Chapter 15

Charles

It was her eyes. I had wondered what it was about Grace that had drawn me in so much and held me at the mercy of my own desire. Then, her eyes had turned that familiar fiery, blood red of an alpha lycan, a primal part of me couldn't help but find it incredibly alluring.

She was at least a quarter lycan and everything in me wanted to pull her into my lap and have her the way I meant to that night. I had suspicions that Grace wasn't a full werewolf when I met her, based on her scent. It was something I planned to look into later. She was a force to be reckoned with, a powerful and passionate leader. I knew she’d be the same way when I had her. Her fury had been so incredibly sexy, but I pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand– protecting Wolfe Medical and ensuring that the mystery person didn't gain a seat on the board. There was no time for distractions; we had to save Wolfe Medical.

“So, what do we do? You said significant portion…”

“Not enough to stop them from getting a seat on the board indefinitely.”

I could see Grace freaking out a bit. The realization of what Devin had done hit her hard, and she was grasping for a way to navigate this complex situation.

“Here’s my suggestion,” I said meeting her gaze. “Hold a press conference to announce a company buyback of shares, once the company owns most of the shares, it will effectively make Wolfe Medical private again. We’ll need to control the narrative and let everyone know what’s going on anyway.”

I could see the worry and uncertainty in Grace's eyes. She was overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin. Then, her brow furrowed as she seemed to be thinking. Grace seemed lost in thought for a moment, likely contemplating the feasibility of my suggestion. Her next move surprised me, as she reached for her phone and dialed a number.

"Eason, it's Grace. I need a favor.”

I frowned. The name was familiar. Wasn’t that her brother?

“Wolfe Medical’s PR department is practically non-existent… I know. I know. I will explain everything, but I can’t right now. The company is in turmoil, and I'm facing some major challenges. Can you come to the office? I need your expertise in handling a press conference."

She worried her lip. Then, her eyes brightened. “You’re the best. I love you, too.”

She hung up. “Eason runs a marketing firm. If there’s anyone in the city that can help, it’s him. He does crisis management all the time.”

“He doesn’t know about the situation?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t told him. He’d… flip out.”

I nodded. “By the way, how is your son?”

She blinked. “What?”

“Your son? His fever?”

She blinked again and turned bright red. “H-He’s fine. I…”

My lips curved into a smile. “So you can be duplicitous when you want.”

She worried her lip. “I—“

“I am only teasing.” I chuckled. “When is he coming?”

“Tomorrow. I figure that’ll give us a little time to strategize and gather… resources? I’m not sure what’s needed. Could you explain exactly what we’re doing?”

“Buying back stock is a complicated process on paper, but it’s simple: you’re buying the stock back. We draft a proposal for the buyout, get the shareholders to agree, file paperwork with the ISFB, and then the sale would begin. Once we had at least 90% of the shares, it would be easier to delist the company. If the available stocks dips below the threshold for the public float in the Stock Exchange, we can reach out to individual shareholders to buy the rest.”

Grace sat there, absorbing all the information, and I could see her mind working, coming up with a plan. She stood to start pacing.

“We should look into this buyer.”

“I agree.” She stopped. “I don’t think I can legally have the police investigate them.”

I grinned. “I’ll put my enforcers on it. They operate outside of werewolf law.”

Her lips twitched. “That’s kind of terrifying.”

“Only when necessary.”

“What’s going to make the stock cheaper?”

My lips twitched. “Any number of things. Bad press. Rumors. Poor performance…”

All of which Wolfe Medical had in spades.

“What about incompetent leadership?”

I blinked. “You’re not incompetent.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the faith, but this is more than me. We need to save as much money as possible. If we could get the stock value down and buy it really cheap, wouldn’t that be best.”

Her eyes met mine, and I saw a glimmer of determination in them. She seemed to draw strength from my support, and it warmed my heart to see her finding resolve amidst the chaos. To see her embracing her strength and using it rather than letting it all overwhelm her.

Despite the immense pressure she was under, she was determined to do whatever it took to set things right. It was evident that she cared deeply about the company and its future, and I admired her commitment to the cause. It made it harder to think about anything but her mouth on mine too.

“Ruthless… Tricky, but possible. What did you have in mind?”

“A PR war against Wolfe Medical.”

“After all that talk about reputation?”

“It’s not about what the company does. It’s about who is running it. We start with the release of the real financial documents and the firing of the board of directors for embezzlement.”

“Exposing everything at once could cause chaos and further destabilize the company.”

“Isn’t that better? For the stock? People will be pleading to give it back. If it crashes and then we offer the buyback a little more than market price, won’t more people want to sell?”

Her ruthlessness in this moment was unexpected but absolutely irresistible. It took everything in me not to get up and kiss her.

“More than likely.” I considered it. “Another company found a similar method very effective.”

Her eyes bulged. “Someone else did this?”

I nodded and told her about the company’s smear campaign. It was an unconventional strategy, but not one that couldn’t be done.

She started to take notes. “What did they do?”

"Yes," I nodded, gauging her reaction.

"Spread negative rumors, leaked false information, scandals: the works. It was all just to create doubt and uncertainty, the stock price plummeted. They bought back all of their stock in this way within a year.”

Her mind was clearly racing, processing the potential implications of such a plan for Wolfe Medical.

"Do you think it could work for Wolfe Medical?" Grace inquired, her voice tinged with a hint of hope and uncertainty. “You said sometimes a little cunning was necessary, a little manipulation. Isn’t this one of those times?”

Her eyes wavered with uncertainty even as her voice was steady. She was unsure and trying her best. She was looking to me for reassurance that she was on the right track.

"It's certainly a possibility," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "But we'd have to be cautious and ensure we maintain the company's credibility. The negative information has to be compelling enough to impact the stock value without causing irreparable damage."

I could see her wrestling with the dilemma, concerned about the risks involved. It was understandable.

"But what if it goes too far? What if it damages the company irreparably?" Grace voiced her concerns, her eyes searching for reassurance. “How would we fix it?”

"We'll need to strategize and control the narrative," I reassured her. "Careful planning and execution will be crucial. We can't afford to let things spiral out of control. The goal is to create doubt, not destroy the company's foundation, but honestly? Time would fix a great number of things. Time and consistency."

She frowned. “You’re… talking about the products?”

“Correct.”

“And the pack? Would the pack be effected?”

“Possibly, but the character of what is said will be the main thing. For instance, your incompetent leader angle will work so long as you emphasize your lack of business knowledge. The press about you as the new acting alpha should focus on you as a mother and the daughter of the former alpha. Talk about the things you don’t plan to change. Talk about the things you plan to improve. You can be an effective alpha without being an effective business leader.”

She nodded and started writing. “I have to… talk from two different sides.”

“Yes.”

“Me being out and about with my kids among the pack is a good thing,” she worried my lip. “I’ll need more public time. The financials will help… Devin controlling it and the reasons why I did it will help.” She took a deep breath. “But I have to… figure out how to keep them separate.”

“Yes. Hence tricky.”

She nodded. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

I nodded. “I think it’s a damn good idea.”