“He deliberately sabotaged the company after you told him to step down. He’s an egotistical ass who couldn’t handle losing. That’s why he called the SEC on us.”
I opened my mouth to finally defend myself, but Mr. Harold stepped forward.
“That’s not true, Gabriella. Whatever story you’ve spun in your head is wrong. Chandler was only trying to help when he brought in his own accounting firm. He didn’t know what they were going to find. None of us did.”
“It’s true,” I said, hoping she would look at me and see that I meant it, but she didn’t. She just continued looking at her father for answers because she clearly had no interest in mine.
“If he were going to call the SEC, why would he alert me to the problem?” asked Mr. Harold, raising a brow. “He could have left and let me drown, but he tried to warn me. I was just too angry about everything to listen.”
“It still doesn’t make any sense why this would happennow,” said Gabriella harshly.
“I don’t know, dear, but it’s happening. And Chandler wants to help us. Does that seem like a man who would want to sabotage me?”
She rolled her eyes, not softening her edge at all. She grabbed her purse from the desk and stood up hastily.
“Fine. Help. But you can do it without me,” she said, shooting me a look before she pushed her way between us toward the door.
“Gabriella…” started Mr. Harold.
“It’s clear you don’t need me, Dad. He’s more than welcome to take my place. He’s done it before,” she said coolly, disappearing out of the room.
Mr. Harold closed his mouth tightly and shook his head warily. The cut he had given her clearly still ran deep. I turned to go after her, but Mr. Harold placed his hand on my arm to stop me.
“Sir?” I asked, looking down at him.
I wanted to go after her and shake the stubbornness out of her. She could be so hard-headed, but I was the same way. But if she would just listen to me and really hear the truth about all of this, then maybe we could work through this mess, and then hopefully work through everything else. Wedidneed her. Especially me, in more ways than one.
“Don’t,” said Mr. Harold sadly, his eyes defeated.
“But—”
He held his hand up before looking at the doorway she had just walked out of. “My daughter is stubborn. I’m sure you know you know that.”
“I do.” I feigned a small laugh.
“And she’s also independent. Fiercely so. She needs to work through this on her own.”
I nodded and he released my arm. I still wanted to make a run for it, but I figured I should listen to the man who knew his daughter best.
“It’s best to just let her cool off,” he said, gesturing for me to follow him back to his office. We would have to work together, just us two, for now. Gabriella and I would have to sort through our own problems later. In the meantime, at least I could try to help salvage her family’s legacy.
Chapter 43
Gabriella
I was fuming as I stormed through the lobby, desperate to get out of the building and away from the two men who drove me absolutely crazy. I didn’t even say my usual goodbye to the security guard, and he looked wary of even trying. Could I blame him? It felt like I was on fire, and Chandler had just added more gasoline.
Outside on the sidewalk, I breathed in the hot dog-tinged air of the city and put my hands behind my head as I paced outside the building. I looked up to the top floor, wondering what my father and Chandler were doing now. Sure, it had looked unprofessional to walk out, especially when my father was in the middle of a crisis. I couldn’t help it, though. Call it hormones. Call it being fed up.
I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he had let Chandler back in. He had to know that would push me away. Again. Why was my father always choosing this man over me? And why did it have to be the man I had been falling for? It made it hurt even more than when he was just the asshole I met outside the coffee shop.
I let out a frustrated cry, causing passersby to look in my direction curiously. I didn’t care. I had to get this frustration out before it exploded out of me. I quickly threw my hand up for a cab, looking back one last time at the building, as if I could see in. A yellow cab pulled up to the curb and I slid inside, slamming the door loudly.
“Easy there,” said the driver, looking at me with slight irritation through the rearview mirror.
“Sorry,” I muttered before giving him my address.
The ride home was quick, and full of feelings of my growing irritation. It felt like I was being forced out again, even though I was the one who had chosen to leave. I knew my father and I were no closer to finding out who was committing fraud within the company, but the idea of getting help from Chandler was annoying. He barely had any time in his position as CEO to really know the company. And he was too much of an asshole to get to know anyone. How could he possibly help? Aside from the fact he found the missing money in the first place.
