Irrefutable (The Apprehensive Duet Book 2) (22 page)

If this didn’t work, my life as I know it is over. Once my father knows I’ve gone against him, he’s going to come at me full speed. He already hates me; I can only imagine how intensified that hatred will become.

According to my therapist, who is well acquainted with my issues with my father since I’ve been spending my lunch hour with him almost every day, I’ve been unconsciously seeking my father’s approval my entire life. Since my father was distant, I was always trying to find a way to have a connection with him. Supposedly, it’s something a lot of emotionally stunted children do, seeking approval of the people whose love they want most.

I tried to argue the point that it didn’t start until I found him and Jeanette together, but again the doctor proved me wrong.

I used to adore my father, but he’s always been this horrible man. Apparently the part of me that wanted to have a connection with him only allowed me to see what I thought was good in him. Once I saw the bad, it was all I could see. My image of him shattered, and I was done with him. But there was still that inner little girl in me who wanted to see my daddy smile at me. Have him tell me he was proud of me.

Until I learn to let that part of me go, it will always be there.

I know who and what he is. What he’s capable of. I want no fucking part of it but I do want answers. What the fuck did I ever do to him? Why does he hate me so much? There is no part of me that wants his praise anymore. I’m already better than him.

None of that means I’m not scared shitless of the asshole. He’s an evil far beyond my comprehension and I don’t ever want to find out just how far beyond.

Alex’s voice breaks through my anxiety haze. “Yeah, she’s here, but she’s looking at the phone like it’s a bomb.”

His eyes lock on to mine as the room goes silent. He’s listening intently to whatever Jordan is saying and then a smile sprawls across his lips. “Holy fuck! Okay. Thanks so much. See you in a few.”

I have no clue if he even waited for a reply from Jordan or even hung up the phone as he charges toward me. He grabs fistfuls of my hair and slams his lips into mine. “It worked,” he says pulling his lips away just long enough to tell me. “It fucking worked!”

Shoving myself away from his body, I stare at him afraid I heard him wrong. “It worked?”

Alex confirms, nodding his head almost as if he can tell I need a visible response. My eyes and ears can’t both be wrong. “It did.”

My legs scramble and I jump up and into Alex’s arms, screaming on the top of my lungs, a barrage of emotions overtaking my mind. My body feels lighter, freer, and happier. I can’t believe that it worked. “Yessss!”

Tears begin welling in my eyes as the realization of everything starts to settle in. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it worked. It’s almost over, Alex,” I say, pulling back to look at him just as the tears start to fall down my cheeks.

“Almost, angel. Almost.” Alex smiles sweetly as he kisses my tears.

Settling me down on the ground, Alex uses his thumbs to wipe away the remaining wetness and tells me, “Jordan is on his way here to go over everything. We should probably put some clothes on.”

JUST AS I finish drying off from my quick shower, I hear Jordan knocking on the door. When I finish getting dressed, I head out and find Alex and Jordan standing by the front door shaking hands.

“Thanks for coming over,” Alex says. He’s been doing well with having Jordan in my life. I know it bothers him that I almost married him but thankfully he’s an understanding man. I don’t think they’ll be heading to a game of golf anytime soon, but at least I’m lucky enough to not have to worry about bloodshed when they’re in the same vicinity.

Plus, if I can deal with Alex living with a another woman, who happens to be pretty fucking hot and loved by everyone, then he can deal with my relationship with Jordan.

Jordan nods. “I figured you guys would have a lot of questions. And I wouldn’t put it past her father to tap her fucking phone at this point now that we’ve pushed him.”

My entire body freezes. Fuck, that’s a scary thought. “You think he’d really go that far?”

“With me pushing his back up against the wall, I wouldn’t put it past him,” Jordan replies. “I don’t think it would be a bad idea for us to limit all conversation about this whole thing to in person.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Alex adds in as he approaches me.

Grabbing my hand, he leads me to the couch and says, “I’ll go grab you a coffee. Jordan you want one?”

“No, thanks,” he answers as he sits on the other couch.

The need to hear everything that went down overwhelms me until I can’t take it any longer. I need to know exactly what he has planned and how my father’s going down. “Well…?”

Jordan takes a deep breath and sits forward, “Some of this you’re not going to like but you need to know. Your father is a complete scumbag, lower than fucking low. Honestly, I feel like I need a shower just having spent so much time in the same room with him.”

Jordan doesn’t ever really get angry. It’s a side of him that I’m just starting to see. It can be fucking scary. I see that happening now. “It’s okay. I know he hates me, so I’m sure after everything, nothing will surprise me.”

Jordan begins his recounting just as Alex returns with coffee for me. “I was right. He’s planning on destroying you regardless of the wedding.”

Even though I know I shouldn’t be surprised by this—we basically already knew this—it still fucking hurts.

“Piece of fucking shit,” Alex growls from his spot next to me on the couch.

“I don’t know what the importance of this merger is for him though.” Jordan shakes his head. “I can’t figure out why he’s forcing you into getting stake in me before he does this.”

Something my father said when he first brought this marriage up to me rings in my head. “I do,” I tell him. “You’ve got the majority of tech investors. Our investors won’t take another chance on internet tech. And anyone looking to make a quick buck with a possible tech boom knows to go to you guys. He wants them. If we merge together he gets the tech money and the biomed money combined.”

“But we would’ve caught on that he wasn’t retiring,” Jordan points out.

“The morality clause,” I remind him. Jordan’s hunch about my father having a form with my name on it somewhere stating in the event I did something the company deems immoral, I’d be fired, is probably correct. He would’ve had disguised one in somewhere in my contract. I’m sure somewhere it says that he gets control over the company if anything happens to me. We put one in the contract Jordan had drawn up for this plan. “Just like we’re doing to him. Only difference is he’ll sign it willingly because he thinks he’s so much smarter than everyone else.”

“He didn’t mention that when he told me about the file,” Jordan disagrees.

Shit! It seems too good to be true. I can’t believe he got exactly what we needed. I thought it would take a little more time. “You got him to give you the name?”

“Yeah, he’s got an entire embezzlement case building on you. Something called Regency BioTech.”

Racking far back into my brain, I come up with nothing. Nothing with that name rings a bell for me. “I’ve never heard of it.”

Jordan leans back and says, “Well, now you know where to look.”

“This all seems too easy,” Alex says skeptically.

It feels too calm to me as well. “He bought everything? Even the acting CEO crap?”

“Seems he did, but we haven’t gone public yet with William leaving, so he really has no reason not to. Employees don’t even know yet. William is still present and working with me, but it’s mostly in the background. No one can argue William still seeming in charge.”

True. City Capital hasn’t made any announcement regarding William, the interim CEO, handing over the company. Jordan’s been busting his ass making sure he’s covered everything he needs to in order to run that place on his own. William has even helped us with some plans we have for when all this is over. Plans that will take me and Jordan to new heights.

“He didn’t protest against anything?” I ask, still not believing this all went that smoothly.

Shaking his head Jordan says, “He seemed more concerned with keeping up the rouse he actually cared about you until I told him I knew everything. Then he was pissed. I’d bet my entire fortune he’s already trying to put some fail-safe plan in place. We need to be quicker than him. You need to find that file, as soon as possible.”

This is another point of unpredictability I’ve been worried about. I have no doubt that my father isn’t going to take this whole thing lying down. The faster I find that file, the faster we can wrap this up and move on. Jordan’s right.

“We could go tonight,” I suggest, ready to do whatever’s necessary to end this whole nightmare once and for all.

Alex sits up abruptly, his face covered in unease. “You think that’s smart?”

Jordan sits up as well before adding in his two cents. “How would we explain that? The security cameras and log in information would give us up immediately. We’ve come too far to be stupid now.”

Fuck! They’re right. I need to think clearly. It’s just that it seems like we got the final piece of the puzzle, and I want to grab it and finish his damn game. But heading into the office on the same day my father gave Jordan damning information on me would look suspicious as hell. If he’s even the least unsure of Jordan’s allegiance, he’ll be watching us closely. Including every key stroke of my computer. Every log in to our computer system. Every log in with my badge, especially after hours.

“Tomorrow would be believable. And for the most part, Dad’s not ever there. It’s why I usually go.” That and two years ago it was a way to keep myself from turning on the television and searching through the football games, hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex. But they don’t need to know all that.

“Just remember, don’t say anything out loud about the file in your office. It could be bugged. And nothing over the phone, text, email—nothing.” Jordan reminds me as he stands from the couch. “We take no chances.”

No. No chances this close to the end. “That’s smart.”

As we make our way to the door, Jordan turns and glances between me and Alex before he speaks, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I need you to focus, Quinn. I know you want to see him taken out but, you need to tamp it down. He still needs to believe that he has the upper hand. Try to contain that anger. Don’t flip out when you find that file and do something stupid.”

LONGEST ELEVATOR RIDE in fucking history!

Sunday is the quietest day in this building and yet today it seems that the elevator needs to make a fucking stop on all fifty-five fucking floors.

Not only is the place crawling with people today, but they’re all happy people. Smiling. Nodding. Wishing me happy holidays. It makes me want to scream even more.

I’m three seconds away from bashing my head into the mirrored wall of the elevator when it finally comes to a stop on the fifty-fourth floor, just one floor under my father’s office. He has the top floor all to himself.

It takes all of my efforts not to sprint to my office. The regular three-minute walk feels like a mile as I have to consciously remind myself on each step to take it slow.