Chapter 4 - The Contract RescueOn Thursday morning, Edward flew his executive legal team to London for an emergency summit with the Kenyan regional delegates.
Using Milanaâs community-trust framework, Edward presented the revised agreement.
The outcome was immediate. The regional delegates signed the land access permits on the spot, bypassing the foreign obstruction created by his uncle Richard. The three-billion-dollar deal was secured, sending Hastings Enterprisesâ stock soaring six percent in a single afternoon.
That evening, Edward hosted a celebration dinner at the Savoy Hotel in London for his executive team.
His uncle, Richard Hastings, sat at the end of the table, his face dark with fury as board members congratulated Edward on saving the firmâs signature project.
âYou got lucky, Edward,â Richard sneered, swirling his scotch. âOr should I say, your lawyers got lucky.â
Edward leaned back in his chair, a calm, confident smile on his face. âIt wasn't my lawyers, Richard. It was my wife.â
Richard let out a mocking laugh. âYour wife? The phantom in the veil? Come now, Edward. We all know you married her to secure her familyâs voting shares. You don't even know what she looks like under that cloth! For all we know, sheâs hiding a tragic secret.â
The table went quiet.
Edward stood up slowly, his tall frame towering over his uncle, his eyes flashing with icy anger.
âMy wife has more intellect, grace, and strategic genius in her little finger than you have demonstrated in thirty years on the board, Richard,â Edward said, his voice quiet, steady, and terrifyingly clear. âIf you ever speak of her with disrespect again, I will personally initiate a board review of your offshore expense accounts.â
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Richard gasped, turning pale, unable to say another word.
Edward sat back down, picking up his glass. In that moment, he realized something profound: he no longer cared if Milana wore her veil for the rest of her life. He was falling in love with her soul.
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