Vanessa sighed as she stared at the man in front of her. She'd thought he would be easy to control and maye he was. But Elliott Ross seemed to be the stubborn type as well.
And looking at him now, it seemed that even though he had signed the contract to marry her, getting him to agree with her plan was not going to be so easy.
But she did not want to tell him the truth. It would reveal too much about her...And she'd learnt her lesson with Ethan. Never again would she expose her vulnerability to anyone. She needed to distract him immediately...
Before he could press for answers, she moved ,and eased herself down, straddling him and not giving him a change to shift in protest.
She felt him tense beneath her, saw his jaw tighten, but he didn't push her away. His restraint intrigued her more than any reaction could have. The man was quite controlled even when she was throwing herself at him
"Since you have all the free time in the world, its better to do something interesting, don't you think so? Than discussing things?" As she said this, she leaned closer to him and slowly blew into his ear, feeling him trembling under her. She smiled. So easy. So what if she was not the most beautiful woman? She knew how to attract a man.
But her triumph did not last long. Because the next moment, his hands lifted, not to push her away, but to rest firmly on her waist instead of shoving her away. Why was he not retreating? He simply pulled her closer in one slow, deliberate motion, leaving no space between them.
For the first time since she had started this game of chasing him, Vanessa's breath paused. The man was not resisting or keeping her at a distance. He was responding. Why?
Even as she wondered this, his grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer causing her to almost fall face forward onto his chest...She stiffened and clutched his shoulders for support, trying to keep some distance between them.
But he had other ideas. His fingers spread across her back, holding her in place as if he had decided that she was not going anywhere.
She tried to shift, but he moved first. His hands slid along her sides, and then he jerked her forward again. Their faces came close. Their lips were only a breath apart. Too close.
Vanessa leaned back slightly, just enough to create distance. She stared down at him.
"What are you up to?" Thankfully her voice was steady even if her heartbeat was not. Then her eyes widened. Could he hear her heartbeat?
Elliott looked up at her without hesitation and then said in a flat tone. "You need a husband and since you insist on not telling me the reason, I am assuming that your fiance is not able to satisy you. So, I am just trying to behave like one... for your satisfaction."
For a moment, Vanessa had the entire scene play out in her head where she had thought to distract him, how he would push her away and then she would leave.
She sighed. Why did she have a feeling that her prey had become a hunter? She didn't know she could be handled so easily.
"Fine. Then listen. I'll summarize this once." She straightened slightly but did not move off him. "I am the CEO of Grant Studios. But I'm not the majority shareholder. My parents were. They built the company and I was supposed to inherit it."
"I know that. Everyone knows that." Elliott's expression didn't shift as he pointed that out because that was the truth.
Vanessa's fingers curled against his shoulder and she looked away, "Yes. Everyone knows that. But not everyone knows the rest. When they died, the will they left behind didn't give me full control. They divided the shares among me and both sets of my grandparents. So I have twenty percent. My mother's parents have twenty. And my father's parents hold forty. The premise was that if something were to happen to them, I should not be targetted by some gold digger for the money."
And yet, she clicked her tongue. "They didn't expect to die so soon. They assumed there'd be time to transfer shares properly later. Once I was older and had more sense. They were wrong. And now my paternal grandparents refuse to hand anything over."
"And before you say it," Vanessa continued with a humorless smile, "yes, it sounds like some dramatic family soap opera. But that's the situation. My paternal grandparents could sign over the shares. Legally, nothing is stopping them. In fact, they are supposed to sign them. The problem is they don't want to. They're looking for any reason to say I'm not suitable to lead. That I'm irresponsible, unprepared, unstable... take your pick."
"First, when the lawyer reminded them, they said that I was too young. Then they said that I needed to prove myself. And now, the suggestion is that they will hand it over to me as my engagement gift."
"So? If this is going to be your engagement gift then you can still marry Ethan and..."
"He won't get engaged to me."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because he is in cahoots with my cousin. He is going to deny our relationship on the night of our engagement and propose to her, making me look unstable. They might even claim that mine and Ethan's relationship was a figment of my imagination. And then my grandparents would transfer the shares to my cousin, because it would be proof that I am not... enough."
Elliott raised an eyebrow then. Even though she said the words almost mechanically, he could see the world of hurt beneath the expression.
And something in him did not like the idea of her being hurt. But he buried that thought and instead asked her," But, even if you get the ones from your maternal grandparents and buy some from other shareholders, you can become a majority share holder."
She sent him a look then," Do you think I have not considered that? The problem is that I don't have time on my side,. Someone has already started buying shares through shell companies, long before I even understood what was happening.
Three board members are backing them. If my grandparents decide I'm unstable after the engagement disaster Ethan is planning, they can vote me out before I even get the chance to secure anything."
Her eyes darkened. "And once that happens, I lose access to internal voting rights, company finances, and every negotiation channel I have left. By the time I manage to buy enough shares, there won't be a company left for me to control."
He stared at her and she stared back. She almost waited for him to answer like Ethan. So what if she couldn't control the company. She would be getting the dividends. And as his wife she did not need to work.
But, to her surprise, Elliott cocked his head and questioned her," But what if your grandparents refuse to hand over your shares even after your engagement to me?"
Vanessa shook her head. "We will be legally married by the time of the engagement party. I am not going to give them a chance to back out. The shares were never meant to stay with them permanently. My parents only placed them under my grandparents' control because I was too young at the time."
She paused and let out a sigh. "There's a clause in the will. Once I am legally married, the shares are supposed to be transferred to me automatically. The idea was that marriage would mean I was old enough and stable enough to manage both the company and myself."
Her mouth curved bitterly.
"Ironically, the very thing meant to protect me is now being used against me."
He looked at her then. This woman, who looked strong and invincible from the outside could have such a side to her? Suddenly, he wanted to protect her.
His hands on her hips tightened for a moment and then, he pulled her close," Then, I guess I should prepare well for the engagement party."