“I will,” he continues. “I’m freezing every account, every asset, and stopping every decision you think you made.”
Her eyes sharpen. “This won’t end the way you think it will.”
Griffith tilts his head almost amused. “It never does with you,” he says, before we turn and walk away. The funeral is two days later. I can’t bring myself to look inside the closed casket. If I do, I might not survive, so I keep my distance. Far enough that I can’t see the details, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about the man who raised me lying cold and dead beneath that mahogany lid. People shuffle around me, whispering, having quiet conversations and giving their condolences I don’t want to hear. A few talk to me, and others just look toward me with a sad expression on their face.
When we make it to the graveside, I stand near the long line of cars parked along the roadway. The officiant begins the service, and Jeff reads the eulogy shortly after. My feet are killing me in these black heels, as I stay rooted in the same spot for the entire service. I watch as they lower the casket into the ground, each person throwing a rose into the cold hole in the ground, then walking to their cars.
Two days ago, we were laughing at a meeting, and the next he’s gone. I don’t wipe away the tears that keep falling. Wiping them away won’t bring him back.
CHAPTER 37
Payson
The crowd thins outquickly as people begin leaving in clusters. I stay where I am watching from a distance, as Vivian acts like she’s a heartbroken sister, when the truth lies with Jay beneath the ground. I know she had something to do with this. I can’t prove it, but I know in my heart she did. I watch the last of friends drive away and tell myself it’s alright to walk up there now. It will never make sense to me why the casket was not allowed to be opened. I heard Vivian say it was because she didn’t want anyone to remember him that way, but I believe it’s because she doesn’t want anyone to know the truth. She killed him. I know it deep down in my soul. I swallow the thought down, savoring the taste of revenge as the footsteps on the gravel behind me begin to get closer.
“You don’t belong here.” The sound of her voice makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight. I refuse to speak to her, so I ignore her and look to the man beside her. Her new fling, I assume, though this one is clean cut and wears a suit. “Only family is allowed at the graveside,” she says.
“I’m not interested in anything you have to say to me.”
“This is Mr. Halden. He’s the lawyer handling everything,” Vivian says.
He gives me a polite nod. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he says. Vivian rolls her eyes. “To make things clear, you are not listed as a beneficiary, and you are not of blood relation…” As if I didn’t know that myself. “There are no legal provisions assigning assets, properties, or holdings to you.”
“You get nothing,” Vivian adds.
“However,” the man continues reaching into his briefcase, “there was a document found in Mr. Reith’s office addressed to you.” Vivian eyes him suspiciously as he hands me a golden envelope with my name written across it.
Payson.
It’s written in Jay’s handwriting. It hits me then, but I don’t let them see it.
“Take it,” Vivian says. “Then leave.” My fingers close around the envelope carefully.
“Again, I’m sorry for your loss,” the lawyer says before walking off.
Vivian watches me for a moment before she decides to speak again. “Try not to make this more difficult than it needs to be,” she says. I meet her gaze.
“You already did that,” I reply. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Something flickers in her expression just enough to confirm I hit something, then she turns and walks away.
Griffith approaches a few minutes later beside me as I stare down at the envelope in my hands. He doesn’t say anything at first, then he asks, “You okay?”
“I will be.”
“I’ll take you home,” he says. Home. I almost correct him, but don’t. “The penthouse is safe,” he adds, reading my mind as we walk toward the car. “It’s not tied to the Reith estate. You’re not losing that…” I breathe a sigh of relief over that tiny detail. “As for the hotel, casino… everything you’ve been working on… that stays in place for now.”
I glance over at him as we reach the car. “Thank you,” I say softly, mustering a genuine soft smile for him. He shrugs it off. “I mean it,” I add.
He pauses before opening the door, looking at me. “I know, and you don’t have to go through this alone,” he says.
I look down at the envelope in my hand then back to him. “This is something I need to do alone, though.”
He looks down at the envelope then back at me and nods. “Alright.”
“Go home,” I tell him. “Your wife’s been waiting for you all day.”
“Call us if you need anything,” he replies.
“I won’t.”
