The Pretend Fiance(10)

Aiden sat down on the bed. Why did he even bother inviting her? He knew it had been a mistake, yet he'd done it anyway. And now I'm paying the price, he thought. Well, if all she wanted was a meeting to discuss the company her son had built, he could do that. And then he could pack her on a plane back to America. "Yes, fine. I'll see you in, say, 45 minutes?"

"That will do. And bring Gwendolyn, too."

Before Aiden could ask why, Judith hung up on him.

***

"What's it about?" Gwen said as they went to the elevator. She'd slipped into a pair of blue jeans and an airy blouse. Not exactly the type of thing that Judith would approve of, but Aiden was past trying to cater to the old woman. Though he had put on a suit and tie, himself.

"I think she just wants to know the company is in good hands," he said.

"They're in the best hands!" Gwen replied, emphasizing the point by grabbing one of Aiden's and giving it a squeeze.

Aiden had booked his grandmother into the suite meant for foreign dignitaries and heads of state. Something that even she couldn't find fault with. It came with its own private butler and valet. Two people Aiden now felt great pity for.

The butler, an older man with a pencil-thin mustache and a stern set to his eyes, answered the door and announced them. They found Judith sitting at an ornately carved table currently set for tea. Curlicues of steam issued from the spout of the ivory teapot on its silver tray, and there were three settings.

Judith examined them for a moment, her eyes lingering on the wear marks on Gwen's jeans, before saying, "Please sit." They did.

Aiden felt grateful that Gwen had accompanied him. She was his rock. His support. With her near, he could do anything.

"I don't like endless filibustering, flirting towards the point, beating around the bush," Judith said, slapping that same manila folder down onto the table, "So I'll get right to it."

"Please do," Aiden said, feeling his irritation rising. Yes, he definitely regretted asking her to come here.

She silenced him with a glance. "I know that Henry didn't approve of you two, and I don't either. You can't get married. You won't get married."

"Excuse me?" Gwen said, starting up from her chair. The butler watched impassively from his corner.

Aiden put his hand on her wrist and she sat back down. He gave his grandmother a polite, if forced, smile. "No, Henry didn't approve. You may not, either. However, that doesn't matter. I'm sorry if you have reservations on this matter, but you also have no authority over either of us."

Judith flipped the folder open, revealing the top page of a document with Carbide Solutions letterhead on it. "You always did take after your mother. Shortsighted, with no head for the real world. I kept telling Henry that, but he would never believe me."

Aiden's knuckles cracked under the table, and the smile became a grimace. "Mother has no place in this conversation, just as you have no place in my affairs."

"What are those?" Gwen asked, trying to defuse the tension.

"I'm sure you'll want to read them yourself," Judith said, "But I will save you the trouble. I am now the controlling shareholder of Carbide Solutions. If you're still feeling groggy from sleeping in, that means that yes, I do have a say in your affairs. A controlling say in them."

Aiden shook his head. "That is ridiculous! Henry left me all of his interest in the company. It said so right in his will. I was there for the reading."

Judith clucked her tongue as though Aiden were a doltish schoolboy who just couldn't grasp the point. "Your father kept another will. One that superseded the one his apparently worthless lawyer read to you. You retain only what shares in the company you had before his death, and whatever options you have purchased since. In the event of his untimely death, his stock in the company reverted to me. Which it has, as you can see detailed here." She gave a sharp look to the butler and pointed to the folder. The man came over and slid it across the table so that Aiden could read it. His eyes quickly scanned the pages.

"This isn't possible..." Aiden breathed. He checked again, looked at the names of the signatories, searched for any sign that the documents sitting in front of him were faked.

"Why?" Gwen broke in.

"Because, my dear," Judith said, "That's the way wills work. When someone dies..."

"No!" Gwen said, "Not the will! Why are you trying to stop us from getting married?"

"Oh, well, that is quite simple," Judith said, planting her elbows on the table and threading her fingers together, "Because I know that you're nothing but a little gold digging tramp from a broken, worthless family who thinks she's hit pay dirt. One look at those parents of yours was all I needed to confirm my suspicions."