Chapter Ten
Charles
Charles’s office was a disaster. Lee couldn’t organize worth a penny, and Charles wanted Bella back. She wouldn’t let his case files pile up in the corner, nor would she leave coffee cups all over his desk. With an angry scowl, he tossed two into the garbage can in the corner, not caring that they burst open and spilt cold coffee in the bin. Let the janitor worry about the mess.
Charles had worked eighty-hour weeks for six weeks now, and Bella still wouldn’t answer his calls. Combined, it made him grumpy.
A soft knock at the door brought him around. “Lee, I told you, don’t—”
“Hello, Charles.” Martin stood in the doorway. His white hair had been trimmed and his whiskers shaved. He had on a polo shirt and a cardigan and looked like Mr. Rogers instead of the law man he claimed to be.
Charles instantly smoothed his expression. Since meeting Martin in the coffee shop, he’d done his research and learned about his heart condition. Getting in good with Bella’s father would further his case with her. She adored the old man, and a recommendation from him was worth his patience. “Martin, it’s good to see you.” He lifted a stack of files off the leather chair by the desk and set them on top of the filing cabinet. “Have a seat. How are you doing?”
“I’ve been released from that awful rehab center, thank the Lord.”
“Wonderful. Your color has improved greatly.”
Martin absentmindedly rubbed his cheek. “I suppose it has.”
Charles settled into his desk chair and looked around for the copy of the contract Marin had sent over after their first meeting. He found it in the file rack and opened it up. “I’m afraid I haven’t made much headway on breaking this contract.” It was, by far, the best-written contract he’d ever seen, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud. “It’s as if the devil himself wrote it.” He chuckled, feigning a lightness he didn’t feel. The menial work on the bottom rung was getting to him, eating away at his soul. He needed a promotion, and soon.
“You’re closer than you think.” Martin leaned closer. “Did you see the article inTimes? The Beast is back in court, and he dragged Bella with him.”
Charles typed in a few search words into the browser, and the article appeared on-screen. He’d heard rumors in the building but wanted the whole story. The Beast was there, glowering, and just in front of him, Bella cowered. He had his hand on her back as if shoving her into the crowd of reporters. Charles scanned the article. His law firm had been on the other side—and they’d lost. No wonder the firm was under a cloud of gloom and doom these days.
“Please, Charles, if there’s anything you can do …”
Charles stared at the screen, an idea slowly forming. “Have you been in touch with Bella?”
“We talk almost every day. She says it’s not so horrible working for him, but she’s doing more than she should. She said something about remodeling one of his apartment buildings, and that wasn’t in the original contract. I can’t imagine that she has time for that. Did you see how thin she is in the picture?”
“Yes,” Charles breathed. “Quite stunning.” Bella had been beautiful before, but she now had the look of a supermodel. Her bone structure was positively regal. What he could do with a woman like that on his arm … He leaned on his forearms. “I feel I was too hasty, letting her get away from me. And I’d like another shot. Do you think you could set us up?”
Martin grimaced. “I don’t like to interfere in her dating life.”
“It’s not interfering; it’s looking out for her best interest. I could offer her a job here. My clerk is obviously underqualified.” He motioned to the mess around him.
Martin was shaking his head before Charles finished. “Bella’s studying for the bar exam.”
“But she never said anything about being a lawyer.” This was preposterous. Bella wasn’t cut out for the courtroom; she was a behind-the-scenes type of person. “My wife, then, perhaps?” Charles rubbed his fingers together. A wife was a step up from a clerk in title, although he planned to give her the same tasks.
Martin leaned back, running his hands back and forth over the arms of the chair. “I don’t know that you two are a match, Charles.”
Charles’s head throbbed with the complexities this man presented. He had a hard time getting a read on Martin. Did he want his help or not? Perhaps tugging on his heartstrings was the way to go. “I miss her. She made life so easy for me.”
Martin nodded. “And what did you do for her?”
He opened and closed his mouth. “I gave her life purpose, meaning. She said so herself.”
Martin stood. “She’s found a purpose of her own and a path that is independent of you and your needs. I’m sorry, Charles. I can’t give you my blessing.”
Charles sprang to his feet, anger overtaking the layer of patience he’d so carefully applied. “But you’ll send her off to work for the Beast? You think being married to me is worse than that?”
Orion Wolfe stuck his head in. “What’s going on in here?”
Just his luck. One of the founderswouldbe walking by his office when he lost his cool and raised his voice. And where was Lee? His office wasn’t presentable. Charles laughed easily in an effort to dispel the tension in the room. “We’re discussing a contract.”
Orion put his hands on his hips. “What was this about the Beast?”
