A small piece of me is happy to know he’s been shelling out a ton of cash for a wedding he thinks will be my ultimate humiliation. Joke’s on him.
His arrogance definitely works to our advantage. My father has always thought he was smarter than everyone else. Today, that will bite him in the ass.
My goal isn’t simply the exposure of him for the criminal he is, but to get answers as well. Shit’s going to hit the fan today. Relationships permanently severed. I need to know why he did this.
“Just ready to put this all behind us,” I breathe out heavily finally answering Alex’s question. It feels like I’m heading into war. About to head out on a mission where we only have one shot to get this right. The Eminem song from
8Mile
keeps playing in my head. One shot. One opportunity. I have to own this confrontation and take my life back.
“Ready when you are,” Chino chimes in, giving a thumbs up as he places headphones over his ears and types some shit into the laptop on the cart in this utility van marked
Time Warner.
I have to say when I first saw it, I wouldn’t have thought twice about seeing it on the side of the road. It looks identical to vans you see parked all over.
Taking a deep cleansing breath, I exhale and move toward the door of the van. “Let’s do this.”
“You’re going to need this,” Hailey says handing me the Regency BioTech file, the key to this whole plan.
Jordan reassures me with a smile, “You’ve got this, Quinn.”
A warm hand grabs mine just before I step out the door. Turning my head, I catch Alex’s loving smile as he says, “I’ll be right here when you get back.”
Somehow this man always knows what I need to hear. I shoot him a thankful smile and step out of the van.
“Just give the mic a test when you get into the car so I can make sure the audio is all good,” Chino calls out to me before I slide the door fully closed. “I can hear you just fine now, but I want to double check. Look for the thumbs up out the driver’s side window before you take off.”
The snow crunches under my feet as I make the half block walk back to my car. Time seems to be standing still and moving in hyperspeed at the same time.
Having a legitimate ending in sight makes me want to sprint to my car and race it around the corner, storm inside, and get what I need. Then I can finally breathe easy.
But it also seems like everything around me has stopped. In the middle of the city, with people, cars, and noise all around me, the only thing I can hear is the thump of my heart and steps of my feet.
The leather of my seat in my Audi is still warm as I slide into it. Pressing the start button, I follow Chino’s instructions. “Can you hear me?” I ask, gripping the steering wheel. My knuckles turn white as I tighten my hold and stare out the windshield waiting for my cue.
The moment the thumb appears out the window, I check my mirror and pull out of the parking spot I have in front of a home very similar to my parents.
The block passes in the blink of an eye and I’m scouting out a spot near my parents’ house. The black van follows me and it parks at the first open spot it finds at the end of the block.
Snagging a spot two doors down, I pull my car in, thankful the neighborhood is pretty empty. Most of the families around here skip town for Christmas, jetting off to places like Aspen, Veil, even the Swiss Alps. I always hated when my parents dragged me away from home on Christmas when I was little. I used to protest that Santa wouldn’t know where to find me. As a teenager, I loved it because I could get the hell away from them and hit the slopes with friends whose families did the same thing.
Swiping the sweat from my palms on my black wool pants, I grab the file off the passenger seat before exiting my car. I force any lingering nerves down and put my game face on. Time to finish this. I’ve got everything under control. It’ll be easy to get him to say the words out loud. He’s probably been waiting for the day he can tell me about it. I’m counting on it.
Dr. Stein still thought this was a terrible idea and advised against it. But I’m going to prove to everyone that this scared, timid woman I’ve let this man turn me into, isn’t the real Quinn. I haven’t felt like the real me in a very long time. Since about the time my father presented his grand scheme to me.
Today Quinn is back with a vengeance.
The walk to their door is short and I ring the bell without thinking twice. I turn my face away from the icy wind as I wait for Sophia, my parents’ housekeeper, to answer the door. Heaven forbid the Taylors answered their own door.
A beaming Sophia greets me as she opens the large oak double front doors. “Miss Quinn! Merry Christmas, I missed you yesterday.”
“Merry Christmas to you as well, Sophia,” I reply returning her big hug inhaling the homely smell of my childhood. The smell of Sophia reminds me of my happiest times as a kid. She always baked my birthday cakes and presented them with the sweetest smiles. That’s always the first of the memories that comes to me whenever I see her.
“Where is that handsome man of yours?” she asks, ushering me into the very sterile foyer. Everything in the foyer is white and cold. It’s always reminded of a room in the psych ward.
She did always think Jordan was quite the catch. “Jordan’s at home working. I have a meeting with my father today,” I tell her.
Taking my coat, she nods and informs me, “He’s in his office.”
Of course he is. “Thank you, Sophia.”
My footsteps echo throughout the foyer as I make my way up the white marble stairs, Sophia following behind me. These stairs must be a bitch to keep clean; I kind of feel sorry for Sophia. Dealing with my parents and these stairs seems like some sort of punishment. I wouldn’t wish it on someone I didn’t like let alone someone I loved like a mother.
As I reach the top, I veer to the right, through the living room, toward the back of the house, and stop at the dark, ominous door to his office. It looks like the door to hell with only one light in the hall on, illuminating it.
Not bothering to knock, I open the door and stride in toward his overly large cherry desk. I used to spend a lot of time in the office with my father as a naïve teenager. Always dashing in to tell him about a great test score, being elected to Student council, and learning all about the business I was going to be doing with him when the time came.
I stifle a laugh thinking about the thought of doing business with him. Little did I know, I’d be doing business against him. In spite of him. Working to be better than him so I didn’t have to do business
with
him anymore.
“Good morning, Daddy,” I say stopping in front of him. I may be laying it on a little thick with the “Daddy,” considering it causes me to nearly choke, but it seemed fitting for a final standoff.
He sits back in his brown leather chair, places his hands on the carved wooden arms like a king on his throne, and sighs, “What can I do for you, Quinn?”
What can he do for me?
Take a long walk off a short pier, that’s what.
The sight of him sickens me. From his graying hair to his hideous loafers peeking past the side of his desk. He’s not a very big man yet has always seemed like such a giant presence to me.
I’ve always loved my blue eyes, but seeing the same eyes in him makes me hate him more. I want nothing from this man. He’s dead to me after today, but just knowing that the one feature I’ve always loved most about myself comes from him makes me wish for my mother’s hazel ones.
He looks young for his age and it’s easy to be distracted by his ego and wallet, but if you look close enough, you’ll see the ugly. I haven’t realized until this moment just how ugly he is.
Tossing the file onto his desk, I try to relax and say. “I have a file I’d like you to take a look at.”
I watch as his eyes scan the name of the file on the tab of the plain manila folder. They don’t even flinch.
Fucking bastard!
He doesn’t have even the slightest reaction to the file as he opens it. He just flips through it like it’s any other file..
“Why am I looking at a file that clearly shows me you’ve been embezzling funds from Taylor Ventures?” he asks peering up at me with raised, once-blonde eyebrows. The man should’ve considered acting.
“That’s what I was wondering as well,” I say taking a seat in one of the wooden chairs in the front of his desk. The feelings fluttering in my stomach have me ready to vomit. Maybe I wasn’t ready to do this.
No!
I refuse to let him make me falter. This ends today. “You sure did a great job making sure I was completely fucked.”
Slamming the file closed, he sits forward, resting his elbows on the desk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Quinn. You’re not involving me in your mess. You know I have to report this right?”
A laugh bubbles up and escapes from my lips. “Oh, don’t worry. You made sure if I tried to fuck you, I fucked myself instead. When I brought this file to my own attorney, he assured me that everything in that fucking file implicates me. It’s already been reported. You can expect a full investigation.”
A conceited look overtakes my father’s face as he relaxes back in his chair. “Well, that’s quite a predicament you’ve gotten yourself into. Not to add to your already bad situation, but you can no longer work for me. I can’t have employees, especially the Vice President, committing fraud.”
“How’d you do it?” I ask ignoring his stupid employee speech. “Last I checked I’ve never opened any accounts in the Bahamas, but yet somehow you managed to do it.”
“I’ve already told you, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of Regency BioTech before,” he says. Deny. Deny. Deny.
I thought he would’ve gloated the minute I told him I’m already screwed. This isn’t going the way I planned it at all.
“I should’ve known it wouldn’t be as easy as turning the file over to you.”
“Quinn, I don’t have time to deal with whatever trouble you’ve gotten yourself into,” he says, continuing his denial. “Your stupidity has not only created a mess for you but a mess for me. I have to find someone to take over all your files. Any company property you have at home, I need. Your access to the office will be revoked. I’ll have to have every file and transaction you’ve been a part of quality checked.”
“Is this sob story supposed to move me?” I ask annoyed at how far he’s taking this lie. “You’ve created this mess for yourself, don’t give me your bullshit.”
My head hangs as my fear doubles with every passing second. I honestly thought I’d have him talking by now. What if I’m not capable of doing this? Everyone else thought this was a bad idea. Maybe it was. Did I honestly think I was going to be able to outsmart this man? He’s beaten us at every turn.
A maniacal laugh fills the room, and my head snaps up just in time to see my father double over his desk in laughter.
“What the hell is so funny?” I demand furiously.
His obnoxious laugh lasts a minute longer before he stops and speaks. “You, sitting here talking to yourself about how you thought you could outsmart me. You’re having a conversation with yourself out loud, and you thought you were smart enough to beat me?”
“You think the fact you’ve driven me to the point of insanity is funny? And I thought you had no idea what I was talking about. Now you’re bragging because I thought I could beat you but can’t.”
“When I do something, I do it right. It’s a lesson you clearly haven’t learned in life.” His ego is starting to take over. Yes! Here we go!
“And what exactly is it that you did right?” I press further. This is the reaction I was hoping for. I just need to keep yielding to him. Keep him thinking that he’s got one up on me.
“Pretty blondes with blue eyes are easy to find. One fake driver’s license was easier. I already had access to your personal documentation. Fake Quinn was more than happy with a free trip to the Bahamas and ten grand for signing a few papers.”
Holy fucking shit! “You paid some chick to pretend to be me?” I don’t know if I’m mad or shocked. Who would whore themselves out to be a stand in for an embezzlement plan? That’s a big fucking risk. She better hope daddy dearest doesn’t sell her out.
“Now you’re catching on…”
“To what?”
My father’s lips turn up into an evil grin, making him look kind of like the Joker from Batman. “How much smarter I am than you and I’ll always be. Even when you think you’ve got me, you don’t. There’s no way to link me to that embezzlement. I’ve pulled off the perfect crime and did it right under your nose. You’ll never be to able trace anything back to me. The only thing linking me to it is far away enjoying a whole new life.”
Malicious motherfucker. How can someone hate their child so much? As if framing me isn’t enough, he has to brag about it and rub it in my face. For what reason? What does he get out of this? What have I ever done to him?
“Why? I’m your daughter. How could you do this to me?”
“You think too highly of yourself, and that’s you’re biggest problem. You don’t matter to me, Quinn. It’s not my fault you built me up to be something I’ve never been,” he says with the flip of a hand, like he’s swatting a gnat at a picnic. He doesn’t even hesitate when answering me. His true feelings for me spilling out with no reservations. “Kids were never my thing. But your mother wanted one and I needed a boy to pass my name on to, so imagine my disappointment when you arrived. You’re just a pawn. Something for me to use to get what I want in life. All you’re good for is looking pretty and using what you’ve got to further this company.”
My mind is spinning. He hates women. I can’t believe I never noticed just how misogynistic he is. He doesn’t give me any time to try to wrap my head around anything. He just continues on.
“When you turned into a spiteful childish bitch, trying to make me look bad and embarrassing your mother with your little tantrum about the secretary, I knew you’d be nothing but trouble. You can’t be trusted. I’ve been watching your every move for years to make sure you don’t go and fuck up my good name. Then I saw an opportunity for a big move and you became useful again. But I knew you’d never let go of this dream of trying to be better than me, and it was time to make sure you were out of my way for good.”