She dropped her sights to their hands, joined. A tear fell onto her lap, darkening the fabric of her pants. “I need time to think. Today was a lot to deal with.”
He nodded. Not that he had much choice, but he could accept that. He’d make do with a sliver of a chance. “I’ll wait, but let me know if there’s anything I can do to speed up the process.”
“Right now, more than anything, I just need to know that you’re not only in my corner, but that you’re going to stay there.”
“I am Anna. I am.”
“I mean it, Jacob. For real.”
He sucked in a deep breath of resolve. “I do, too. And I’ll find a way to show you. I won’t let you down.”
Jacob rode the elevator to the lobby, deep in thought. So much had changed in the past few weeks. From the miserable depths of losing Anna, he had new hope. He couldn’t afford to doubt the future—she was the one questioning what tomorrow held. He hated seeing that from her. She was the optimist, the sunniest part of his life.
He had to show her that there was more for them. It was the only way back into her heart. That meant showing her that he wasn’t going anywhere.
When the doors slid open to the lobby, he was so immersed in his thoughts that he nearly flattened a man rushing on to the elevator.
“Sorry,” the man said, holding up a blue Tiffany shopping bag. “Forgot the wedding anniversary yesterday. I’m in a hurry to get out of the doghouse.”
“No problem,” Jacob answered, turning and watching the elevator doors slide closed. That flash of Tiffany blue was still there in his head.
If he wanted to show Anna that he wasn’t going anywhere, he needed to make his overture. The question was when he would find the right moment.
Sixteen
Disbelief choked Jacob as he read the email the next morning—the missing piece of the puzzle, the information he’d been waiting on, sent by one of his informants. The identity of the high roller joining the War Chest was now known. Aiden Langford. And to think he’d woken up wondering when the right time would come to propose to Anna. That would need to be put off for at least another day.
He slumped back in the chair in his home office, sucking in a deep breath through his nose. His brain needed oxygen and fast. This was a huge problem and it had to be solved before it was too late. He knew that each Langford sibling owned 5 percent of the company. With that amount of stock in the mix, it would absolutely be feasible for Aiden to take down LangTel. And with everything Anna had once told him, Aiden had an axe to grind.
He wandered into his bedroom. Fixing the situation with Aiden wasn’t a one-person job, and he couldn’t go to Anna for help. It would expose her to far too much stress. He had to protect her and the baby. That left one person, the person he’d vowed to never trust again, especially when it came to business. He had to go to Adam.
He hopped in the shower and dressed quickly. It was time to find Adam, pronto, and there was no time for second-guessing what the outcome might be. The sooner they devised a plan to get Aiden under wraps, the better. Luckily, Adam was notorious for getting into the office absurdly early. Jacob asked his driver to take him to LangTel headquarters, sending Adam a text along the way.
We need to talk. Important. On my way to your office. Don’t ask questions.
Adam’s response came quickly. I’ll tell security.
Jacob could only hope that Adam meant he was instructing security to let him into the building, not escort him out of it. He arrived at LangTel in ten minutes and rushed into the lobby. A guard was indeed waiting for him, but only to issue a security badge and instruct him on which elevator to take for the executive floors.
Jacob’s head was grinding, mulling over options, devising plans. Short of amassing a huge amount of money to buy Aiden out, how would they stop this? His heart pounded fiercely in his chest as he made his way down the hall to Adam’s office.
Adam’s assistant was waiting. “Mr. Lin?” She stepped out from behind her desk. “May I take your coat? Can I get you a coffee?”
Jacob mustered a polite smile and handed over his black wool coat. “No, thank you. I’m just fine.”
“Mr. Langford is waiting for you.”
“Actually, you can do one thing for me. Adam and I are discussing a surprise for his sister’s birthday. If she comes by, make sure you don’t let her in. Don’t even let her know that I’m here.” He raised his finger to his lips to encourage her compliance. He had to keep Anna away from this powder keg at any cost.
“Of course, Mr. Lin. Your secret is safe with me.”
Jacob stood straighter and took extra-long strides into Adam’s office. He tried to think of a time he’d had to swallow his pride any more than at this moment. He couldn’t think of one, not even with his dad. Could he keep it together, stop himself from getting sidetracked by old problems?