Pregnant by the Rival CEO(49)

Adam blew out an exasperated breath. “This is stupid. Nobody’s going to believe that you and I can actually talk to each other. Especially not Anna.” He pointed at her. “Look. I know everything. I can’t believe you’re pregnant and you didn’t tell me? Your own brother? And Jacob’s the dad? I don’t even know where to start with all of this. It’s like a bad dream.”

Jacob stood and grasped Anna’s elbow. “I had to tell him. I’m sorry.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head, drawing in a deep breath through her nose. The fact that he’d had the guts to come out with it certainly earned him a few points. “We had to tell him eventually. I just can’t believe you came here to do this and that you didn’t want me here at the same time.”

“Well, that’s not the only thing we’re talking about,” Adam said.

Jacob turned to Adam quickly, and even though Anna couldn’t see either of their faces head-on, she could tell they were having a conversation without words.

“Will somebody please just tell me what you’re doing?” Anna asked. “I’m not leaving until one of you spills it.”

“Well?” Adam asked, staring down Jacob. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”

“Please. We have to stay calm. For the baby’s sake,” Jacob said, turning to her. “I found out who the War Chest brought in as their big investor. It’s Aiden.”

“What?” Anna asked. “Aiden? I don’t understand.”

Jacob looked at her thoughtfully, showing her his miraculous eyes. They were the only thing that calmed her in this unimaginable situation. He explained everything with Aiden as she struggled to keep up with the details. “It’s very important that you don’t get worked up about this. My first and only concern is for you and the baby.”

Anna narrowed her focus on Adam.

“It’s the one thing we didn’t account for,” Adam said flatly. “We’re going to lose controlling interest in the company and I doubt there’s much we can do about it. He’s had a chip on his shoulder forever about LangTel, and you know how he feels about me in particular. Jacob and I were just strategizing on ways to raise the capital to fight this.”

Anna sat down in the chair next to Jacob’s. This was not the time for panic. There had to be a solution. “No. Adam, you have to reach out to him. Don’t fight this with money. That’s going to make things far worse. Send him an email. Tell him we know about it. But do it kindly. We don’t want to scare him. Tell him that we want to talk, that we want to find out what would make him do this.”

“How is that going to work?”

“You have any other bright ideas? He’s our brother. If we do anything less than extend the olive branch, he’ll never forgive us. Put yourself in his shoes.”

“Maybe you should do it. He actually likes you.” Adam’s voice had an uncharacteristic wobble. Their father had left an awful lot on Adam’s shoulders—the CEO position, now this. The root of the problem with Aiden was undoubtedly their father. He’d pitted the boys against each other from the very beginning.

“I think it will mean more from you, especially if you use a softer touch,” she said. “He’ll expect you to be all bravado, so don’t do that. Be his brother.”

“This is business. Do you really think that’s advised? It sounds awfully girly.”

Anna sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. “Then ask Jacob what he thinks.”

Adam cocked both eyebrows at Jacob. Anna was amazed they’d managed this much without taking pot shots at each other.

“Anna’s right,” Jacob said, taking his seat next to her. “If your brother is feeling like he’s on the outs with your family, it’s going to take a softer approach. If you try to steamroller him, he’ll steamroller you right back. Except he can flatten you with this one, Adam. Completely.”

Adam looked as befuddled as Anna had ever seen him. “That’s a surprising answer coming from you, Mr. Number Cruncher.”

“I know exactly what it feels like to be on the outs with the Langford family. It’s not a fun place to be.”

Anna swallowed, hard. She couldn’t argue that point. The good news was that as of now, Adam and Jacob had to be going on at least twenty minutes of being in the same room and everyone was still living and breathing.

Adam visibly tensed. “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll play the nice guy and reach out to him.” He went to his laptop and started typing. After a few keystrokes, he looked up at the two of them. “Are we done? I have work to do. I’ll let you know when I hear back from Aiden.”