But I didn’t bother.
I made my way downstairs, where Gus stood waiting near the Range Rover. He was on a call and laughed lightly as we got into the car, then ended the call.
“Morning, Gus. Good to see you so cheerful this morning.”
“That was my daughter on the phone. She always makes me laugh. How are you feeling, mate? Ready for today?” he asked tentatively, starting up the engine.
I almost laughed. Being asked how I felt wasn’t something I couldeverrecall my parents asking me. Stifling a stab of sadness, I pulled myself back into the moment.
“I’m about as ready as I can be, thanks, Gus. Did you watch your game last night?”
“I ended up falling asleep and bloody missed it. Can you believe it? I guess I’m getting old, Karson.” He gazed at me fondly for a moment, then turned up the volume on the radio when talk of the game came on, and we merged into the traffic.
He dropped me off outside my father’s office building. Determined to get this over with, I strode through the gleaming lobby and stepped into the elevator.
Lexi showed me to my office. On the door was a shiny plaque…
–KARSON WELLS–
‘Karson’s Cage’ would be more accurate,I thought bitterly.
My office was the same style as my father’s, except smaller and without any obscenely expensive artwork, but the spectacular view of the harbor made up for it. I walked to the window, taking in the stretch of bright blue water.
“Your father left me with instructions for your duties,” Lexi said robotically. “Mr. Wells said that while he is away, and now that you’re an official board member, you’re to sign thesedocumentstoday.” She pointed to the tower of documents on my desk.
“Thanks, Lexi. I’ll do my best.” I took in the tall pile teetering on the desk.“He wants themallsigned today? That’s impossible. I need time to go over them.”
“Those are his instructions. As you know, Mr. Wells is in the Caribbean. If you have questions, let me know. If I can’t answer them, he advised me to contact him directly.”
I grimaced at the pile as she stalked away. There was no way I was getting through the stack today. I’d flicked through the paperwork in the briefcase on the way to the office, so I knew he’d handed me his land acquisition nightmare to deal with.
My head hung low and my fists clenched as I fumed over his last call to me before he left for the Caribbean…
“I’m going away on business. I’m leaving you in charge. Show me you can handle this company. The media are baying for my blood, we don’t want this to tarnish our share prices…
“Time to step up. And I know you will. Otherwise, you know what will happen to your little nobody. And her father.”
He’d made it crystal clear that he wastrulyderanged… and left me with this mess, a burning hatred of all that he was, and all that he’d done.
As I slumped into the chair, I wondered how I could tackle the controversy of Karlos’s impending mining project. Karlos merely wanted me to minimize the “fallout,” but I wanted to do something about the displaced families he clearly disregarded.
But the contract was already in place.How can I fix this?
I separated the daunting pile into several smaller ones and sorted through some documents at random. Most of them looked the same, but as I flicked through the pile, one with a bright red logo grabbed my attention.
It was a company registration. One I’d never heard of…
KWK
I skimmed through the pages…
Chief Executive Officer: Karson Wells.
What the fuck? Why’s this in my name?
The date of registration was the same day I’d turned eighteen, and it was registered to an address in the Caribbean.
My blood ran cold.
