All Chapters of Snow In Sin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ADRIANThe emergency board meeting started at nine AM and I could tell within the first five minutes that we were losing.Richard Corso had done his homework and half the board members were already leaning toward his counter-offer, which was objectively better than anything we'd proposed."The Hastings merger provides better market positioning," one board member said, sliding papers across the table. "And their terms are more favorable.""Their terms are designed to gut our company and absorb the profitable parts," Emma said, her voice steady even though I could see the tension in her shoulders. "We'd lose autonomy within two years.""But we'd be financially solvent," another board member countered. "Which is more than we can say about your current projections."I leaned forward. "Our projections account for sustainable growth, not a quick sellout that benefits shareholders in the short term and destroys the company long term.""Easy for you to say when you're guaranteed your inherita

ADRIANI woke up with Emma curled against my side and for the first time since arriving at this estate I felt something close to peaceful.Then my phone rang and reality crashed back in."It's the board secretary," I said, reaching for my phone carefully so I wouldn't wake Emma."Mr. Ashford, the emergency board vote has been cancelled," the secretary said. "Mr. Chen has withdrawn his complaint and requested removal from all oversight committees.""Understood," I said. "Thank you for the notification."I hung up and Emma stirred beside me. "What was that?""We're safe," I said, pulling her closer. "Dominic's gone and the board vote is cancelled."Emma smiled and kissed my shoulder. "So we actually did it.""We did," I agreed, running my hand down her spine. "Though I'm not sure what this means for us.""What do you want it to mean?" Emma asked, propping herself up to look at me.I thought about lying or deflecting but we'd promised honesty. "I want this to be real. Not just a survival

ADRIANThe fake engagement announcement went viral within hours and by morning we were trending on three different business news sites."Ashford Heirs Announce Surprise Engagement" read one headline, and the article was full of speculation about whether it was real or strategic."At least they're questioning it," Emma said, reading over my shoulder while we had breakfast. "That means we're not completely transparent.""Yet," I said, scrolling through more articles. "Give it time and someone will start digging into our relationship timeline."My phone rang and I saw our PR team's number. "This should be fun."I answered and put it on speaker. "Marcus, let me guess, you're calling about the engagement.""Among other things," Marcus said, and he sounded stressed. "We need to do damage control immediately because half the media thinks this is a power play and the other half thinks it's wildly inappropriate given that you're stepsiblings.""What do you suggest?" Emma asked."A joint statem

ADRIANThe gala was in six days and nothing was ready.Helen had coordinated the staff and Maya had finalized the guest list but we were still missing critical elements like the wine selection and the final menu.I was in the wine cellar with our sommelier trying to decide between three different vintages when Luca appeared in the doorway."We need to talk," Luca said."I'm in the middle of something," I said, not looking at him."It can't wait," Luca said firmly.I excused myself and followed Luca upstairs to the security office where he closed the door and locked it."You've been avoiding me for three days," Luca said, crossing his arms."I've been planning a gala," I corrected."You've been hiding," Luca said. "Ever since that interview where you told the world you're in love with Emma."I leaned against the desk. "What do you want me to say?""The truth," Luca said. "Are we done? Is this over?""I don't know," I admitted. "I care about you but I also love her and I don't know how

ADRIAN"You want to publicly admit that our father committed securities fraud?" I asked, making sure I heard her correctly."I want to publicly acknowledge that mistakes were made and commit to making restitution," Emma clarified. "There's a difference.""Not legally there isn't," I said. "If we admit he committed fraud we open ourselves up to lawsuits, investigations, and possible criminal charges.""Only if there's proof," Emma said. "And according to these files the statute of limitations expired three years ago."I read through the documents more carefully. "You're right. The fraud happened in 2008 which means any criminal prosecution would be time-barred.""But civil suits could still happen," Emma said. "Which is why we make restitution before anyone asks. We set up a fund to compensate people hurt by our father's actions.""With what money?" I asked. "We're already stretched thin with the settlement to my mother.""With our personal inheritances," Emma said. "Not company money,