The smile on her face falters a little. To ensure she doesn’t think I’m a freak, I add, “Also, a regular iced Americano and two dark cherry Danishes. All to go.” I swipe Rhys’s card.
I take the receipt, then glare at the phone screen. Still no response from Rhys. Not that it matters at this point.
Don, of course, is still right behind me. “You’re a smart woman. Use your imagination. There are so many things you can do with the inheritance.” He throws my words back in my face, speaking faster, since he knows his time’s almost up.
“Do you know why I studied hard and stuck to my plans?”
“I’m sure it’s because you’ve inherited many of the traits that made your father so successful.”
“Man…you reallycanbe bought. Anyway, tell Trevor the answer’s no. I don’t want to be at somebody’s mercy or suffer disrespect. Trevor thinks I’ll do anything for material gratification because that’s the kind of personheis. But I don’tneed billions to be happy. My job pays well. I have—and enjoy—a fulfilling career.”
A barista pushes two cups of coffee and a bag of Danishes in my direction.
I nod my thanks, then turn to Don, ready to end this conversation. “Tell Trevor he needs to do better if he wants to ‘make amends.’”
“How?”
“Kneeling in front of Mom’s grave and begging for her forgiveness would be a good start. Make sure he films it and puts it up on YouTube.”
I stride out of the café with my order, leaving the slack-jawed lawyer behind. Guess he couldn’t believe a couple of billion bucks wasn’t persuasive enough. To be honest, even if Trevor did make that video, I still wouldn’t consider him a father. It’s too little—and much,muchtoo late.
Up ahead, a soaring steel-and-glass column glitters. RF Investment takes up the top two floors. Some people think the design is a kind of male overcompensation. But the architect was a woman, and RF Investment doesn’t need to compensate for anything. Its overwhelming success and track record speak for themselves.
As I step inside the enormous lobby, decked out with polished marble and crystal with an ornate, giant clock in the center, the uniformed security guard nods at me. “Morning, Charlie,” I say with a smile.
“Morning, Max.” As his eyes crinkle, the white scar at his temple stands out more starkly. Some might be self-conscious about it, but not him. He sports a buzzcut, which almost shows off the jagged line. Nothing seems to disturb his calm, which is what makes him good at his job.
As I scan my employee badge at a turnstile, he lowers his voice. “Just so you know, Auric’s here.”
Oh,no. “Seriously?”
“His wife, too,” Charlie adds, like Auric isn’t bad enough. “And they brought a guest.”
“Who?”
“Dunno. Never seen her around before.”
So it’s a woman. “When did they arrive?”
“Maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago?”
“Ah, jeez. Okay, thanks for the warning,” I say. “I owe you one.”
“Anytime.” His voice is full of sympathy. Anybody who’s worked with Rhys and Finn long enough knows Auric and Elita are trouble.
I stride to the elevator bank and step in. Although there are only three other people in the car, each stop feels painfully slow.Come on.Go faster.
If Auric and Elita are here, that means their assistants Marie and Camilo are here as well. My right foot taps as impatience wrings me out. I should never have left the office. Should’ve told Rhys it wouldn’t kill him to stick to breakroom coffee for the day.
Finally, I’m the only one left in the car. Four more interminable floors, and then the doors open.
The receptionist is slumped in her seat with an expression that screams,Thank God you’re here.
My belly clenches. Breathing deeply, I march toward Rhys’s office, my stilettos hitting the pale gray industrial carpet rapidly.
“Oh—my—gosh!” A tittering laugh.
Shit,shit,shit!rings in my head. I move faster. I can just see Marie covering her mouth and rounding her eyes like saucers. She’s known for her theatrics.
