Page 131 of Stolen Kisses

He came in at eight o'clock on the dot. His white hair was thinning by the year. "Everyone else late?" he asked as he sat down.

Duncan placed his phone strategically on the table.

I looked at my brothers. "No, we just asked you here," I said, deciding to come on strong. "We've looked into the transactions the SEC finds suspicious, and all evidence points at you being behind them. You have exactly five seconds to explain yourself."

He looked stunned. "That is preposterous."

"Is it?" Duncan asked. He already sounded angry. I shot him a warning look, silently asking him to proceed with caution. "We've traced the payments to a shell company that your friends at Farley & Gottlieb set up."

"So?" he asked. I was studying him carefully. He seemed shocked but calm—maybe too calm. Surely when someone threwan accusation of this magnitude at you, it was impossible not to feel nervous. "They do a lot of business. It doesn't mean I’m behind that."

Griffin leaned over the table. "We talked to them. And guess what? They fessed up."

Cyrus jerked his head back, his pale complexion turning beet red in a matter of seconds.This is it. This is the moment.When Griffin just stared at him, he swore. "The bastard. Can't believe he'd throw me under the bus. The CEO and I go way back."

Fucking Cyrus.

"Why the fuck would you even do something like this? It’s insider trading for god’s sake," I asked him. "You don't need the money."

I couldn't sit down. I couldn't understand how my brothers managed to sit still. I wanted to fling him across the table.

He laughed incredulously. "You think I did it for the money? I was going to pin it on you," he spat, looking straight at me.

I drew in a sharp breath, stopping in my tracks. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Cyrus leaned back in his chair. "Oh, come on. Someone had to teach all of you hotshots a lesson."

"Shut your damn mouth," Duncan said. "I think we've heard enough."

“No, we haven’t.” I wanted to hear what this fucker had to say now.

Cyrus scoffed. "You thought you could come in with snot at your nose and just blow up the industry? Ruin everyone around you?"

This was revenge. I never should’ve brought the asshole on board.

Duncan gritted his teeth. "We didn't ruin you. We bought your company. We brought you on our management team."

"You're expecting me to thank you? You bought my company because you’d stolen my clients and wanted access to the ones who remained loyal. Why do you think I accepted the position? I needed the money, true. But I also knew I'd have the opportunity to take you down. So I waited. I bided my time and gave it my best shot."

"If that was your best shot, it was a lousy obvious attempt."

Cyrus rolled his eyes. "It had to be obvious. The few times I'd tried in the past years, the commission ruled it a coincidence. It had to be in their face for them to pick up on it and go after you. When I first joined the company, I was sure I’d find evidence of actual insider trading. You lot always were ahead of the market—always the smartest kids on the block. No one isthatsmart.”

“Except we are. So when you realized we’re actually just good at our job and there was nothing illegal or underhanded going on, you decided to fabricate evidence,” Wyatt said. He’d been completely silent until now. He was like me in that regard—he couldn’t keep his cool, so he simply chose to speak as little as possible.

Cyrus glanced at Finn and Knox. "I'm curious as to how you'll present the evidence. It surely had to require some hacking.”

“Don't worry. Your lawyer friends are more than happy to turn you in just to get their hands clean," Knox said breezily.

I admired my youngest brother; nothing ever rattled him. He always maintained his composure. I, on the other hand, didn't.

"I've heard enough," I exclaimed. “I think the commission can take it from here.”

Cyrus shook his head. "Do you really think the commission is going to believe this? It'll be my word against yours. I'll take care of my lawyer friends so they're on my side."

"A bit too late for that," Finn said in a controlled voice. "Why do you think we called you here first thing in the morning?The commission is over there. They’re gathering evidence as we speak."

That's when Cyrus lost his cool. He rose from his chair, pointing at my brother. "You bunch of assholes will not get away with this. You know, I'm not the only enemy you have in the industry. I'm not the only one who wants Sterling Investments to go down."

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