Chapter 53

**Summer's POV**

"Twenty percent..." I couldn't keep the disbelief from my voice. "This is more than Victoria's shares. Why would Grandpa do this?"

Brandon's dark eyes flickered to mine for just a moment. "You seem surprised."

"Of course I'm surprised!" The words burst out before I could stop them."Do you know what this means? The power structure at Capital Corp could-"

"It's your grandfather's decision," Brandon cut me off smoothly,his deep voice carrying that gentle authority that never failed to make my pulse skip. "Accept it. Don't overthink it."

I twisted my fingers nervously in my lap. "You don't seem shocked at all.Twenty percent of the shares! This makes my stake bigger than Victoria's!"

"George Taylor has his reasons." Brandon's tone remained steady as he navigated through traffic with effortless grace. "The Taylor family only has you and Victoria. And since your uncle Alan is adopted, your grandfather naturally worries about the company falling into outsiders'hands.Giving you these shares is just his way of protecting the family legacy."

"How do you know so much about our family?" I couldn't hide my surprise. "Even about Alan being adopted..." The corner of his mouth lifted in that dangerous half-smile. "It's not hard to figure out."A comfortable silence fell between us as the city lights blurred past the windows, Finally, Brandon's voice broke through my swirling thoughts:"Hungry?" "What about you?" I glanced at him, suddenly concerned."Have you eaten?11

"Not yet." His dark eyes held mine for a moment. "Where would you like to go?"

"We're eating out?"

"Mm." He guided the Bentley smoothly around a corner. "It's getting late -might take too long to cook at home. But we can head back if you prefer."

"No, out is fine!" I found myself studying his profile in the passing streetlights. "Actually, I know this nice place near Columbia..."

"Tell me."

Heat crept up my neck as I explained, "It's just a regular restaurant in a mall."

"If you like it, that's enough." His voice softened slightly. "Give me the address."

As we approached the familiar streets around Columbia, memories washed over me. "It's just behind the university," I found myself saying. "Used to come here all the time during college."

"Sounds like you had an eventful college life." The amusement in his tone made my pulse skip. "Just hanging out with friends sometimes," I smiled at the memories. "It was close to campus and affordable. Haven't been back much since graduation..." I snuck a glance at him. "Oh, my friends, Ruby and Scarlett - you'd like to meet them sometime?" "Of course," His casual acceptance surprised me. "Whenever you're free." "You really want to meet my friends?" I couldn't quite keep the uncertainty from my voice.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Brandon drove with steady precision, getting us to the mall in about thirty minutes. The restaurant I'd suggested had been here since the mall first opened, a constant fixture through all my college years.

Thankfully, I'd called ahead to reserve a table - the place was packed when we arrived. I fidgeted nervously with my sleeve. "Um... we could go somewhere else!"

"No need." His hand found mine as he led us to the waiting area. The casual contact made my pulse skip. I clutched the number slip in my free hand,hyperaware of his fingers intertwined with mine.

When we sat down, he loosened his grip slightly. My palm felt strangely empty, and I couldn't help staring at the spot his hand had been, noting the slight dampness there. *Was I actually nervous enough to have sweaty palms?* Heat crept up my neck as I tried to look anywhere else.

Unfortunately, my gaze landed directly on those dark eyes of his. My heart did a complicated flip as I clutched the number slip tighter. "It's really crowded!" I managed, trying to sound casual.

"Mm." His eyes danced with barely suppressed amusement. "No rush.""Right, no rush!" I smiled weakly as he reached over to unfold my death grip on the number slip, smoothing it out with deliberate care. The way he looked at me afterward made my skin prickle with awareness. "Just two tables ahead of us." I bit my lip, certain he was teasing me on purpose. "Yeah, shouldn't be long!" True to the hostess's word, we only waited a few minutes before our turn came up. "That's us!" I jumped up, unconsciously grabbing his hand to pull him along.

One perfect eyebrow arched at my boldness, but his lips curved into that dangerous half-smile as he let me lead the way. When I finally realized what I'd done, I tried to pull back - but his grip tightened,keeping our fingers firmly intertwined.

The table was cozy - not huge, but perfect for two. I pushed the menu toward him. "See what you'd like? I forgot to ask if you can handle spicy food." The realization hit me that in all our meals at home, we'd never had anything particularly strong-flavored.

He slid the menu right back. "Don't worry about me. Order whatever you want."

My eyes lit up despite myself. "Really?"

"The place is still this busy even at this hour," I commented, looking around at the packed tables. "They must be doing something right."

"I'm sure it's goingto be tasty,June."

Heat flooded my cheeks. "You could just use my real name,you know."

"Don't you like when I call you June? It's different from what anyone else calls you." I had no response to that. *Who uses their birth month as a nickname except for my grandpa anyway?* He poured me more tea, his movements elegant even in this casual setting."About those shares your grandfather gave you - accept them without hesitation. You must know what Alexander and his father are planning." The shift in topic sobered me immediately. I nodded. "I know Grandpa must have his reasons. I just thought... 'maybe things didn't have to be so complicated."

"Capital Corp was built from nothing by your grandfather." Brandon's voice carried that gentle authority I was starting to know well. "He started with nothing,so he values the company above everything."

He paused, studying my reaction. "Victoria has fifteen percent of the shares,but she has no head for business and she's focused on her entertainment career. If she marries Alexander, who do you think those shares will really belong to?"

A bitter smile crossed my face. "I know. That's why Alexander..."I swallowed hard. "That's why he got together with Victoria behind my back.I figured it out a while ago. But my father isn't that foolish, so..."

"No, he's not foolish," Brandon's voice turned sharp. "That's why he tried to use you to secure the Windsor investment instead."

I must have paled because his expression immediately softened."I apologize, I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine," I cut him off, though my attempt at a smile felt brittle. "You're just stating facts. Capital Corp isn't as prestigious as it seems anymore.I just... I never thought my father would go that far. I always thought it was just my mother favoring Victoria because she's more...charming." Brandon's hand found mine across the table, his touch unexpectedly gentle.The warmth of his skín against mine felt like an anchor, keeping me from drowning in bitter memories.