Chapter 13
Sunday dinner at the Reed estate started normally enough. Silver on the table, candles lit, Victoria holding court at the head like always.
But there was something in her posture. A tension I hadn't seen before.
Callum noticed it too. His hand found my knee under the table, a silent check-in.
"Mom," he said after the first course was cleared. "You said you had news."
Victoria set down her wine glass with deliberate precision.
"Your father's will," she said.
Callum went still. His father had passed away five years ago. The will had been settled then—or so everyone thought.
"What about it?" he asked carefully.
"There was a second clause. One that was sealed until certain conditions were met." She looked at me, then back at him. "The condition was your marriage."
The room went very quiet.
"The original will divided Reed Global among three parties," Victoria continued. "You, the board, and a trust. What the sealed clause states is that upon your legal marriage, the trust's shares—forty percent of the company—transfer to your spouse."
I stopped breathing.
"To Serena," Callum said.
"To Serena."
I looked at Callum. He didn't seem surprised. He seemed... relieved.
"You knew," I whispered.
"I suspected," he admitted. "My father always believed that whoever I married should have real power in the company. Not ceremonial. Not dependent on me. Her own."
Victoria watched us both.
"This makes Serena the single largest individual shareholder in Reed Global," she said. "Combined with what Callum already transferred to her, she controls over fifty percent."
The math clicked immediately. I had majority ownership of one of the largest companies in the country.
"This is why you transferred shares to me so quickly," I said to Callum. "You were trying to make sure I had power before this clause even activated."
"I wanted you protected," he said. "Regardless of what the will said. If anything ever happened to me, if we ever separated—which we won't—you'd never be dependent on anyone again."
My throat tightened.
Victoria cleared hers.
"There's one more thing," she said. "The sealed clause also included a provision. If any party attempts to contest the transfer, they forfeit their shares entirely. This was your father's way of ensuring no one in the company could push Serena out."
"Why would anyone try?" I asked.
Victoria's expression hardened. "Because not everyone on the board was happy when Callum married you. Some of them were aligned with the Lawsons. Some had their own candidates in mind."
"Who?" Callum's voice went cold.
"Marcus Webb. Your father's former partner. He's been quietly building a coalition on the board since your wedding. He thinks a quick marriage means an easy annulment. He's planning to challenge the transfer on grounds that the marriage isn't legitimate."
Callum stood up so fast his chair scraped against the floor.
"He's what?"
"He filed the motion yesterday," Victoria said calmly. "You'll both be served by Monday."
I stood too. My mind was already working.
"Let him come," I said.
Both Reeds looked at me.
"He wants to argue our marriage isn't real? Fine." I looked at Callum. "We have a marriage certificate. A wedding with two hundred witnesses. We live together. We share a home. There is nothing illegitimate about this."
Callum's jaw was tight, but his eyes were burning with something fierce.
"He'll lose," he said.
"He'll lose badly," I corrected. "And when he does, he forfeits his shares. Your mother just said so. The will is airtight."
Victoria actually smiled. "Now you understand why your father wrote it that way."
Callum pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Marcus Webb has no idea who he just picked a fight with," he said.
I straightened my shoulders.
"Then let's make sure he finds out."
But there was something in her posture. A tension I hadn't seen before.
Callum noticed it too. His hand found my knee under the table, a silent check-in.
"Mom," he said after the first course was cleared. "You said you had news."
Victoria set down her wine glass with deliberate precision.
"Your father's will," she said.
Callum went still. His father had passed away five years ago. The will had been settled then—or so everyone thought.
"What about it?" he asked carefully.
"There was a second clause. One that was sealed until certain conditions were met." She looked at me, then back at him. "The condition was your marriage."
The room went very quiet.
"The original will divided Reed Global among three parties," Victoria continued. "You, the board, and a trust. What the sealed clause states is that upon your legal marriage, the trust's shares—forty percent of the company—transfer to your spouse."
I stopped breathing.
"To Serena," Callum said.
"To Serena."
I looked at Callum. He didn't seem surprised. He seemed... relieved.
"You knew," I whispered.
"I suspected," he admitted. "My father always believed that whoever I married should have real power in the company. Not ceremonial. Not dependent on me. Her own."
Victoria watched us both.
"This makes Serena the single largest individual shareholder in Reed Global," she said. "Combined with what Callum already transferred to her, she controls over fifty percent."
The math clicked immediately. I had majority ownership of one of the largest companies in the country.
"This is why you transferred shares to me so quickly," I said to Callum. "You were trying to make sure I had power before this clause even activated."
"I wanted you protected," he said. "Regardless of what the will said. If anything ever happened to me, if we ever separated—which we won't—you'd never be dependent on anyone again."
My throat tightened.
Victoria cleared hers.
"There's one more thing," she said. "The sealed clause also included a provision. If any party attempts to contest the transfer, they forfeit their shares entirely. This was your father's way of ensuring no one in the company could push Serena out."
"Why would anyone try?" I asked.
Victoria's expression hardened. "Because not everyone on the board was happy when Callum married you. Some of them were aligned with the Lawsons. Some had their own candidates in mind."
"Who?" Callum's voice went cold.
"Marcus Webb. Your father's former partner. He's been quietly building a coalition on the board since your wedding. He thinks a quick marriage means an easy annulment. He's planning to challenge the transfer on grounds that the marriage isn't legitimate."
Callum stood up so fast his chair scraped against the floor.
"He's what?"
"He filed the motion yesterday," Victoria said calmly. "You'll both be served by Monday."
I stood too. My mind was already working.
"Let him come," I said.
Both Reeds looked at me.
"He wants to argue our marriage isn't real? Fine." I looked at Callum. "We have a marriage certificate. A wedding with two hundred witnesses. We live together. We share a home. There is nothing illegitimate about this."
Callum's jaw was tight, but his eyes were burning with something fierce.
"He'll lose," he said.
"He'll lose badly," I corrected. "And when he does, he forfeits his shares. Your mother just said so. The will is airtight."
Victoria actually smiled. "Now you understand why your father wrote it that way."
Callum pulled me close, pressing a kiss to my temple.
"Marcus Webb has no idea who he just picked a fight with," he said.
I straightened my shoulders.
"Then let's make sure he finds out."