“Yes,”I wrote the damn book, I think.
Claudia and Drew stand up and head over to the side of the room, out of view, and sit beside Hugo Vale.
“Savannah on three,” Dean whispers. “One, two,”
I play along, and together we say, “Savannah,” and tap fists.
Then Dean says, “Put him through.”
The Second Aldridge Shaw's face appears on the conference room screen, and he scowls in my direction. “This was supposed to be between you and me, Costello.”
“This was never between you and me. This should have never even been between you and Moretti. In fact, this was done a year ago when Doctor Holloway discovered she was pregnant and did the right thing by telling your future son-in-law, and he called her a gold digger. She offered him an out; he took it. And now here we are.”
“If thatwomanhad not posted a picture of herself and that child of hers, my daughter would have never known. She was baiting, looking for attention, and now that attention-seeking puck bunny fucking has it.”
I lean forward, blood boiling, “She was posting a picture of her and her daughter on her private social media page for her friends to see. I find it hard to believe that your daughter and Claudia have ever known each other. So how exactly did she find this picture?”
“Internet stalking,” Costello states, and looks at the screen. “So, either Dingy told her, or she’s in need of therapy.” He smirks. “I know a great shrink. We hired her.”
“You hired that woman?”
“She’s got a job, owns a home, and has a support system here in New York. And before I decide to hang up on you, I'm going to give you another fucking warning, Shaw, Claudia's daughter is notthat child,and the fact that you want to play step granddaddy to her, I would highly suggest you not only change the way you address her but the fucking way you say it.”
“What does that even mean?” he asks.
“I'm gonna guess the venom in your tone is what that's supposed to mean,” Dean interjects.
“I am sure they can come up with a visitation schedule that will benefit both. We've looked into some real estate in Manhattan. Emma has offered to work with Miss Holloway to ensure?—”
“An engagement does not give your daughter any legal right to visitation. So, I highly suggest you save your fucking money.”
“Claudia—”
“So, you do know her name,” I seethe.
“Of course I know her fucking name, you idiot,” Shaw hisses. “I've done my due diligence. I know everything about that woman.”
“Then you know she's highly educated and stronger than anyone I've ever met,” I say through clenched teeth. “You know she’s going to protect her daughter with every resource she has to ensure she’s raised in a loving environment.”
Costello pipes in, “He means she won’t invite internet stalking nut jobs into her life.”
“Don’t you speak of my daughter that way.”
“I’m very curious as to how a man with your means allowed her to be raised to be,” he leans in. “A little unhinged.”
“You want to talk about lifestyles, let’s talk about yours, Costello.”
Dean puts his elbows on the conference table, links his fingers, and rests his chin on them, “Let's. It's my favorite thing to talk about.”
“Your family is an abomination.” Aldridge roars.
“Tomato, tomato.” Dean waves a hand through the air. “My partners don't go sneaking around alleys and in the shadows to get off. Can you say the same?”
“You son of a bitch.” He looks at me. “You gave me your word.”
“I gave you a timeline; you gave me nothing.” I remind him. When he does not reply, I continue, “Speaking of my word, I promised you I would make sure a few things happened if you did not leash your player. What I didn't know was that your daughter needed to be put on a leash, too. I'll give you another week, before?—”
“We release the Kraken,” Costello chuckles and quickly schools his features. “And Moretti is a man of his word. He didn't tell me anything. But when you pulled the shit, you pulled it on one of my players, I decided to do my own digging. I know more than he does. I have a staff to dig when asked, just like you.”
