What was this agreement?

What was this agreement?
"Dad...whatever it is, anything, however minor, if Robert Graham told you, it's a lie! He's a manipulative, self-centered person who only thinks about himself. He's the worst thing that could exist, and I don't have the slightest doubt about that." As Alice spoke, tears welled up, with her parents glaring at her.
Wasn't he supposed to have told her he didn't say anything to them? Then...why did her father seem to know everything?
"Do you want to start this by lying to me, or can you be honest? What do you have to do with Jared Sinclair?" asked Mr. Taylor. The mother looked pleadingly at Alice, hoping she wouldn't say anything. "Look at me!" Henry complained, irritated by Alice's silence.
"I... love him," she confessed. The lady put a hand to her head; this wasn't the way to start the conversation. "I've been in love with Jared since college."
"Did you know he and Robert were friends?" the father inquired.
"No, I didn't know, Dad. It was too late when I found out."
"Do you really feel nothing for Robert?"
"We feel nothing for each other, that's already clear. Did he tell you otherwise?"
"No, he insisted that he didn't want to continue the marriage with you. But..."
"What else did he tell you?" Alice tried to look her father in the eyes, but couldn't stand the intensity of his gaze.
"We need to talk, Alice." He took his daughter's hand and led her to his office. "It was just business. Your marriage was about that," he said coldly. His wife stayed outside.
"But...I thought... it was to unite both families," she whimpered, crying in that chair. "What do you mean by business? What are you referring to?"
"Tom Graham needed money, and I lent it to him. From there came the idea of the marriage between his son and you, but...if the marriage ended, the money would have to be returned."
"How much?"
"Does it matter?"
"I want to know!"
"That's not important, Alice," he paused briefly. "The marriage ends, the Grahams can't return the money, so Graham Group becomes Taylor's." The young woman looked down, feeling a chill running down her spine. She didn't know there was another deal in the middle of her marriage, or that the Grahams would end up with nothing from a failed marriage. Now she understood why her mother said Robert lost a lot with this.
"And if...?" she needed to ask, but suddenly her strength left her as she remembered. "What if our child hadn't died? Was it also... part of the deal to have children?"
"Obviously, children between you both would have reinforced the union of the two families, but that didn't happen."
"It did! But Ethan died. It did happen!" Her father gave her a few minutes to cry. For a few seconds, Alice felt bad because Robert would lose his company, but that quickly faded since Robert hadn't been a good man to her and she didn't pretend to feel sorry for him, as she didn't. But it hurt that his intentions of having children with her were due to that, to keep using her. "Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"I didn't want anything to influence your relationship."
"It wasn't a relationship, it never was and it couldn't be. Did Robert tell you anything about Jared? What did he tell you? Surely his intentions weren't good if he said it. You should have known from me, and it was still too soon."
"Oddly, he had no ill intentions."
Mr. Taylor began to recount Robert Graham's request.
  «…And about Jared Sinclair, do you know him? He and Alice are in love. You have to give them a chance. He's a good man, too good. He will do your daughter good," said Robert.
  "Is this another one of your requests?" Mr. Taylor asked.
  "It's almost a threat, disguised as a suggestion. And do not ignore my suggestion, Mr. Taylor."»
  After that, Mr. Taylor seriously pondered Robert Graham. 
  First and foremost, he shouldn't underestimate him. He hated being given any order by that young man, and more than anything in this small world, Henry Taylor despised the idea of losing. 
  And he, facing Robert Graham, had lost. This brought his blood to a boiling point, he was blind with rage for being blackmailed in such a way and with no room to refuse. He foolishly believed that Robert Graham wasn't ambitious, but it was clear that he was, and a better player than his father, unwilling to lose.
  But another thing that troubled Mr. Taylor and caused him great confusion was the fact that Robert didn't want to stay married to Alice, yet he tried to help them so she could have a relationship with his friend. He started out seeming like a selfish ambitious man who cared about nothing and had no weaknesses, but that request nullified everything Taylor thought about him, leaving him with new ideas, new ways of wanting to use him, and above all... destroy him.
  Once again, he had to use Alice.
  "Did he ask you that?" Alice didn't hide her astonishment when her father told her that Robert advocated for them. "Why? What about all his hatred? Did all of that fade now that they were getting divorced? What was Robert playing at? I don't understand any of it. Why Robert, of all people? It can't be."
  "Yes, and I'm considering it. But you have to wait for your divorce to make your relationship with Jared Sinclair public. I've considered it and I'll put him in charge of Graham Group; he already works there, knows the company, and will be useful to me."
  "I had spoken to Sofia, so that Simon would give Jared a job."
  "That won't be necessary, I sent Sofia a message earlier, you'll work alongside Simon."
  "Me? Why?" the news surprised her; few people could get close to Simon in a work setting. And personally, Simon was a very busy man.
  "Because I'm asking you to, Alice. I need you there."
  "For what reason?"
  "Do you have any plans? What are you thinking of doing? If you have something better than that, just say it. I'm listening," But Alice hadn't yet thought about how to organize her life after a divorce, and her father was already beginning to do it for her, with motives behind it. "I assumed as much. You will work with Simon; I want you close to him."
"Has something bad happened?"
"Not at all. But I want you close to him. You get along very well with Sofia; get along with her husband as well. He will enjoy working with you. You'll see. Anything else you want to discuss?"
"No, Dad. That's it." She headed for the door, grabbed the doorknob, and looked back, recalling one more thing. "I'll live here for a month or two, but then I'll move in with Jared. That's what I want." Her father frowned but said nothing.
Alice left the room, and her mother entered.
"What happened?!"
"Lower your voice!"
"Henry! What did you discuss with Robert Graham?!"
"Did you know about Jared Sinclair?"
"How could I have known?! I'm as surprised as you are. But I know a lot happened in here. What took place?" Mr. Taylor sat down again, and his wife went behind him, massaging his shoulders. He used to tell everything to his wife, at least everything she could tolerate and handle. She knew about the high possibility that they would take over the Graham's company. She hoped it wouldn't happen and wished that the marriage worked, that the Grahams wouldn't be left with nothing. She thought Robert was there that morning trying to salvage what was lost, both the marriage and his company. But she knew the conversation took a different turn. "Tell me, Henry. I'm dying from nerves. You're tense; the anger seeps out of your pores, my love."
"That damn kid... he dared to blackmail me!"
"How did he do that?" The lady circled the desk and took a seat across from her husband.
"He knows, the bastard knows. He knows about some of the deals made behind each marriage and aims to press with Sofia's."
"Who does he think he is?! You can't let him intimidate you, Henry."
"Do you think I'll let that kid get his way? But seeing Robert's aggressive plan, we have two weapons against him."
"He doesn't love Alice. That won't help you."
"Oh, honey. Why does everyone keep saying the same thing over and over? It's as if they're trying to convince themselves. If he felt nothing for her, why try to help her with Jared?"
"Because he doesn't love her!"
"You fail to see beyond. He's ambitious. I offered to continue the marriage, but he refused. He doesn't want crumbs; he doesn't want handouts. He wants to take what he desires. He's furious, very angry, and that keeps me on guard with him. When he calms down, he may realize that yes, he does feel something."
"I don't know. I think they both have been clear about it, Henry. You're mistaken. Tell me, what did he ask for? I want to know."
« "What do you want? You're about to say it, just do it! You came here with a plan; don't act like you're improvising. Say it."
"Well... only because you insist. I want to work alongside Simon Leclerc."
"Don't even think about it! I won't be the one to introduce you to Simon. Why? To blackmail him?"
"You're mistaken, Mr. Taylor." He said, offended or pretending to be. "How could I do such a thing?" Robert laughed. "That's just a tactic used in desperate situations."
"And you couldn't be more desperate. Take what I offer! Keep your marriage and continue running the company as if it were yours. It's a good deal."
"And this is the second time I refuse. The Graham Group is no longer in my plans; it's too small for me. Keep it; that was your wish. Let it be known that it belongs to the Taylors; that makes you the winner you are. But you'll place me to work alongside Simon, shoulder to shoulder."
"Sofia would never allow it!"
"And are you telling me you can't make some changes, some adjustments, and have her see reason? It's not like she's his babysitter. I'm certain of that."
But Sofia controlled many aspects of Simon's life to keep people like Robert away, with the clear intention of taking advantage of his privileged position as the beloved nephew of the country's president, which was precisely what Robert wanted to do.
Being close to Simon would open many more doors, beyond the Taylors. Leclerc was on a much higher level that only the Taylors had reached; that was what Robert wanted. He didn't want to be under them, never. And if he accepted Mr. Taylor's other offer, he would always be under his thumb; he saw it coming.
"What position do you want?"
"Come on, Mr. Taylor. Don't make me say it."»
"Do you see why I need to keep him under control?"
"But... if you've already placed him next to Simon... how are you going to control him?"
"With Alice, I'm sure."
"No, she won't do that; she doesn't want to be with him. Do you plan to talk to her about your plans? Henry, she wants to have a relationship with Jared Sinclair; let her be. Don't bring her close to Robert again; it will end very badly."
"I have to use her; that's what I'll do."
"And what's the second weapon you have against Robert?" The lady asked.
Her husband didn't answer that question.
What did Mr. Taylor think he could achieve by bringing Alice close to her soon-to-be ex-husband? Hadn't he already accepted Alice's relationship with Jared? What would their reaction be when they found out they were going to work together?
Henry Taylor's plans could go very well or lose control and give Robert Graham more advantages. Everything depended on how each one moved their pieces because Sofia Taylor would be a massive barrier for Robert Graham to get close to her husband beyond work.
And that other hidden weapon at Henry Taylor's disposal against Robert?"