His Rival Her Sin

Chapter 13: A Deal Between Enemies

Ryan’s phone rang shortly after six that evening.

“Mother.”

“I’m calling to remind you about Sunday lunch,” she said. “You’re still coming, aren’t you?”

Ryan signed the last page of a document on his desk. “I said I would.”

“Good. Eleven-thirty. And don’t let work give you an excuse to cancel.”

“I’ll be there.”

“There’s something I want to discuss with you in person.”

“What is it?”

“Sunday, Ryan. We’ll talk then.”

She ended the call.

Ryan set his phone aside, wondering what his mother had planned. Whatever it was, he would deal with it on Sunday. Right now, his attention belonged to the problem sitting outside his office.

Alex.

“Send him in,” Ryan told his assistant.

His brother entered carrying a folder and placed it on the desk.

“We need to talk about the company.”

Ryan didn’t invite him to sit.

“Then talk.”

Alex opened the folder. “The board is growing tired of our disagreements. If we continue fighting publicly, they’ll start questioning whether either of us can protect the company’s interests.”

“Since when did you become concerned about my ability to run the company?”

“Since your decisions started affecting my future.”

Ryan finally sat down.

There it was. Alex had never been interested in cooperation unless he stood to gain something.

“What do you want?”

“A formal agreement. We consult each other before major business decisions, and neither of us takes a dispute to the board without first attempting to resolve it privately.”

Ryan scanned the document.

“You want access to decisions you have no authority over.”

“I want protection against being shut out.”

“You mean you want leverage.”

“Call it whatever you like. You know the board will eventually demand an explanation if this rivalry continues.”

Ryan disliked admitting it, but Alex had identified a genuine problem. A public dispute could weaken both their positions and give other executives an opportunity to interfere.

That didn’t mean he intended to sign whatever his brother put in front of him.

He marked several clauses.

“Ordinary business decisions remain my responsibility. Ownership disputes must be handled separately. And neither of us can use this agreement to obstruct the other’s legitimate duties.”

Alex read the changes.

“Fine. But any decision affecting the ownership structure must be disclosed to both parties.”

“Provided the disclosure is legally required and properly documented.”

“You always need the last word.”

“And you always want more than you’re entitled to.”

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the room felt less like an office than a battlefield.

Alex finally closed the folder.

“Have your lawyer review the amendments. If we agree on the final terms, I’ll sign.”

Ryan extended his hand.

“Then we have a deal, provided the final document reflects everything we’ve discussed.”

Alex shook it.

“Agreed.”

Neither man smiled.

They had reached an arrangement, not a reconciliation. Each had protected what mattered most to him, and each knew the other would exploit any weakness the moment an opportunity appeared.

At the door, Alex stopped.

“One more thing. If either of us discovers something that threatens the company’s future, we bring it to the other before involving the board.”

Ryan’s expression remained neutral.

“That depends on what we discover.”

Alex gave a thin smile.

“I expected that answer.”

He left.

Ryan returned to his desk, already wondering whether the agreement would protect him or simply give Alex a more respectable way to challenge him.

Alex’s mother was waiting when he arrived home.

“Well?”

“We reached an agreement in principle. The lawyers will finalise it.”

She looked unimpressed.

“And you think that will put you on equal footing with Ryan?”

“It will prevent him from making certain decisions without consulting me.”

“Consulting you isn’t the same as respecting you.”

Alex dropped the folder onto the table.

“Then what do you suggest I do? Start a war I cannot afford?”

Her expression hardened.

“I suggest you stop behaving as though your brother’s approval is necessary for your future.”

She had spent years resenting Ryan’s mother, the woman who remained their father’s acknowledged wife while she and Alex were treated as outsiders. Once a secretary, she had entered an affair believing it would change her position permanently.

It hadn’t.

And she had never accepted the life that followed.

“Ryan has always had everything placed in front of him,” she continued. “You have had to fight for every opportunity.”

“I’m aware of that, Mother.”

“Then act like it.”

Alex picked up the folder again.

He was tired of hearing the same grievances, but he understood her anger. More importantly, he shared her determination not to let Ryan dictate the rest of his life.

“I’ll secure my position,” he said. “But I’ll do it on my terms.”

His mother watched him carefully.

“See that you do.”

On Sunday morning, Ryan arrived at his mother’s house for lunch.

She greeted him warmly, but he noticed the envelope waiting beside her place at the dining table.

“What is that?” he asked.

“Something I thought you should see.”

He sat down and opened it.

Inside were documents concerning the Cole family’s business affairs, including correspondence from the period when his father had begun making changes to the company’s arrangements.

Ryan’s expression sharpened.

“Where did you get these?”

“They were among papers I kept from years ago.”

“Why show me now?”

“Because your father left behind problems that are still affecting this family. And I don’t want you making decisions without understanding the people involved.”

Ryan examined the dates.

Some of the correspondence predated the latest disputes between him and Alex. Other pages referred to meetings he hadn’t known had taken place.

“Does Alex know about these?”

“Not from me.”

Ryan looked up.

His mother held his gaze.

“I have never trusted his mother, Ryan. You know that. I watched her enter your father’s life when she was supposed to be working for him. I watched the damage it caused, and I will never pretend it didn’t happen.”

Ryan understood the bitterness behind her words.

“But whatever happened between you and Father,” he said, “I need facts, not resentment.”

“Then read the documents carefully. That’s all I’m asking.”

He placed the papers back inside the envelope.

For the first time that afternoon, Ryan wondered whether his mother’s concerns about the past were connected to the problems now unfolding inside the company.

He would examine the documents himself before drawing any conclusions.

That evening, Alex received a message from his lawyer confirming that the revised agreement was ready for signature.

He read it twice before replying.

Prepare the final copy. I’ll sign tomorrow.

He placed his phone down and looked at the documents spread across his desk.

Ryan believed the agreement would contain their rivalry.

Alex intended to make certain it served his interests.

Across the city, Ryan placed his mother’s envelope inside his briefcase, determined to examine its contents more closely.

Neither brother knew what the other had discovered that weekend.

Their deal had established rules for their conflict, but it had done nothing to resolve the reasons they were fighting.

And as Monday approached, both men were preparing for a battle neither intended to lose.