Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97865 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“Morning.”
Her groggy voice pulls me from my phone. “Morning. How’d you sleep?”
“Like the dead. What time is it?” She sits up.
“Almost seven.”
“Seven! Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You need your sleep.”
“Yeah, I can sleep later.” She throws her legs off the bed, but they become tangled in the sheet. I throw my arm out and catch her before she tumbles to the floor. “Geez, what the hell did I ever do to your sheets?” I mask my smirk while she adjusts herself. “Give me ten minutes, I’ll be—”
“Fay.”
“What?”
“You’re not going with me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want you anywhere near my father. I want you to stay here, where I know you’re safe.” Her lips form into a cute-as-fuck pout. “I need to stay focused. You being here allows me to do that.”
“But what happens—”
“Whatever happens, you’re still better off here. I can handle my father. I’m prepared.”
“But how will I know what’s going on? What if I don’t hear back from you?”
I cup her cheeks. “You will. Stay here. Order as many groceries as you want. Bake. Cook. Drink. Shit, I don’t care. Just stay here. Give me that peace of mind today. Can you do that?”
She takes too long to reply, and I know she’s going to be difficult. “All the groceries?”
“Ship in fresh cheeses from France. I don’t give a fuck. Just please give me this.”
Her shoulders slump. “Fine. But it’s Greek goat cheese or nothing.” I steal a kiss but don’t linger. A second longer, I’d have her naked and bent over.
“Thank you. I’ll call you when I can.”
I leave her and head to the office. As soon as my eyes opened this morning, I set the wheels into motion. I emailed Craig to meet me first thing and be ready for a fight. We went through the same hellish process five years ago when I sought him out to help me, but we weren’t looking for the right things back then. I was so consumed with finding the girl in the pictures that I never thought to suspect the Hill Group or MIC of the underlying reason this was set in motion in the first place. Now, we do. And after who knows how much money and fervent determination, our evidence is solid. After today, there’s no way my father will hold all the cards. Which should leave me feeling a lot more confident. Certainly not jittery like I currently am. There’s a small kernel of doubt forming in my stomach. I hold all the cards, I repeat to myself. But Alfred Monroe is unpredictable.
I text my father on the way in, letting him know it’s time to discuss family matters. It’s quiet when I get off the elevator, but I head to my office and wake up my computer. There’s a knock on my door, and I lift my head.
“Morning.”
“Craig.” I nod, and he enters my office and sits across from me. “You have everything? We have to be prepared.” We’ve gone over this so many times.
“Theo, it’s solid. Evidence doesn’t lie. We have signatures and proof of mishandling and cover-ups. If that doesn’t get his attention, we have the rest of the allegations to throw at him. And I can’t imagine Alfred Monroe spending a minute behind bars.”
He offers me some relief.
My phone buzzes. “Mr. Monroe. Your father has entered the building.”
I press the intercom. “Thank you. When he comes in, direct him to the conference room. I’ll be in shortly.”
Leaning back, I brush my hands down my tie. “Let’s get this over with.” Craig stands with me, and we make our way to the conference room. When we enter, I see that Charles is with my father. My annoyance spikes at the sight of Alana. “Father. Charles.” I don’t bother to address Alana. “I didn’t know she was on the attendee list.”
“I think it’s important she be here considering the topic of conversation,” Father says, eyeing Craig. “Who is this?”
“Father, meet Craig Stone. My lawyer.” I sit at the head of the table while Craig takes the chair next to me.
His brows raise at the title. “Lawyer? Where is Jeffries? You know we only use the family lawyer.” He flicks his fingers in the air. “You’re dismissed.”
“Craig is staying right where he is.” I nod to Craig, who pulls out the file. Standing, he puts one set of documents in front of my father and another in front of Charles.
“Theo, what’s this about?” Charles asks, reaching for the documents.
“It’s about taking back control.”
My father stares down at the papers on the table. “Whatever you think you have is nothing.” He pushes them away without looking at the contents. On the other hand, Charles has gone quiet and pale as he realizes what he’s looking at.
“Well, that depends on whether you care how I handle this information.”