Ladies and gentlemen,” I begin. “I’m going to start of by saying that I assume most of you know who I am, and that I know what you probably think of me: I’m a corporate raider, a ‘vulture capitalist.’ Someone who makes money off the suffering of others.

There’s a general murmur of agreement in the crowd, as if daring me to contradict them.

I’m not going to.

“You’re right,” I say. “You’re right about all of it.”

At the head table, I see Sarah’s eyes widen. Beside her, Linda Davies looks surprised at first, but her expression quickly turns to satisfaction.

“I built a vast fortune by taking over companies that I saw as weak, dismantling them and then using the profits to invest in more viable businesses. I never gave a thought to the people involved in those ventures, other than to make sure that I always had the upper hand. For a long time, I thought that was the nature of success. Survival of the fittest. Anything that couldn’t survive on its own deserved to be eaten.”

That draws another susurrus from the group. I hope a few of them see themselves reflected in what I’m saying, but I doubt many of them will.

“But not everything you’ve heard about me is true,” I continue. “A lot of people in this room believe that I bought stock in PinkBook as an acquisition. That I wormed my way into the company by romancing Sarah Bauer, then stealing inside information to destabilize the company and plunder it when the stock dropped.”

Again, more agreement.

“You’re wrong,” I say. “Until a few days ago, I had no interest in this company outside of my love for Ms. Bauer. And that love was the reason I did what I did.”

Sarah’s eyes glimmer while the rest of her people sputter and whisper amongst themselves. The whole room is buzzing now, but I don’t care. My words were for her alone.

“PinkBook is not just a company,” I say. “It’s the soul of four women who had a dream, and it’s the hard work and sweat of those women and countless others who shared that dream and wanted to help make it a reality. Those people were rewarded for their work, and PinkBook became not just an important media company, but a family that cared about every member, from the person at the front desk all the way up to the CEO’s office. Sarah Bauer taught me that. She taught me about the value of loyalty, of friendship, of caring about other people. She showed me that business was about lifting up everyone around you, not just yourself.”

I turn towards the back of the room and see Darryl’s expression darken. Suddenly he’s not sitting in the catbirds seat the way he thought he was.

“And that’s why I did what I did on Monday. Not to take control of this company, but to keep it in the hands of the people who created it, and who still know best how to run it.”

I turn my back on Darryl, who’s seething now, and face the head table—face Sarah—again.

“The choice is yours,” I say. “Sarah, Jenna, Candice. The fate of the company rests with you. You can take Millie’s offer and sell, or you can hold onto your shares and trust that I’ll let you continue guiding the company. It all comes down to who you trust more.”

“I call for a recess!” Darryl barks from his spot at the back.

Linda Davies looks perplexed, but nods. “In light of this information, we’ll take a short break. We’ll reconvene in ten minutes.”

I stand my ground, hoping that Sarah will come to me. To my right, I watch Lawrence stalk his way up to the front of the room. Next thing I know, he and Millie are headed off into an alcove together.

What…?

“Did you mean that?”

Sarah’s voice startles me and I turn to see her standing next to me, her wide, wet eyes piercing right into my soul.

“Every word,” I say. “Please, Sarah, you have to trust me on this. I had nothing to do with Darryl’s raid. The only thing I’m guilty of is being a white knight again, but this time I couldn’t see any other way.”

“Tell me what happened.”

I explain to her about Nigeria and not being able to get through, about throwing together the shell corporation and jumping into the bidding.

“I know Darryl’s behind everything that led up to the stock price falling,” I say.

“Are you sure?” she asks.

“As much as I hate to admit it, it’s a brilliant strategy. And outside of the illegal aspects, they’re tactics I’ve used in the past. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth.”

She mulls it over and finally nods. The world seems to disappear around us as she closes the distance between us so that we’re only inches apart.

“Now the real question,” she says. Her voice is soft, and yet it’s the only sound I hear. “Were you telling the truth? Do you really love me? I have to know.”

I take a deep breath. Everything comes down to this moment, to the two of us and the greatest gamble I’ve ever taken in my life. If I win, I take everything. If I lose, I lose it all.

I take her left hand in my right as my own left hand reaches into my pocket. Then I drop to one knee on the tatty old carpet of the ballroom floor. We’re surrounded by bodies, but we’re the only two people in the world.

“That’s not the real question,” I say as her eyes widen and her lovely lips part. “The real question is this: Sarah Bauer, will you marry me?”