Billionaire's Pleasure-Chapter 27: The Revelation

Sebastian’s POV

After a week. Louis and I have everything organized and ready to go. Every one who is required to be here has gathered around the meeting table. Even Dad was a participant in the event. Every action we do is well known to him. He has expressed support for our strategy, but not with the same vehemence that Louis and I have. We’re ready to take on the challenge from Mr. Bill.

Then there’s Steve, who’s the mastermind driving the majority of the cover-up efforts.

"I hear my father yell ’Ladies and gentlemen,’ from the table’s highest point. It is my belief that we have achieved a deal, and that this is the finest news I’ve had all year."

Steve leans forward in his seat, his eyes twinkling like Christmas lights in the darkness of his surroundings. "Are we about to write our names on the dotted line?" he asks.

Dad confirms with a nod of his head. According to the attorneys, a somewhat modified contract was drawn up. We have obtained their confirmation that there are no significant differences between the new contract and the previous contract. Furthermore, neither the acquisition terms nor the costs have changed in a significant way."Is it possible for you to lead them through the process, Sebastian?"

"Yes, Dad," I say as I wait for Geisel to come into the room and give copies of the new contract to everyone in attendance. "On page eighty-five section eight, line thirteen, you’ll notice that one corporation name, a Ville Shield Holdings, has been added to an altered chain of ownership," I explained.

I’m not surprised when Steve becomes restless in his seat and turns to see our father. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on?" he inquires, his voice shaking with nervousness as he tries to keep it in check.

Dad concurs, saying, "Let us give everyone adequate time to consider the proposed adjustments. In the interim, Gerald, my sons have gained a greater knowledge of the subtleties of these adjustments. The four of us are welcome to talk at my office."

We thank him for his time and enter his office across the hall, closing the door in our footsteps. This isn’t going to be a nice experience for anyone involved.

"Could someone please explain to me what in the world is going on?" Steve asked again. "How did Ville Shield Holdings be shifted around without my knowledge?"

"Simple," Louis says with a growl. "Payback is a jerk."

I take a step closer to him to show my interest. "Louis is attempting to communicate that you attempted to smuggle two significant exposures into our four-billion-dollar acquisition in the belief that all of the layers of ownership would delay our notice until it was too late."

Louis takes a deep breath and crosses his arms over his chest to relax. "What the hell are you talking about?" Louis exclaims incredulously.

"You are aware that Hudson Research is about to be the target of a significant class action lawsuit. Don’t try to keep it a secret. They fudged the results of their clinical trials in order to obtain FDA approval, and now a side effect is killing people as a result. Foresight and desire to transfer someone with knowledge were lacking on the part of the board of directors in order to ensure a successful transition."

"Do you have any clue what that means?" Louis continues his story. "It seems to me that you meant to cause trouble for us, Steve."

Louis’s suit lapels are grabbed by Dad as he approaches me and takes me by the shoulders. The man, who was formerly one of his oldest friends, gets shoved up against a nearby wall. "The fact that you think you’ll get away with stabbing me in the back after all these years shows how many balls you have."

The truth has been revealed, and Steve replies with a knowing smile on his face now that he’s realized what’s going on.

"What in the world would you do such a thing to me?" he questioned incredulously. Dad is adamant about it.

"There is just one thing that matters; business. It’s likely that if it were the other way around, you’d do the same thing to me."

"I’d do it like hell if I had to. But there’s a difference between the two of us, you filthy jerk," Dad said.

Steve mutters, "There’s just one thing. I’m not going to put my name on it."

Dad tightens his grip on him even further. "It looks like you’re going to sign. Let there be no doubt about it."

"Can you tell me more about how you propose to go about doing that? Are you going to put a pistol to my head?" Steve says.

"It’s the only way to keep your half-billion-dollar consulting business, so you’ll sign the document."

"What exactly do you mean?" Steve inquires. His eyes constricted and strained.

When Dad says, ""Explain what we’re talking about to this arrogant son of a bitch."

"Unfortunately your CEO has resigned, and the interim CEO has persuaded the board to agree on a merger with us."

"You’d never do something like that," Steve said.

"It’s something we’ve done before," I say. "Speak with your acting CEO; by the way, if you don’t, he will sign the document."

Steve’s expression darkens as he realizes what has happened and how shocked he is.

"You conceited jerks," He said angrily.

"Yes. That’s who we are as a group. Don’t be concerned, though. We’ve already taken care of the fixes that will be required to get things back on track for you. Hudson Research will meet with the legal team representing the plaintiffs in the class-action case next week. There is an intention to make a reasonable offer, which will include a pledge to devote some resources to minimizing the undesirable side effects of the medicine if necessary. The Phoenix Capital Management Group has also already agreed to issue relocation offers to half of its technological and manufacturing staff, which will take effect immediately. If you want to pull it off, you’ll need to spend several hundred million dollars. That is something you must accept. That’s a drop in the bucket when compared to the alternative."

Steve exits the office by slamming the door behind him and marching out the door.

"It went a lot better than I anticipated," Louis says, a smile on his face.

"He’s not happy," Dad replies, gesticulating toward the front door. "However, he’s a sharp guy. Steve recognizes when it is appropriate to take a chance. In the grand scheme of things, he’ll sign." Dad walks out the door, straightening his suit jacket as he does so. "I’ll see to it that we keep the pressure on him. Thank you very much, sons. My interest has not been piqued at this level in years."

"I’m available at any moment, Dad," Louis says.

As soon as Dad has left, I say, "Imagine you still didn’t admit anything about you and Michelle."

"Please shut up, Sebastian! It is not required for him to be aware of this."

"You won’t be able to keep your major secret hidden for much longer, brother," Sebastian says while smiling.

"You’re not too far behind," Louis states emphatically.

"Could you just explain what you’re talking about?" I wonder.

"Do you and your pet sitter from next door have a relationship? I am confident about it."

I point out, "Dad already knows."

"Are you playing a joke on me?" Louis

"No. He caught as on act. By the way, Michelle is in your care, and it is your responsibility to keep an eye on her. Please don’t put it off any longer! This is especially true given that Steve is now Dad’s number one adversary."

"Shit, bro."

"That’s exactly right," I confirm. "In order to keep your stuff together, you should get your head out of your ass. You and Michelle have known each other long enough to be confident that you are dealing with the real deal. Don’t make a mess of things by doing something stupid. Telling me you’re going to do anything wild is not a good idea."

"You’re the one with all of the crazy ideas," Louis said.

"How about me? I’m good as hell," I said and smile.

"You’re not," Louis asserts emphatically. "You’ve had mommy issues your whole goddamned life."

"Whatever, bro!" I said.

All of this is met with a sneer and a laugh from him as if none of it is new to either of us. "Don’t you think we’re fucking partners?" He said. "To make matters worse, I’m too attached, and you’re incapable of developing an emotional tie that will save your life."

Having Stella, I no longer think this to be the case. Nonetheless, he is completely unaware of how close we have become, but I am not yet ready to disclose the intricacies of my developing relationship with Stella.

My words to him are, "I’m not talking to you about this, bro," and I implore him to get a hold of himself. "We need to complete the acquisition of a business."

As soon as Louis turns and walks away, I follow him out of the room to conduct the once-in-a-lifetime transaction.