Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,25

on our quarterly timetable. They’d done so one hour after the contract had been signed, which meant the information had leaked prior to the rather vicious newspaper articles and television news coverage. I had a feeling I knew exactly who’d leaked the information. The asshole would pay for his treachery.

I’d forced the board members to wait, visiting several of my operations before driving to the headquarters. Almost four-thirty. Perfect.

Minutes later, I pushed open the heavy set of wooden doors, storming into the boardroom, the members already seated. While my chair remained empty at the head of the table, I had no intention of sitting. Whatever was about to transpire would only take a few minutes of my time.

I was in no mood for bullshit from any of them. While the six handpicked moguls owned a significant share of the company’s stock, every single member was well aware I held all the cards.

They would never have any level of control.

Nor would any of the other less powerful stockholders. I continued to play by my father’s established rules, even though I’d created a few of my own. I’d made it my point to discover every dirty little secret of every board member or investor who owned a significant portion of stock prior to extending them an invitation. With either a pointed phone call or email sent, I could destroy their lives. That allowed me to sleep at night, at least for an hour or two.

The expressions of the five men and one woman were stoic, perhaps laced with a hint of fear. I shoved the chair out of my way, planting my palms on the table and leaning over, locking eyes with every one of them. “To what do I owe the pleasure of being called to the boardroom?”

They stole small glances at one another as if holding a secret. My anger level increased from their silence alone.

When Robert cleared his throat, I shifted my gaze in his direction. I’d hired Mr. Dwyer because of his acumen for turning around failing companies. With his expertise, I’d been able to acquire several prior to their change in operation, fortifying my already extensive empire. Unfortunately, he had a penchant for young girls, a damning proclivity he certainly wouldn’t want exposed to his family.

Or to the press.

I doubted his pompous ass could spend more than a night in jail before meeting his demise.

I offered a smile, giving him a nod. “Robert?”

He tapped his fingers on the table, his personal nervous tic. “Gabriel, while none of us would ever want to question your authority, we also must answer to the stockholders. You know the kind of pressure we’re under with regard to this last deal you’ve proposed. There were already concerns that you’re taking on too much with building your own manufacturing plant. Mr. Braxton is a real snake and he’ll sell the land to someone else if there’s a hint of a scandal.”

My last deal. They had no way of knowing it truly would be my last deal as CEO of this subsidiary, at least for a period of time. My successor would be carefully monitored, but I had no intentions of entering into subsequent large deals until I had full control over the entire world empire. The thought was riveting. Soon, Masters Enterprises would be all mine.

The board members had every right to be worried, but not about anything I’d done. Their concerns should be based on the fact that the information Mr. Toro had stolen could be used against our company by our enemies. If a single member of the network got their hands on the financials, the information could be parlayed into undermining the bid I’d placed on the land in question. I knew they would try any underhanded technique in order to best me. Had Luis already sold the drive of information off to the highest bidder? That had to be the reason he betrayed me.

Even if his contract with his daughter made no sense.

I also had various concerns about a few members on the board.

“Meaning?” I asked casually, able to hear Maria’s scattered breathing. She was worried her husband would find out exactly how rough she liked it in the bedroom, even though he’d never been her dom of choice.

“Meaning, as diligently as you attempted to hide the contractual deal you entered into with a bloodthirsty criminal, it leaked within minutes all over this city. You’re going against a very prominent family in this state. Your investors are worried about