My jaw tightens. “Manufacture it? Why? It’s not like the money would come out of his pocket.”
Lenny looks down at his hands, and for a second, I think he won’t answer. Then, quietly, he says, “There’s a rumour. I don’t know if it’s true, but people talk. Basically, every lawsuit our head gets thrown out before it reaches trial? He gets ten percent of the estimated settlement.”
I blink, stunned. “What thefuck?”
He lifts his shoulders in a helpless shrug. “HR departments are supposed to be neutral. Supposed to mediate. But this one hasn’t been neutral in a long time. It’s gotten worse every year, especially since the CFO retired.”
I frown. “I didn’t even know Kruger retired.”
“Not Marx United’s CFO,” Lenny says, shaking his head. “The parent company. Marx Corp.”
“Maybe I should take my complaint directly to the top,” I mutter, more to myself than to him. “They still have a CEO, right?”
He’s already shaking his head before I finish. “Won’t work. I heard the son, Caden or Connor or something, took over for Leanord Marx. Groomed for the role since birth.”
I throw a hand up, frustration spilling over. “So, an entitled jerk’s getting the job because he’s the boss’s kid. Fantastic.”
Lenny just shrugs; lips pressed in a thin line. “Welcome to corporate America.”
I rake a hand through my hair, my pulse thundering in my ears. “What the fuck am I supposed to do then?”
“I don’t know.” He spreads his hands helplessly. Then, after a pause, adds, “Why are you suddenly asking about all this anyway? Brooke was firedmonthsago.”
I stare down at the table, shame creeping up my neck. “I messed up,” I admit quietly. “We’re kind of in a hole financially.”
He shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “Yeah, well… I guess having a kid’s expensive.”
“It’s not that,” I say quickly. “My insurance covers most of the medical stuff. It’s just…” I hesitate, the words sticking in my throat. “I did something stupid. And if Brooke finds out-”
The light of my phone cuts me off. I glance down, frowning. The screen is lit up, notifications crowding the screen. Seventeen missed calls.
My heart lurches.
I pick up the next call before the second ring. “Hello?”
“Oh, thankGod,” my assistant’s voice rushes through the line, shaky with relief. “Where have you been?”
“I-I had a lunch meeting,” I stammer, suddenly cold all over.
“Mrs. Basen’s water broke,” she blurts. “She’s at the hospital.”
For a second, the words don’t compute. Then they slam into me like a freight train. My chair screeches back as I stand. “Shit. Fuck. Okay. I’m coming.”
I hang up so fast I almost drop the phone. Lenny’s already standing too, eyebrows raised.
“I heard,” he says. “Go.”
A stunned, disbelieving smile breaks across my face. “I’m about to have a baby.”
“Congrats, man,” Lenny says, grinning now.
“Thanks!” I yell over my shoulder as I sprint for the door, my pulse racing. “I’m having a baby!”
Holy Fuck.
Chapter Fifteen
Brooke
