Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 75: Chapter 75

Lane had just finished changing when her phone started buzzing on the bed. She stepped over to check the caller ID and saw it was her mom.

"Hello, Mom?"

"Lane," her mom said.

"What’s up?"

"Ethan just called."

Lane nervously bit her lip as her heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. She forced herself to stay calm and waited for her mother to keep going.

"He said he’s going to join you for the board meeting," her mom told her. "He asked me to pass that along because he doesn’t have your number." That was true. After she blocked him years ago, she’d changed her number entirely.

"I told him what time the meeting starts. He said you should just meet him at the office," her mom added.

The meeting was today. They’d set it up to stop the board from following through on their threats to pull their shares. Honestly, Lane was a nervous wreck. She didn’t know the first thing about running a corporation.

It just wasn’t her thing. Uncle Lucas was right about one thing: this wasn’t a kitchen where a little stirring would fix everything. But even if she was flying blind, she had to take over. She couldn’t let Lucas get his hands on it.

Like she’d said before, she wasn’t going to let her father’s life work go down the drain.

Because of that, she wasn’t about to turn down Ethan’s help. She knew that with him in her corner, the board might actually listen. Without him, she was just a beginner with no track record.

Her mom kept the call short so she could finish getting ready. After they hung up, Lane checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing a formal dress with her hair pulled into a sleek bun.

A few stray strands had escaped, but she just left them alone. This wasn’t her usual style, but she needed to look the part. She wanted the board to know she wasn’t someone they could just push around.

When she saw the time, she headed out. The family driver was already waiting to take her to the office. The closer they got to the building, the more her stomach twisted in knots.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and walked inside. When she reached the executive floor, she saw her father’s secretary pacing back and forth near the conference room. The woman stopped the second she saw Lane.

"Ma’am Lane!"

"Are they inside?"

The secretary nodded. "Sir Lucas is in there, too."

Lane frowned. Why was Uncle Lucas even there? He wasn’t on the board.

"Ethan?" she asked after a second.

"Ma’am?"

"Is Ethan here?"

The secretary looked confused. "Ma’am, there’s no one named Ethan in the conference room."

Lane checked her watch. She was three minutes late. Her mother had given Ethan the time; he should have been here by now. A pang of disappointment hit her.

She couldn’t help but think he was breaking his promise again, just like he used to.

She shook her head to clear the thought and took a deep breath. She could do this with or without him.

Keeping her face neutral, she gestured for the secretary to open the door. The room went dead silent the moment she walked in. Every head turned her way.

Her eyebrows shot up when she saw where Uncle Lucas was sitting. He was in her father’s chair... the seat meant for her.

She didn’t let her nerves show. Head held high, she walked right up to him. He looked up at her, totally unfazed. "Yes, Lane?"

"I think you’re in my seat, Uncle Lucas," she said, her voice hard and serious.

His smile vanished instantly, and his eyes turned sharp. But Lane didn’t flinch. She was here to take back what belonged to her family.

Lucas had no choice but to stand up and move to another chair.

Before sitting down, Lane addressed the room. "Good morning, everyone. I’m Lane, Richard’s only daughter, and I’ll be stepping in to manage my father’s position for the time being."

Silence hung in the air for a beat before a man spoke up. "And how do we know you’re even capable of running this place?"

"I’ll do everything in my power to make sure this company succeeds," she replied firmly.

"Have you ever been in business before? What’s your background?"

Lane didn’t realize this was going to be a job interview. She thought she was just introducing herself as the interim boss. She opened her mouth to answer, but Lucas cut her off.

"She’s never been in business. She’s talented, sure, but not at management. She’s a cook."

Lane’s jaw tightened. The way he said it was a total insult.

"What?!" one of the board members exclaimed.

"How are we supposed to trust our shares to a woman who doesn’t know the first thing about business?! We need a pro, not a rookie!"

The room erupted in agreement. "We can’t let her run this company! We need an experienced person. Someone who knows how to lead."

"Why not you, Lucas?" someone suggested.

Lane tried to speak, but she felt like she was being ganged up on.

"You’re Richard’s brother.Why don’t you take over for now?"

"That’s exactly what I told Richard’s wife," Lucas said, glancing at Lane with a smug look. "I’m more than willing to help while he recovers, but his daughter refused. She insisted on doing it herself."

"As his only daughter, it’s my right to take over. That’s what my mother wants, too," Lane shot back.

"But are you actually up for it, Lane?" Lucas asked.

Before she could respond, someone else piped up.

"Let’s just vote on it. I’m for Lucas."

"Thank you," Lucas said, grinning ear to ear.

One by one, the votes started rolling in.

Everyone was going for Lucas. Lane felt like she was about to burst into tears. She felt the company slipping through her fingers, and she knew exactly what would happen if Lucas won.

Just as she was losing all hope, the door swung open.

"I vote for Lane."

Everyone looked toward the door at once. A man in a sharp three-piece suit walked in, looking every bit the power player. Authority practically radiated off him.

It was Ethan.

Lane let out a massive sigh of relief. He’d actually shown up.

_____________

On the way to Uncle Richard’s company, Ethan was glued to his phone, scrolling through the profiles of the board of directors one by one. He studied every single one of them, pinpointing their strengths and, more importantly, their weaknesses.

Whenever he went into battle, he made sure he was armed to the teeth.

Ethan wanted to help Lane win the board over. He believed in her, but he knew that if she went in there alone, they’d eat her alive, especially since this wasn’t her world.

He also knew that if Uncle Lucas was as influential as he thought, Lucas would move in for the kill.

Even if Lane didn’t ask for it, Ethan was going to back her up. Like he’d told Lucas before: Lane’s problems were his problems because she was his wife.

His phone rang, and he immediately scowled when he saw the caller ID. It was Olivia

He let it ring until it timed out, but a second later, a text alert pinged. It was her again.

Tyler won’t stop crying. He keeps saying he wants to talk to you.

Ethan let out a heavy sigh and dialed her back. She picked up on the first ring, and the sound of Tyler’s sobbing filled the line.

"D-Dad!"

"Yes, Tyler?"

"D-Dad! I want you here! Please come here, Dad!" Tyler pleaded, his voice breaking with every sob.

"Tyler, Dad is busy right now. I have things I need to take care of."

"No, Dad! I want you here. I’m not gonna stop crying until you come over," the boy cried.

Ethan sighed again, feeling the pressure. "Okay, Tyler. But I can only stay for a minute. I’m really busy."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

Tyler hesitated before whispering, "Promise, Dad?"

Ethan said a quick goodbye and told his driver to pull over at Olivia’s condo. He hopped out, ran inside, and buzzed the door.

Olivia took her time opening it. "Ethan," she said with a smile when she finally saw him.

"Where’s Tyler?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

"In the bedroom," she replied. She stepped back to let him in, but he didn’t linger. He was on a tight clock. Lane needed him, and he couldn’t afford to be late.

"Tyler," he called out as he walked in.

"Dad!" Tyler lunged at him for a hug.

"Tyler, Dad is slammed right now," he said gently.

"Don’t cry, okay? As soon as I’m free, I’ll come back and we can go do something fun."

"Really?"

Ethan nodded.

"Okay, Dad," Tyler sniffled.

Satisfied, Ethan patted the boy’s head and stood up. Olivia looked shocked when she saw him heading for the exit so soon.

"I have to go, Olivia," he said.

"Wait, what about Tyler? He just wanted to see you and spend some time together," she argued.

"I already talked to him!" he shot back, checking his watch. "I have to go. I have a major meeting."

"At least have a snack first, Ethan," she urged.

"No, thanks," he replied, already out the door before she could say another word.

He raced downstairs and jumped back in the car. He was late. He was sure Lane was sitting there waiting, probably thinking he’d flaked on his promise again.

When he finally reached the office, he bolted out of the car and sprinted toward the conference room. He could hear the noise from the hallway. The vote was already happening.

He threw the door open. "I vote for Lane," he announced, his voice cold and hard as iron.

The room went silent, but Ethan only had eyes for one person: Lane.

When they locked eyes, he saw her let out a massive sigh of relief. Her eyes were red like she’d been seconds away from a breakdown, and the sight of it felt like a fist tightening around his heart.

He walked straight to her side. He kept his gaze on her, wanting her to feel that he was there to handle the heavy lifting. He reached her side and stood there for a beat before turning to face the board.

The softness in his face vanished, replaced by a chilling, professional intensity.

"Good morning, everyone. For those who don’t know me, I’m Ethan Blackwood, CEO of Blackwood Airlines," he said. He heard a collective gasp ripple through the room.

"And my vote goes to Lane as Richard’s successor."

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