Page 49 of The Christmas Nanny

“Christine,” Arthur said. “You succumbed to Charlie’s trickery. You were willing to help him do whatever it took to eliminate Stephanie. I’m going to forgive your lack of judgment.” He motioned at Edmund. “Edmund has a check for you that should get you your own home and help you escape the life you’ve been considering. I hope you do so.”

Edmund handed Christine a check, and she left with Samantha. I never saw or heard from Christine again.

Quartermain, defeated, sat. Lauren whispered to Arthur, and he nodded. Lauren turned to the dining room entrance and waved someone in. Christmas had come early because the surprises kept coming.

I stood as a young boy entered the room and ran to Lauren. She lifted him into her arms. The boy had most of Lauren's features.

“This is my son, Dakota,” Lauren said. She pointed to Quartermain. “Dakota, that’s your Uncle Charlie, and this is Arthur, your great-grandfather.”

Quartermain’s jaw almost hit the table. I chuckled, and he burned a hole through me with his glare. Karma had come back to bite him in the ass, and I enjoyed every second of it. Although, I had yet to be addressed in the whole mess.

“Lauren and I will take a moment out in the foyer. Please stay seated.” Arthur led Lauren and Dakota from the room.

“Who the fuck does he think he is?” Quartermain said. “He can’t do this.”

I laughed, and my stomach grumbled for food. Watching karma work its magic made one hungry. “I think he just did.”

“Don’t act like you’re going to come away from this smelling like a rose, asshole,” Quartermain said.

“I don’t care as long as you come away from this smelling like shit,” I replied. “Wait.” I sniffed the air. “I think you have.”

The two men behind Quartermain laughed.

“He knows I’ll fight this tooth and nail.” Quartermain slammed his hand on the table. “There’s no way this is legal.”

Edmund cleared his throat. “Your father was afraid you would go down this road,” he said to Quartermain. “He never actually signed anything over to you. Everything originally, and still does, belongs to Arthur. The paperwork is all in proper order.”

“Hey,” I said to Quartermain. “I think what he’s trying to say is that you are fucked.”

The two men laughed again, and the air in Quartermain’s chest slowly deflated. He knew he couldn’t do anything to fight what Arthur had done. Sometimes you’re the donkey’s head, and sometimes you’re the donkey’s ass. Quartermain was the latter.

“You know, Quartermain. I don’t even care if I walk away from here with nothing. I’m just happy to see you lose everything you have because of how you treat people. I’ll go work for my father, make as much as you, and be happy.” A thought hit me before continuing. “You know since Arthur is managing your trust fund, he can, at any time, rescind the trust fund.” I laughed at the idea of Arthur doing so. “You could still end up broke.”

“He’s correct,” Edmund said. “I would take the money he offers and move on with my life. If you’re a good boy and show remorse for your misgivings, he’ll probably reinstate you into the business. If you’re a good boy.”

“Be a good boy, Quartermain,” I said.

Quartermain said nothing, and his eyes shifted to Lauren and Arthur returning to the room. Dakota wasn’t with them.

“Charlie, the two men behind you will be your escorts while you’re in this house. They will help you move personal belongings to one of the vans. You can take the Mercedes.” Arthur took Stephanie’s seat, turning to his grandson. “Lauren has agreed that you’ll be allowed back into the business if your behavior changes. If that happens and you cause trouble, you’ll be barred from the business for life.”

“Can I talk now?” Quartermain asked.

“As long as you choose your words wisely,” Arthur said.

“Our father planned this all along?”

Arthur shook his head. “Not the part where you went off the rails. Accountability is a tough pill for people to swallow these days. It’s so much easier to lie or shift the blame.”

Lauren sat next to Arthur. “I didn’t want things to be like this, Charlie.”

“But they are,” Quartermain said. He got up and left with the two men following close behind.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Arthur said. Lauren kissed him on the cheek, and he left the dining room.

“You seem speechless,” Lauren said. She wore gorgeous leather pants and a white top with a frilly neck and cuffs. Her black boots stretched almost to her knees.

“I think it’s shock, Lauren. I can’t fucking believe you just ran him out of his own life.” I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head, struggling to process the last hour. “Wait. Everyone but me was told to leave.”

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