
and Julian Vane walked in,
exuding an aura of wealth and unearned confidence.
He was older than Everett,
with silver-streaked hair and eyes that looked like they were made of polished flint.
"Evelyn,"
he said,
spreading his arms as if we were old friends.
"You’ve certainly made a splash."
"The whole city is talking about the little wife who pulled the rug out from under her husband."
I didn't stand up.
I didn't offer him a seat.
"Mr. Vane,"
I said,
my voice a calm,
steady pulse.
"I’m busy."
"You have three minutes before I charge you for the air you’re breathing in my building."
Julian’s smile didn't falter,
but his eyes sharpened.
"Straight to the point,"
"I like that."
"But let's be realistic,
Evelyn."
"Blackstone is wounded."
"The stock is volatile,"
"your reputation is tied to a scandal,"
"and the board is half-empty."
"Ironwood Global is offering a generous buyout."
"Take the money,"
"retire to a villa in France,"
"and let the professionals handle the heavy lifting."
I leaned back,
tapping a pen against the obsidian surface.
"The 'professionals'?"
"Are you referring to yourself,
Julian?"
"The man who lost forty percent of his portfolio in the 2022 tech crash?"
"Or the man who has been trying to hack into Blackstone’s infrastructure for the last forty-eight hours?"
Julian froze,
his hand hovering over the back of a chair.
"I don't know what you're talking about,"
he said,
his voice losing its warmth.
"Don't lie to me in my own office,"
I said,
sliding a folder across the desk.
"I traced the IP addresses back to an Ironwood subsidiary in Dublin."
"You thought that because Everett was a fool,"
"I would be a victim."
"But I am the one who built the encryption you failed to break."
"I am the one who predicted your takeover attempt three months ago."
"And I am the one who has already started a short-selling campaign against Ironwood’s stock."
Julian’s face turned a pale,
sickly shade of gray.
"You're shorting my company?"
"As of ten minutes ago,"
"yes,"
I replied.
"By the time you get back to your office,"
"your shareholders will be receiving a notification that Blackstone has acquired a twenty percent stake in your primary debt-holder."
"I’m not looking for a buyout,
Julian."
"I’m looking for a merger."
"One where Ironwood is the part that gets discarded."
Julian looked at me,
really looked at me,
and the realization of his mistake finally hit him.
He had come here to play a game of checkers with a woman he thought was a novice.
Instead,
he had walked into a grandmaster’s trap.
"You're insane,"
he whispered.
"I'm a businesswoman,"
I said,
standing up.
"And you're late for your collapse."
"Marcus,"
I called out.
The doors opened,
and the head of security stepped in,
his presence filling the room.
"Mr. Vane is leaving."
"Make sure he doesn't take anything that doesn't belong to him."
"Including the dignity he has left."
As Julian was led out,
stumbling like a man who had seen a ghost,
I sat back down.
The battle for the soul of Blackstone was far from over,
but the first predator had been dealt with.
I picked up my phone and dialed Grant.
"Phase Four,"
I said.
"Increase the pressure on the Ironwood bonds."
"I want Julian Vane to remember this day as the day he tried to touch the sun and got burned by the moon."
I hung up,
looking back out at the city.
The buildings looked like pieces on a board,
May you like
and for the first time,
I was the only one making the moves.
Related Stories
