But now the company was bleeding, and he had run out of patience. He had to be the one to swallow his pride.
“About my mother and Alicia… I didn’t consider your feelings. I’m sorry. They won’t bother you again. My father has already disciplined them, and they even called to apologize…”
“They wouldn’t dare apologize to my face, would they?”
Khloe cut him off, unwilling to listen to another word of his excuses.
Trey hadn’t expected her to press the issue. His voice grew strained, almost pleading. “You know what they’re like. If a face-to-face apology is the only thing that will satisfy you, I’ll find a way to arrange it…”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ve never forced anyone to apologize.”
That was the truth. Just the thought of Stella and Alicia’s faces made her feel contaminated.
“Then what do you want?”
He couldn’t hold back any longer-a sharp edge of impatience crept into his tone.
Khloe’s lips curved into a faint smile, her voice softening deceptively, almost taking on a coquettish lilt. ” Emotional wounds are hard to mend. But financial ones are much easier. I want half of Fox Group’s shares.”
“What did you just say?”
Cineple
For a moment, Trey was sure he had misheard.
She was actually asking him for shares-half of Fox Group no less.
Khloe repeated herself in that same unnervingly calm and quiet tone.
“Khloe, you’re not serious… are you?”
He could hardly believe it. The woman who had never asked him for anything was suddenly demanding a king’s ransom-half the company.
He didn’t even own half of it himself.
“Of course I’m serious, Trey. I’ve given it a lot of thought. The reason your mother and Alicia disrespect me is that I hold no real weight in the company. If I were the largest shareholder, they’d have no choice but to acknowledge my position.”
“And the investors I’ve been negotiating with are extremely cautious. As a junior manager, I have no real authority in their eyes. But as a major shareholder? That’s a completely different story.”
Her voice was gentle and steady, every word measured. It was so perfectly reasonable that, for a fleeting moment, Trey almost found himself convinced.
Trey quickly regained his composure.
“Khloe, what’s gotten into you? You never cared about this before. Fox Group is our shared effort-our blood, sweat, and tears. We’re husband and wife. What’s mine is already half yours. What you’re asking is completely unnecessary. Besides…
“You know how it is. My father and the other major shareholders hold more combined equity than I do. Even if I wanted to give you what you’re asking, I couldn’t. And those old-timers would never accept a woman wielding that much power. If you push for this, you’ll make yourself a target,”
“I’m just trying to protect you. That’s why I never pushed for you to have shares in the first place.”
He neatly shifted the blame to the shareholders while casting himself as her guardian.
“Exactly,” Khloe replied, her voice soft but unwavering. “We’re husband and wife. So, even if you transfer the shares to me, they’re still marital property, aren’t they?”
No matter how he tried to justify it, she calmly followed his own logic.
“I’m only doing this for the company’s future. For our family. For you.”
Trey felt a wave of frustration. He wanted to shout, but had no outlet. He wanted to argue, but the woman on the other end of the line was acting like a stranger tonight-unyielding and impossible to manipulate.
Was this just a tantrum?
Or… had her feelings truly changed, making her start calculating a return on every investment she’d made in their relationship?
“Khloe,” he tried again, softening his voice, laying on the sentiment. “It wasn’t easy for us to be together. I don’t want family drama to come between us…”
In the past, this was his trump card. Reminding her of how he’d defied his family to marry her always made her relent.
But this time, Khloe cut him off before he could finish. Her voice was quiet and utterly detached.
“Trey, they say a man’s priorities are shown by where he puts his money. I’ve given my all to Fox Group without holding anything back. I hope you can meet me with the same level of commitment. Otherwise, I’ll have to reconsider my position here. Perhaps if I resign, it would be easier for you. The shareholders would certainly be more comfortable.”
“Wha… what are you saying?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.