Page 58 of One Pucking Heart

She sighs and gives me a sad smile before pushing off me.

We sit up on the sofa.

I look around. “Nice place you have here.”

“Yeah, well, I am a millionaire now.” She scrunches her lips and raises her shoulders.

I scoot next to her and wrap my arm around her shoulders. Leaning in, I kiss the top of her head. “Yeah. How did everything go down with your father?”

“Well, I got the email that he had passed when I got to the bar in Seattle. I came home, packed up, and met with my father’s lawyers that morning.”

My body bristles when she mentions packing up, but I don’t say anything. I’m eager to put it behind us.

She continues, “It was pretty easy. All the accounts were transferred over to me, along with the estate, and all his businesses.”

“What are you going to do with the businesses? He must have dozens of factories around the world?”

“Well, I hired a business manager who will be in charge of ensuring they all run smoothly. The current staff and managers will stay on the payroll. I hope business will continue as usual and my father’s death won’t make a difference in their lives. I thought briefly about shutting everything down or selling, but I couldn’t do that. Cortez Industries employs tens of thousands of people who rely on these jobs. I want to make sure they have job security, and the only way to do that is to keep it running business as usual. I’m definitely not against selling someday, but it has to be to someone I trust. I spoke to Diane.”

“Diane?” I question.

“Yeah, I had a few of my earlier classes with her at the University of Michigan, the pre-req stuff, before I broke off into the medical requirements. We’ve kept in touch over the years through email. She has a law and business degree and is a great person. She’s contracted out to help failing businesses. She’s great at what she does. Cortez Industries isn’t failing, but I hired her to be the business manager because I trust her, and I know she’ll do right by me and the employees. Per my request, she’s already looking into how to do companywide raises and healthcare coverage improvements. My father’s profit margins were ridiculously high, so there is no reason why more money isn’t going to the people who keep these factories running. Diane is also looking into getting rid of some of the useless managers and CFOs who were friends of my father’s but don’t add any value to the company. She sent out a way for employees to anonymously voice their complaints, and it’s crazy how badly some people were being treated and how poorly some of these higher-ups are performing.”

“Wow, you’ve been busy this week. I thought you were just avoiding me.”

She smiles. “No… I mean, yes, I was avoiding you, but I did have legitimate stuff to take care of.”

“Are you going to have a service for your father?”

“No. He’s been cremated and is buried beneath the monstrous eyesore of a headstone he had commissioned per his wishes. He didn’t have any friends, only associates. Now that he’s gone, and they can’t gain anything from his favor, I’m sure they couldn’t care less about attending a service.”

“Well, I’m glad it’s over, and despite everything, I’m glad it brought us together.” I squeeze her shoulder.

She snuggles into my side and lays her face against my chest. “Yeah, I still don’t know why he made that clause about me getting married. I thought after he passed, I’d receive a letter of explanation or something, a reason as to why he’s done what he’s done, but there was nothing. He left no apologies or letters of any kind. He’s just gone, and I still don’t know why he was the way he was. It’s unsettling.”

I kiss the top of her head. “That’s how it is with some people. They’re just evil for the sake of being so, and there’s no rhyme or reason.”

“I guess it was just his final attempt at control. He lived and breathed power. He was always in charge, and I’m assuming found some sort of validation at being the most formidable person in the room. I was the one person he wasn’t able to bend to his will, and maybe he wanted to know he could do it one last time. It’s kind of disgusting, right? He’s dying, and he wants to prove he can still control me? He doesn’t want to get to know me or my daughter; he wants what he’s always wanted, and that’s to control my life. I’ve thought it through a lot, and it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“Well, he’s gone. You don’t have to worry about him anymore. We’re together and staying together…” I quirk a brow.

“Yes, we’re staying together.” Elena grins.

“Okay then. Life is good.”

“I have something else to tell you,” she says.

I smile. “I have something to tell you, too.”

She pulls her legs up and sits cross-legged, facing me. “You go first.”

I question her, and she insists, so I start in on the project I’ve been working on for a while now. “About a month ago, I met with your dad’s private investigator.”

“What? How? Why?” she rattles off one-word questions.

“First, I met with your dad. The meeting was very short. I needed some information, and I figured your father would’ve only hired the best. I mean, the P.I. had to be good if you were afraid that even what we said over our cell phones wasn’t safe. Your father gave me Bill’s name and private number. I was planning on paying Bill myself, but your father said he had Bill on retainer and still had quite the credit with Bill, like several hundred thousands’ worth. He told me to use that up first since he wouldn’t be needing his services anymore.”

Elena’s brows furrow. “That doesn’t seem like my father.”

---