And get it back in the end, and the fae dust no one else could get.
But it was the perfect setup for their huge fucking egos, corruption, and blinders all the idiots wore. So I did it again, keeping it quiet, as none of them would want to admit to such a deal. Oh no, that would be shady, and they were all so prim and proper.
And then, I did it again.
And again.
And again.
And again, and with the men even, many who thought they would just mate me and get it all, so why not flaunt how much they got to lead me in. Fucking idiots.
While I did all of that, I bought shares the normal, public way as well. There were lots of humans who owned shares in those major companies. Yes, most were owned by witches and warlocks, but a lot weren’t.
And most of them were mine now. I’d paid brokers to track down shareholders and bought them for more than they were worth, wanting the shares, and had them put in a holding company until I brought it all together. But they were mine, and now Geiger and the firm could kick some serious ass.
I winced when my phone rang and it was him.
“Are you laughing or going to strangle my neck?” I greeted.
“Both,” he drawled. “Did you really pull that off?”
“Yes, and you will die when I tell you how,” I chuckled. “They really do make it too easy.”
“How? That is a massive amount of money, Tamsin. How did you pull that off?”
“I didn’t use money most of the time. I used another commodity.”
“The fae dust,” he immediately surmised. He was quiet a few moments. “Please tell me people weren’t stupid enough to sign over shares to you for fae dust?”
“Lots of them were, completely sure it would all land right back in the councils’ hands, or it was just an investment, as they would be mating me and taking over all I had anyways,” I practically sang.
“This will come back to bite you in the ass.”
“Yes, yes, it will, but you also said it was the price of selling a council seat. They will want to know whose seat. You threw a match on sitting powder kegs, and I did from the outside as well. Let them all blow and fight amongst themselves.”
“We need everything and—”
“As soon as you hand over all you have with them now and close it all out, so there’s no risk of conflict or worry.”
He snorted. “We’ve never handled those business matters, simply their personal ones or the businesses they solely managed.”
“Oh, then I’ll contact the three human attorneys who have been handling this for me and compiling it all knowing I was waiting for my other attorney to get rid of his conflict so he could take it over. You be the boss from there.”
“Always so entertaining.”
“I do my best.”
“Yes, yes you do. Nicely done here.”
“Having honor and doing the right thing should be rewarded. Being assholes should be punished. It might not always be in the world, but in my life, I do it as best as I can. I’m sure you’ll want to audit the companies and all their legal practices first thing. That should keep your entire firm busy for years.”
“Yes, it undoubtedly will,” he chuckled. “We’ll talk soon.”
I shook my head as we hung up. He loved that I caused trouble. As much as he might lecture me or try to get me to curb it, he clearly loved it and missed that about his own mate.
I hope I find his mate soon. At least if I can find their mates, that would be everything.
By lunchtime, dozens of people who had a bone to pick with me and could get on campus, showed up to confront me outside the cafeteria.
“You didn’t say you were getting other shares,” one niece of a councilman hissed at me. “You tricked me.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You didn’t ask. You were so fucking sure I’d be in the hands of your uncle already, and you’d have your shares back and the fae dust, you thought you were brilliant to offer them up because the dust costs more than your allowance gives you.”
“It’s still fraud and I’m filing—” she started.
I laughed right in her face. “Go right ahead. March right to Geiger and tell him I committed fraud because you thought your uncle would already steal the shares back from me. Tell him I didn’t disclose I was getting other shares from other idiots like you and watch him laugh, because I don’t have to tell you things like that.”
She let her hand fly to slap me, but it was caught before she could.
By Mel.
Who was not happy some bitch had tried to slap me in a group gunning for me.
“Watch yourself,” she warned, her voice cold and lethal. “You want to bitch about getting tricked when you thought you were tricking Tamsin, fine, you can do that. But you smack her for outsmarting you, and I’m going to return the hit. With my fist and smash in your face.”
“The council won’t let this stand,” the witch snapped as she tried to yank back her hand from Mel.
Who only smirked at her and easily kept hold.
“I think they’re going to be a bit busy trying to figure out who they were willing to sell
