Chapter 75: Chapter 75
Sophie’s POV
I was stuck in our quarters with two warriors positioned outside the door like I was a prisoner in my rooms. Which, technically, I was. Protective custody—Marcus’s words, not mine.
Christian was in the formal conference room with Harold, and I could feel the tension radiating through our pack bond like a physical thing. I paced the length of our suite, unable to sit still, unable to focus on anything except the constant hum of Christian’s controlled fury.
Then my phone buzzed. Marcus’s message: Christian needs you in the meeting room. Now.
I didn’t waste time asking why. My protective detail—three warriors I’d never seen before but apparently trusted with my life—escorted me through the pack house corridors. I could sense the shift in energy throughout the building. Every senior pack member was alert. Every warrior was coiled tight, ready for something.
The formal meeting room was all exposed wood beams and serious furniture. Christian sat at the head of a long table with Marcus beside him. Across from them was Harold with his legal team—three attorneys in expensive suits with leather portfolios and judicial expressions. Behind them, visible through a video conference setup on the wall, was a consortium of investors I didn’t recognize.
Harold’s eyebrows shot up when I entered. He clearly wasn’t expecting me.
I positioned myself beside Christian without speaking. Connor immediately handed me a tablet with the consortium’s offer already pulled up.
Q"Sophie," Harold said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "I didn’t realize business negotiations required Luna approval."
"They don’t," I said, scrolling through the document. "But threatening my mate’s company requires my attention. Those are different things."
Christian’s hand found mine under the table, and I felt a flicker of satisfaction through our bond.
I skimmed the document, and my stomach dropped. Harold wasn’t just making a business move—he’d orchestrated a full hostile takeover bid. Blackwood Enterprises, technically a subsidiary company Harold had incorporated two years ago, had been quietly buying up Knight Industries board seats through shell companies and proxy investors. The structure was sophisticated. Almost impressive, if it wasn’t designed to destroy everything Christian had built.
"You’ve been busy," I said, not looking up from the tablet. "When did you start building this?"
"That’s not relevant to the current discussion," one of Harold’s attorneys interjected.
I ignored him. "Month by month, actually. Let me guess—around eighteen months ago, before Christian even—" I glanced at Christian, then back at Harold. "Before he met me. This wasn’t spontaneous."
Harold’s jaw tightened. "My son has built something valuable. I’m simply ensuring the family’s interests are protected."
"By recruiting traditional Alphas to invest under the guise of preserving werewolf business interests against Christian’s ’reckless progressive expansion’?" I turned the tablet so everyone could see the communications I was reading. "You framed this as pack preservation, not business. That’s emotional manipulation dressed up as strategy."
Christian’s hand squeezed mine. He was watching me like he was seeing something click into place, like he was watching someone he recognized finally step into the arena.
Connor leaned forward, studying the tablet over my shoulder. "They’ve exploited a vulnerability in Knight Industries’ corporate charter. Clause 7.3—allows hostile takeovers if three-quarters of board members approve. Harold’s bought enough board seats to trigger it."
"Not yet, they haven’t," I said quietly.
Every head turned toward me.
I set the tablet down and turned to Connor. "Sophie’s recent sustainable technology acquisitions—they changed our corporate structure, right? Required a re-filing of board composition?"
Connor’s eyes widened. "It’s not complete yet. The paperwork—"
"The paperwork is still in process," I finished. "Which means Harold’s carefully purchased board seats don’t technically have voting rights until the filing processes. They’re just shareholders. Expensive shareholders with no actual power."
One of Harold’s attorneys stood up. "That’s a technicality that won’t—"
"That’s a legal loophole that will win this if we move fast enough," I interrupted. I turned to Connor. "How long would it take to restructure Knight Industries before Harold’s takeover bid can be executed? Create a new parent company, convert current board seats into advisory positions without voting rights, and complete everything before his legal team can file objections?"
Connor was already pulling up his tablet, fingers flying. "Five days. Maybe six if the SEC reviews are thorough. But Sophie, if we miss a single filing deadline or legal requirement—"
"Then Harold wins. I know." I looked at Christian. "We’d be gambling everything on paperwork and timing."
Christian’s expression was unreadable, but I felt the shift in his energy through our bond. He wasn’t scared. He was ready.
"Do it," he said.
Harold slammed his hand on the table. "You can’t restructure around an active takeover bid. That’s illegal manipulation—"
"It’s not active until your filing is complete," I said calmly. "Right now, you have a proposal and a strategic position. We have a legal pathway. If your attorneys had done better homework, you’d have realized that Sophie’s acquisitions changed everything."
I watched Harold’s face darken. This was the moment he realized he’d miscalculated. He’d been planning this for eighteen months, assuming Christian wouldn’t see the attack coming until it was too late. But I’d changed the variables. My restructuring had altered the board composition timeline, and Harold’s carefully laid plans suddenly had a five-day window of vulnerability.
"Get your team," I told Connor. "I’m restructuring Knight Industries, and I’m doing it in ninety-six hours. That gives us a buffer before Harold can legally execute his takeover."
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