She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 427

Brandon walked through the backyard, basket in hand, absentmindedly picking vegetables while relentless thoughts ran through his mind.

"Ask my family for money? I'd rather die than do that," he thought, wincing at the idea. "Borrow from Matthew Graham? The humiliation would be unbearable."

After mentally weighing his options, he knew his only valuable asset was the company shares he had on hand. But with the business thriving, he knew selling them now would be a significant long-term loss.

"Brandon, your basket's overflowing with tomatoes!" Josie called from the kitchen window, laughing. "We'll never eat all those!"

Snapping back to reality, Brandon looked down, sheepishly realizing he had indeed filled his basket with tomatoes. "They looked so fresh today, and I couldn't resist. If we don't finish them tonight, we'll have them tomorrow," he said, clearing his throat.

Quickly gathering a few more chili peppers, he returned to the kitchen, still deep in thought.

Brandon wondered if he could sell shares to someone who would leave him in control, regardless of how many shares they held. 'Tommy Giggs,' he thought, a name coming to mind.

As the major shareholder holding fifty percent, Tommy never interfered with operations. Brandon trusted him to respect the company's autonomy, even with more shares.

Putting down the basket of vegetables he picked, Brandon went to his study with a renewed sense of purpose, closed the door slightly, and dialed Tommy's number.

The study was far enough from the kitchen, and with everyone preoccupied with dinner preparations, he was sure no one would hear him.

"Mr. Giggs," Brandon began, "I needed funds immediately and wanted to transfer some of my shares to you. Would you consider helping me out?"

Tommy chuckled. "The company's doing incredibly well. The value of your shares will keep rising. Won't you regret selling them now?"

Brandon forced a smile. "I knew that, but I had no other options at the moment. I'll be taking a loss, but I'd rather my shares go to you than someone on the outside."

Tommy Giggs said, "Alright then, how much do you need?"

"Forty million dollars," Brandon said. But before he could hear Tommy's reply, someone grabbed his phone from behind.

"Mr. Giggs, we have resolved the matter," Zayn announced confidently. "So, Brandon won't be selling his shares anymore."

After Zayn hung up the call, Brandon sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Zayn, you know it's not nice to eavesdrop."

Zayn leaned back with a smirk. "Eavesdrop? I was just walking by, and the door was left open. Besides, we're family. What's the harm in overhearing your phone conversations?"

Brandon adjusted his glasses, feigning indifference. "Zayn, you've changed since joining the entertainment industry."

Zayn shrugged with a chuckle. "So, what's going on? Why do you suddenly need forty million in cash?"

"It's company-related. Nothing for you to worry about," Brandon said dismissively.

But Zayn's gaze sharpened. "Is this about Lindsay Dudley?"

Brandon's pulse quickened, and he quickly refuted, "No, it has nothing to do with her. Stop digging, I won't answer."

"Lindsay is one of your top executives and has been with the company from the start. If she's leaving for Aeloria, I assume you'd want to give her a proper severance," Zayn said matter-of-factly.

"If you don't tell me now, I'll find out what's going on myself," he continued, looking determined.

Knowing Zayn's character, Brandon gave in. "Alright, I'll tell you, but keep it between us."

Zayn nodded. "Alright, I promise you."

Brandon explained his plan to buy back shares from Lindsay and two other senior staff at a premium. "Tommy would be the ideal person to sell the shares to. I trust him," he said.

Zayn shook his head and said, "You built this company from the ground up. Even if Tommy's reliable, you need to retain a controlling share."

"I'll lend you the money. Pay me back whenever you're ready. Even if it means you can only return it when you're eighty," Zayn added with a playful grin.

Straightening up, Tina felt flustered, wondering if Zayn had caught her being overly playful. "Zayn, don't tell me you're finally ready to accept the role of Victor?"

Expecting another refusal, she braced herself. However, to her surprise, Zayn didn't say no. He stayed silent, his expression thoughtful.

"You're actually considering it?" Tina stammered, her eyes widening.

"Let's discuss it in the car," Zayn replied, nodding toward the SUV in the driveway to ensure their conversation stayed private.

Barely containing her excitement, Tina beamed, "Of course! You can name your terms if you're in for the role!"

Zayn led her to the SUV and invited her in, "After you, Miss Tate."

After a few minutes of discussion, Tina stepped out with a wide grin. Taking out her mobile phone, she immediately called the director, Mr. Clifford Stone.

Zayn couldn't hear what Tina was saying to the director on the phone, so he settled back into the car, waiting patiently for her to finish the conversation.

Moments later, she slid back into the car, flashing Zayn a triumphant thumbs-up. "The producer had agreed to your terms! You will get the highest pay ever offered in the industry, a fifteen percent profit share from the production, and an advance payment upon signing the contract. If you're happy with that, we can draft the contract immediately and have it ready for you to sign tomorrow."

As one of the industry's top celebrities, Zayn had projects lined up for him nonstop. So when he willingly agreed to take on a drama production, Tina was determined not to miss this golden opportunity.

Tina was concerned that any delay in signing the contract could give other productions the chance to pull him away.

Zayn gave a slight nod. "Sounds good. Let's sign the contract tomorrow."

Brimming with excitement, Tina practically skipped off like a child with a bag of candy, eager to share the good news with Maria.

Zayn then called his manager, Horace. "Horace, I need some high-paying endorsements lined up—ideally, ones with upfront payments. Can you make that happen?"