Mark's POV

I resisted the urge to smirk when Sydney chose to merge her shares with mine.

If only she knew.

I smiled as I gauged the sympathy in her eyes, the crease of her eyebrows as she looked between Lucas and me.

I turned to the other shareholders with a straight face and announced my sovereign reign. If they thought they could easily get rid of me, then they were wrong—very wrong.

It had all been thanks to a little patience. Lucas wouldn't have revealed his true intentions to everyone if I hadn't remained patient, sitting back and watching him play us all.

Ever since Lucas came back, I...