Chapter 13

Watching Webster bask in his own triumph, Rodger's gut twisted. There was a time when Rodger had pushed Webster to the edge, leaving him helpless.Now, the tables had flipped. Someone had to be propping Webster up- there was no way he'd act this bold on his own.

Realizing that Emilia actually meant to hand over the shares to his worst rival, Rodger lunged forward,panic written all over his face.

He clamped his hand around Emilia's wrist and demanded, "Do you truly mean to sell those shares to him?"

"You don't have a say in my business," Emilia replied with a chill in her voice.

"You-" Rodger began, his grip tightening as if to punish her, but before he could act further, another hand clamped down hard on his. Rodger looked up and found Webster grinning back at him, smug and unbothered, which only fueled Rodger's frustration.

"Webster! Take your hands off me!" shouted Rodger.

"Look at you-getting all worked up. Aren't you a little old to be picking fights with a woman?" Webster taunted, laughter bubbling in his tone.

"This has nothing to do with you. It's a private mnatter,so stay out of it," Rodger managed to say through clenched teeth, his eyes full of warning.

"A private matter? Funny, I didn't realize Ms. Harris was part of your family." Webster said with feigned confusion, deliberately pretending not to understand.

Rodger could see exactly what Webster was doing but refused to let him get under his skin, even as anger boiled just beneath the surface.

"Let go of me, or you'll regret it," Rodger threatened,his patience running thin.

"I'd like to see how," Webster replied with a soft chuckle, entirely unshaken.

Webster understood perfectly well that Rodger wouldn't last a second against him without Emilia's support. Now that twenty percent of the Mitchell Group shares were set to land in his pocket,confidence washed over Webster like a rising tide.

Frustration tightened Rodger's jaw. The more he watched Webster's smug grin, the more convinced he became that a powerful ally stood behind his adversary.

The crowd watched the three, murmuring their theories about whatever tangled connection might bind them.

Wilbur wrinkled his brow and mumbled, "Wasn't Webster always Rodger's sworn enemy? Since when did Webster start cozying up to Emilia?"

He stroked his chin, sucking in a breath as a wild thought struck him. "What if she belonged to Webster all along? Maybe she drew near to Rodger out of love for Webster, just so she could steal the Mitchell family's secrets for him?" At that, a chill swept over Elias. His stare settled on Wilbur, sharp and unblinking. "If she's able to bring your greatest rival to his knees, I bet you'd be cheering for her louder than anyone," he said.

That snapped Wilbur back to his senses. He chuckled and tapped his forehead."That's right! The enemy of my enemy is my friend. My brain really went off the rails for a second."

Rodger kept his gaze fixed on Emila,refusing to let her walk away. "I'll give you one last chance..."

Emilia's expression darkened as she swatted his hand hard.

"Ouch!" Rodger yelped, wincing as his grip loosened on its own.

Webster stepped back, tossing Rodger a look that shouted,"Serves you right."

"Save that chance for yourself," Emilia replied,finalizing the transfer of her shares to Webster, all under the watchful eyes of the legal team.

Once the deal was sealed, Webster leaned toward Rodger with a sly grin. "Want to hear a little secret about her?"