Chapter 146
Chapter 146
Time flew by, and the next morning arrived.
Just like the day before, after the family finished breakfast, Delilah took the kids to school while Emily drove to the company. She wanted to get a full grasp of everything at the group as quickly as possible once the official appointment as president came through.
As for William, after so many busy days, he just wanted to get some rest.
He had barely laid down when his phone rang.
He picked up, and Rowan's voice came through: "Mr. Brown, are you free today?"
After quitting her job at the school, Rowan had followed her family's arrangement and officially joined the Blair Group as vice president.
While she was more than capable of handling the president role, she hadn't been involved in business for years, just like Emily. On top of that, the power dynamics inside the Blair Group were complicated. If she jumped straight into the president position, the company could easily fall apart.
That was the main reason Cade hadn't put her in charge right away.
His plan was to have Rowan start as vice president, stay close to him, get familiar with how things worked inside the group, and build up her own trusted circle — then hand the company over to her when the time was right.
It was a solid plan, but that morning, when Cade called a meeting and announced that Rowan would be taking the vice president role, the Blair family wasn't happy about it.
The first to push back was Cade's younger brother, Marcus Blair.
Marcus had had his eye on the president's seat ever since their father was alive. When their father passed, the will left Cade with fifty-one percent of the company's shares, making him the natural choice for president. Marcus held thirty percent and served as vice president alongside Cade's son, Eric Blair.
Now Cade was bringing Rowan in as another vice president. To Marcus, this looked like Cade was turning the Blair Group into his own personal property.
Everyone knew what Rowan was capable of. Years ago, she and Emily were considered the two brightest stars in Novaria. Rowan had gone abroad to study, then come back and chosen to teach at a school instead of going into business. Marcus had figured she'd be a teacher for life — he never expected Cade to make this move.
"Cade, Rowan hasn't touched business in years. You're seriously making her vice president out of nowhere? Are you joking?"
Cade had seen the pushback coming. He said coldly, "The situation in Novaria is unpredictable right now. As a smaller family trying to survive, we need to stick together more than ever. Everyone here knows what Rowan is capable of — she's better than even me, let alone anyone else in this room. This is the right move for the company. If anyone disagrees, you're free to resign right now. I won't stop you."
Seeing that Cade wasn't going to budge, Marcus knew he couldn't fight this alone. He thought for a moment, then shot Eric a look.
As Cade's son, Eric understood exactly how capable Rowan was. If she came in as vice president, his own dream of one day running the company would be finished.
But Eric was sharper than Marcus. Instead of pushing back hard, he smiled and said, "Uncle Marcus, I think Dad's right. Things in Novaria are unpredictable right now — nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. I'll admit it, Rowan is genuinely talented. If Dad wants her as vice president, I'm on board."
Cade's face relaxed into a relieved smile, thinking Eric was finally on his side. But then Eric shifted direction: "That said, putting Rowan straight into the vice president role wouldn't really be fair to everyone here. We're currently in talks with Mr. Patrick Tilden, right? The Tilden family is one of the six major marquess families in Atlanta. If that deal goes through, we'll be in a safe position no matter what happens in Novaria. So here's what I'd suggest — let Rowan lead the negotiations with the Tilden family. If she can close that deal, then making her vice president would be completely justified, and everyone here could accept it."
As Eric spoke, Cade's jaw tightened.
He had thought Eric was on his side. Instead, Eric had just pulled a move far more dangerous than anything Marcus would have done.
The Blair family had indeed been in talks with the Tilden family recently, but it was an idea that had only come up a few days ago. More importantly, Cade knew exactly what kind of man Patrick was — charming on the surface, rotten underneath. He'd heard that when Patrick visited Novaria to deal with the Garcia family, they would arrange a dozen or more women to entertain him each time. Every single one of those women ended up dead.
That was the real reason Cade had gone along with Marcus's suggestion to pursue the Tilden partnership while quietly letting it sit. He didn't want to be complicit in something like that.
And now Eric was suggesting Rowan be the one to handle it. This wasn't just throwing her into a bad situation — it was sending her to her death.
Marcus felt a chill run through him when he heard it, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
He'd always considered himself ruthless, but this nephew of his had just taken it to another level entirely.
The room went dead silent.
After a brief pause, Marcus was the first to collect himself. He smiled and said, "Cade, I think Eric's idea is solid. If Rowan can pull this off, I'm willing to hand over part of the company to her. We're not getting any younger — it's time to let the next generation step up. Anyone else here who agrees with Eric's proposal, raise your hand."