Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 291(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
She’d agreed, but a big part of her hated having to hide who she was seeing when she’d done nothing wrong. But even Ian had agreed with Dex. He hadn’t wanted to give Jeremy any more things to twist in his mind and lie about to the press, so he’d invited them to his home for dinner. Until she settled her business dealings with Jeremy, keeping the man level-headed was the goal. The good news was, she hadn’t seen him since her return.
She headed to her office, saying hello to people as she made her way there. Her assistant sat at her usual place.
As soon as Samantha returned from Florida, Brandy had taken a few days off and this was their first time seeing each other in person.
“Hi, Brandy,” Samantha said, excited to see her friend.
“Hello, and welcome home to both of us!”
She grinned. “Thanks. And thank you for holding down the fort. Again. Great job.” She was aware Brandy had done double duty often since the wedding disaster.
Brandy waved off the compliment. “As long as you remember come bonus time,” she said with a wink. “So… you look tan and relaxed.”
“Seeing family was good for me,” she admitted.
“And Dex? Was he good for you too?”
Laughing, Samantha rolled her eyes. “I’ll never kiss and tell.”
Brandy grinned. “As long as you kissed,” she said, following Samantha into her office.
“How were your days off?” Samantha lowered herself into her chair with a sigh. It felt good to be back where she belonged.
“Lots of R and R,” Brandy said. “Although I’m looking forward to my next longer vacation in the fall.” Brandy had planned a trip to Jamaica and Samantha understood her excitement. “As for work,” Brandy went on, “I did as you asked and kept an eye on Jeremy. He’s been sneaking around, talking to the VPs and associates, schmoozing people he never bothered with before. The snake is up to something.”
The peace Samantha had been feeling about work since her return disappeared. “Okay, thanks for keeping an eye out. I’ll touch base with Tim,” she said of her attorney. She hadn’t spoken to him since the phone call in Florida.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Was keeping this place really worth dealing with Jeremy and his bullshit? Yes, it was, dammit. At the very least she was going to walk away with what was rightfully hers.
“Good luck,” Brandy murmured, her voice causing Samantha’s eyes to open, and she refocused on her surroundings.
“Thanks.”
Brandy walked out, shutting the door behind her.
The first thing Samantha did was leave a message for her lawyer. Then she texted Ian and asked if he’d spoken to Tim. The attorney had permission to discuss her case with her brother. Without hearing from either of the men, she dug into work.
An hour or so later, Tim called her back and asked her to come by his office. Hearing the urgency in his voice, she grabbed her purse, let Brandy know she was going to a meeting, and took a car to Midtown. She gave her name at the receptionist desk and was immediately escorted to Tim’s office.
He stood as she walked in and gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk. Once she did, he lowered himself into his chair. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”
She forced a smile, panic swirling in her stomach. “It sounded urgent.”
“It is. A financial record search of your partner has uncovered a bank account in the Cayman Islands.”
She blinked, certain she’d heard wrong. “I’m sorry, what?”
Tim threaded his fingers together, leaning forward as he spoke. “The forensic accountants and the investigators they hired uncovered the account. And they confirmed that the companies your firm paid, the ones that weren’t a match to anyone you are doing business with, are shell corporations that funneled the money to the account in the Caymans.”
Her mouth ran dry. “How much did he steal?”
The attorney shot her a sympathetic look. “Roughly five hundred thousand over a long period of time… as of now. Clearly, he planned on taking much more over time. And if he married you, he’d have been funneling whatever he could get his hands on.”
She sat back in her seat, stunned. “According to our criminal litigation department, he’s looking at a second degree, class C felony. That’s fifteen years in prison if convicted.”
Her head spun and she didn’t know what to say. “What happens next?”
“We continue to dig and compile evidence. We can decide if we want to approach him with what we found or take the information to the police. Either way, you’ll have decisions to make in the near future. But you should know, there’s a strong likelihood Jeremy has been made aware of the search and what was discovered. He may be volatile.”
She nodded. “I won’t be alone with him.” She’d be much more careful than prior to her Florida trip. She didn’t like that she was seeing a side to her ex she’d never imagined he’d been hiding from her and the world.