Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal by Rachel Bailey Page A

surprised her. From what Seth had told her about his father and his two families, and from what she’d gleaned from the papers about the man and his lifestyle, she hadn’t formed a favorable opinion of Warner Bramson. Buthaving the two companies, wanting to do the right thing by all three sons, was unexpectedly sensitive.
    She reached for the Champagne glasses they’d put aside earlier and passed one to him. “But why not have completely separate companies? Then he could have left the food businesses to Ryder and the hotels to you and Jesse.”
    â€œGood question.” He sat up a little to take a sip of his Champagne. “I’d always assumed he would. But instead, his will split his majority share in the entire company between us. Ryder got half, and Jesse and I shared the other half.”
    So the father hadn’t split it evenly between all three sons? Instead, he’d pitted Ryder and Seth against each other with his will—not quite as sensitive. “Did Jesse leave his shares to you?”
    â€œJesse didn’t have a will,” he said, voice solemn. “He was never very organized. But since we owned the shares jointly, they automatically came to me. Everything else he had—which wasn’t much—went to our mother. Which means Ryder and I then had equal shares. But without a majority, neither of us can take control of the board of directors.”
    Still on her side and resting up on one elbow, she took a mouthful of the sweet Champagne, finding herself intrigued by the story. And the man telling it. “And now he has more shares than you, after buying his fiancée’s family business?”
    â€œYes,” he said with a slight grimace.
    â€œEnough to have a majority in his own right?”
    A trace of a satisfied smile danced at the edges of his mouth. “Still not quite enough. But I’m sure he’s working on purchasing more stock as we lie here.”
    â€œAnd you’re not?” She took the last mouthful ofthe Champagne and set her glass down near the picnic basket.
    His shoulders squared. “I’ve chosen a different path.”
    â€œYou’ve been building alliances,” she said in a moment of insight.
    â€œYes.” He finished his glass as well, but instead of putting it down, he turned it by the stem, examining it from all angles, before finally setting it aside. “Ryder won’t get a majority share—the other shareholders won’t sell. I’m planning that they’ll vote in a block with me when it comes time.”
    And she didn’t for a second doubt he’d achieve it. “But you’ll always have a hostile brother on the board. He’ll be furious that you won, and constantly trying to undermine you.”
    His chin lifted to a dignified angle. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
    â€œWill it be worth it?” She could think of nothing worse than being locked into a situation of conflict with no way out.
    Seth rolled over onto his back and laced his hands behind his head again. “It will be worth it.”
    That sounded like Seth—his eye was on the goal, knowing that he’d be able to handle whatever came afterward.
    â€œPerhaps it was good there were only three of you,” she murmured.
    â€œAccording to some, there were only three of us,” he said, then after a moment he added, “A man called JT Hartley has crawled out of the woodwork, claiming to also be Warner’s son.”
    She watched him carefully for signs of what this meant to him. “You might have another half brother.”
    â€œA claimant to the will,” he corrected. “I’ll handle that, too.”
    She lay on her back again, and looked up at the same stars, listening to the water lapping against the hull, the occasional little splash of a fish in the distance.
    Seth pointed up into the black sky. “When I was a child, I used to wish on that star at