Chapter 2 - The Price of a Proper Place
By nine o'clock the next morning, Malcolm Veseri had placed a precise price on Maggie's chair. Sebastian stood at the windows of his study when Theo entered without knocking and placed a tablet heavily on the mahogany desk. “Veseri Capital froze the Lake Street credit facility at 8:43.”
Sebastian did not turn away from the glass. “How much?”
“Enough to stop contractor payments by Friday,” Theo reported. “Malcolm is waiting for you to call.”
Sebastian finally looked at his brother. “He can keep waiting.”
Across the hall, Maggie heard only the final sentence as she approached carrying Sebastian's coffee, stopping abruptly when she saw Theo's expression. “What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Sebastian said, stepping away from the window.
Maggie placed the cup on the desk, the porcelain clicking sharply against the wood. “That sounded suspiciously like something I need to worry about.”
Theo looked between them and wisely left the room, closing the door softly behind him. Sebastian watched the door latch before admitting, “Veseri froze financing on Lake Street.”
“Because of last night?” Maggie asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Because Malcolm believes pressure changes my decisions.”
“Does it?”
“Usually someone else's.”
There it was, the quiet edge that reminded Maggie what kind of man she had married, but she did not move an inch. “How many people work on that project?”
Sebastian's silence answered before he finally spoke. “Four hundred and twelve.”
The number struck harder than Maggie expected, hanging heavy in the quiet study. “And he'll restore the financing if you move me back down the table?”
“Among other concessions,” Sebastian answered grimly.
Maggie folded her arms across her chest. “Then perhaps you should.”
Sebastian went completely still, a posture that had made armed security men become nervous beneath his stare. Maggie merely pushed her glasses higher on her nose. “I don't care where I sit.”
“I do.”
“Four hundred and twelve people may care where their paychecks come from.”
“That is my responsibility.”
“And apparently I'm part of the negotiation now.”
His jaw tightened visibly. Maggie stepped closer to the desk, her voice steady and uncompromising. “You made a public decision involving me without explaining what it meant.”
“I gave my wife her proper place.”
“You also challenged a man who can freeze four hundred and twelve paychecks.”
“Malcolm chose that.”
“And you knew he might.”
Sebastian had no answer she would accept, a reality that unsettled him more than anger ever could. Maggie turned toward the door with her mind made up. “Where are you going?” he asked, his tone shifting.
“To work.”
“Maggie.”
She stopped at the threshold, looking back to find his voice had changed from command to genuine concern. “Last night, when Malcolm mentioned that deed, you were certain.”
“Yes.”
“How certain?”
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“Certain enough that his attorney should not have looked frightened.”
That got Sebastian's attention completely, setting the stage for what was to come next.
