“You do. What did you want to talk to me about?”
He glanced at Noah and then back at me. “I know about the photos, and I know who doctored them.”
“Who?” Noah asked.
“Anderson Getty.”
“How do you know?”
He looked away and then at me. “Your father was looking out for you when he asked me.”
“Asked you what?”
“To get close to Getty. Your dad thought Getty would try to get his hands on enough shares to get the majority and take over. He asked me to keep an eye on him. Since I don’t work for the company he figured Getty was more likely to collude if he thought I was on his side. He hasn’t done anything noteworthy so far. He does throw some boring dinner parties. A few weeks ago, after a few drinks, he let it slip that he hired a personal investigator to follow Noah. He wanted to find out if your marriage was real.”
“He did what? The fucking?—”
Pierce raised his hand to continue. “I’m not going to lie. At the time, I was interested in that information too, so I didn’t say anything. When the article in the paper came out, I thought that was my opportunity to get close to you.” He turned to Noah. “I’m so sorry for what I said to you.”
What did he mean?
“Pierce, you’re going to have to speed up your explanation because I’m coming to some conclusions that are not very favorable to you.”
“Yes, yes. After I left your place, I was angry, so I went to Getty’s place. He was celebrating your departure from the company. I asked why he was so certain the article would do the job, and he said the article was just the start. He had photographic evidence that Noah had been cheating. He showed me the photos. I’ll admit I believed it for a moment, but then, in his pretentious arrogance, he said that those things had never happened. The PI had taken photos of Noah, and he paid someone to change the photos to show Noah in those…scenarios.”
Why was I not surprised Getty was behind this? It made sense that the photos never went public. He didn’t want to damage the company’s reputation any more than the article had already damaged mine and Noah’s.
“You were so against us. Why are you coming clean now?” I asked.
“Because despite everything, I care about you. I cared about your father too.”
I leaned back against the desk. “I know. He always talked about you and how you’d be a great asset to the company.”
Pierce shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be.” He pointed to the door. “I’ll just…”
“Hey, Pierce, can you join the partners in the conference room? I’d like you to be at the meeting. Mom is there already. Keep her company?”
“Sure.” He smiled and left.
Noah took a step backward. “I guess you know what I came here to tell you.”
“Not so fast.” I circled my arms around his waist, shut the office door with my foot, and pulled him against me. “We have to talk.”
He swallowed and nodded.
“Noah, no words can convey how sorry I am for everything. I know you, and I should have known you’d put me first. After all, that’s one of the reasons I fell for you so hard and fast. I failed you because instead of protecting you like I should have. I stood there and accepted what was clearly a lie. I am so, so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“The photos looked so real. I was afraid if they came out, you’d lose everything because of me.”
I shook my head.
“That’s the last time you take the blame for something you didn’t do. Got it?”
He nodded.
“You are not responsible for my reputation or the status of my company. Got it?”
He nodded.
