Chapter 30

The unrest shaking Jonny's shareholders hadn't happened naturally-it had been carefully seeded by Nolan working behind the curtain.

In the end, whether those shares were dumped or held tightly, the choice was Nolan's to make.

His long fingers drummed lightly on the table before he turned to Erick and spoke in a low command."Buy out half of the shareholders. Leave the rest where they are. I'll need them to keep making noise inside the Todd Group."

Chaos within the company was a weapon he intended to use again.

And there was the personal angle-Jonny had once been Eleanor's husband.

That tie alone guaranteed Nolan would never truly let Jonny walk free of his shadlow.

How far the storm went would depend entirely on Jonny's own moves. If he kept blundering, he would be digging his own grave.

Once Erick left to handle the task, Nolan did what he always did-he reached for his phone and sent Eleanor a message. "I may have a gift for you soon."

The power to flip control of the Todd Group like it was nothing more than a chess piece-that was a gift with real weight.

If Jonny ever dared to push Eleanor past her limit, Nolan would hand those very shares to her without a second thought.

Of course, he didn't put any of that in writing.

Mystery was part of his armor, and he wore it well.

On the other end, Eleanor stared at the message, puzzled by its meaning. Her pen stilled on the page, and she absently pressed the tip against her lip.

Nolan, she decided, had far too much time on his hands, and with that thought dismissed, she bent over her sketch again.

With the launch of Enigma Group so close, she needed designs that could turn heads and pull in investors.

Without those funds, making a bold move would be impossible.

So what mattered now? The work in front of her, not some man.

By the next day, Nolan still hadn't received a reply from Eleanor.

Yet irritation never crossed his face.

Patience, after all, was part of the game. In time, he would succeed in peeling back every layer of Eleanor until her true self was laid bare.

The very idea tugged a smile to his lips, one he struggled to suppress.

Ryland, standing nearby, shuddered. "Nolan, for God's sake, stop smiling like that. It's creepy!"

Seeing a man with a reputation for cold indifference suddenly wearing a tender smile was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

Nolan shot Ryland a cold look. "Too much free time? I've got a project in some remote corner of the map you might want to handle..."

"Hold it, stop right there!" Ryland cut inimmediately, waving his hands. "I was only joking!"

Nolan's words made his scalp prickle.

Who in their right mind would want to work in some remote corner of the map?

Certainly not the CEO of Brooks Group.

Only Nolan kept insisting those far-flung sites were worth attention, trying to rope him into going.

No chance-he wasn't taking the bait. "Actually, I just remembered I've got urgent business," Ryland blurted, backing toward the door. "I'll leave you to your smiling. Enjoy."

As Ryland slipped out, Erick returned and stopped before Nolan. "Mr. Stewart, everything's been taken care of. But there's one matter that needs your decision. Enigma Group in Vladena has just sent us their proposal.Should we consider investing?"

The Stewart Group's investment team was known for its precision and skill.

Ordinarily, no project reached Nolan's desk until it had gone through their full evaluation.

But Enigma Group wasn't an ordinary case. Its reputation alone gave it weight.

The risk was clear-by the time the usual assessments were finished, Enigma Group might no longer need outside capital.

Letting such a profitable opportunity slip away would be a mistake Stewart Group couldn't afford.

On top of that, Enigma Group stood as a direct rival to the Todd Group.

If Stewart Group poured money into Enigma Group, the announcement itself could shake Todd Group's foundation before the real fight even began.

Erick leaned on that final point, making sure it landed.

Nolan's gaze sharpened, a faint gleam of amusement breaking through his cool exterior. "Invest. And don't stop there-secure the position of largest shareholder."

He wanted to see if Jonny would have the strength left to keep pestering Eleanor once the tide turned.

And with that, Eleanor would end up owing him another debt-whether she realized it or not.