The ornate cornices in the hotel’s grand ballroom make me think of weddings, which makes me want to cry, so I look away.

I’m here alone in this cavernous space. In an hour, the room will be filled with PinkBook shareholders, including the board of directors, and every one of them will be looking at me and thinking I’m a complete fool.

Justin tried to call me a half-dozen times after the day in my office, but he finally gave up when I never answered. Each ring was like in knife in me; was he being honest? Or was it all a huge game to him? He’s spent his career stalking companies like a predator stalks prey. Why would I think this was any different?

But he said he loved me.

Silly girl, my mother’s voice says in my mind. Man like him’ll say anything to get what he wants from a woman. The men down home wouldn’t do that.

But somewhere down deeper is GrandMa-Ma’s voice, urging me to keep hope alive. Dream, girl, she says. You were smarter’n any of us. Trust y’self.

I fetch a heavy sigh just as the first few people start to trickle in. No one is smiling, which I suppose is no wonder, given what happened two days earlier. I imagine more than one of them lost a considerable amount of money. I avoid their gaze and busy myself at the head table.

Then Linda Davies appears at my side. Millie enters with her, but stalks off to a seat at the table without saying hello.

Linda looks at me the way a principal looks at a student in the office.

“This is a hell of a thing, Sarah. How did we get to this point?”

As deflated as I am, I’m not going to sit here and be lectured. If I’m going down, I’m going down swinging.

“You started listening to Darryl Lawrence, for starters,” I say. “I’m guessing that you and other board members started talking to the wrong people after he talked to you, and those people talked to the business bloggers. That’s how feeding frenzies start, Linda.”

The look of shock on her face gives me a tiny bit of satisfaction.

“I’m not the one who opened my legs for the city’s biggest vulture,” she says coldly.

“No, you spread yours for a little pretender to the throne,” I reply evenly.

I walk away, leaving her to fume as the rest of the shareholders continue to file in. Whatever else happens today, I have to admit that felt obscenely good.

* * *

My heart jumps as I see Justin stride into the room. He looks like a god, impossibly tall and chiseled in his tailored suit that probably cost more than some people in this city make in a year. All eyes are on him, but he immediately scans the room for me. Just as we’re about to make eye contact, I turn and head to my spot at the table. This isn’t the place for us to talk. Not now, not like this.

I sit next to Linda, who immediately shuffles her chair as far away from me as she can get. Jenna and Candice take their seats in the front row on the opposite end from Millie. The three of us have been trying to make sense of her behavior since Monday, and we’ve talked about her offer. Depending on what happens today, we’ll make our decision to either fight or cut bait. I don’t know about them, but that’s not an option for me. If they want to sell to Millie, I can’t stop them, but they can’t force me to sell, either.

The room fills up quickly after that, and I watch Justin take a seat in the center of the front row. His face is closed, his brow furrowed, like a fighter getting ready to step in the ring. Finally, I see Darryl amble in at the back of the room, shaking hands and laughing as if he was in a wedding receiving line. The spectacle makes my stomach turn.

Everyone finally takes a seat, and Linda bangs the gavel to call for order.

I take a deep breath. It’s showtime.

Linda introduces herself, the board members who bothered to come—I’m sure the ones who didn’t sold out on Monday—and the executive. She explains that the purpose of the emergency meeting is to discuss the direction the company will take in the future. The voting won’t take place today, but everyone will be allowed to say their piece. Ultimately, every shareholder has the opportunity to vote, and they get one per share, which means that majority shareholders will likely make the ultimate decision when things are made official at the annual meeting.

I let her words wash over me as I stare out at Justin. What’s going on behind those steel grey eyes? Does he love me? No matter what happens today, I have to face the fact that I love him. I may never be able to be with him, but I can’t change my heart anymore than I can change the color of my skin.

Linda finishes by confirming what I had suspected: she’s divested herself of PinkBook shares and will be stepping down as chairwoman. Leanne is next, bringing everyone up to speed on the new share structure. Basically, Darryl and Justin came away with thirty percent of the stock each, leaving another ten percent divided amongst other small-scale investors, and the thirty percent that the “Gang of Four” share. Assuming Jenna and Candice don’t sell to Millie, of course, which would make her the third majority shareholder with twenty-three percent.

My eyes keep being drawn back to Darryl’s smug grin. He’s quiet, which isn’t like him, especially since he and Justin are now equal partners in the company. What is he hiding? Is he just self-satisfied because he and Justin managed to sucker all of us?

Leanne wraps up her report and hands it back to Linda, who calls for any comments from the floor.

Justin all but leaps from his seat and heads for the microphone.

“My name is Justin Lucas,” he says. “And as one of the three majority shareholders, I’d like to exercise my right to speak.”

Linda waves for him to continue, but the disdain on her face is obvious. In the back, I see Darryl’s smile hasn’t faltered, which leaves me wondering what’s coming next. If the two of them are in cahoots, they can’t let on in public or they’d risk huge legal backlash. My heart is sick over what Justin is about to say.

He takes a breath and pulls the microphone from the stand.