Page 25 of The Sweet Life

Chapter Nine

Sage listened to the hollow ring of Chad’s door chimes for the third time as she once again stepped off the front porch and onto the walkway, ensuring she was well out of his reach. She had little doubt he’d be unhappy finding her on his front doorstep. She just wasn’t sure if he’d try to hit her or call the police, the latter being the worst-case scenario. The last thing she needed was for the cops to show up.

Which was why Jake suggested that, instead of pretending that Robert had sent her to help Chad come up with a winning custody strategy as she had planned, she’d go on the attack and accuse Chad of catnapping Max. It would put him on the defensive, trying to prove his innocence while making it less likely he’d want to involve law enforcement.

When Chad didn’t come to the door, Sage texted Jake.Are you sure he’s home?

Yeah. He has a doorbell camera and knows it’s you. He’s trying to put Max in the pantry but he isn’t cooperating.Dots came and went, and then…Max is in the pantry andChad is on his way to you. I’ll be in and out in under two minutes. Don’t drag it out.

Sage smiled and pocketed her phone, so relieved that Max was minutes away from being safe and in Jake’s arms that she barely resisted the urge to pump her fist. Now it was her turn to ensure everything went smoothly, and she knew exactly what to do. She’d accuse Chad and then pretend to fall for his innocent act and get out of there ASAP. She’d talk with Jake about what to do about Robert’s presumed involvement on the way back to the office.

She couldn’t bail on her clients. They needed her. And sadly, she needed the resources and the connections the firm provided to support the women’s shelter she partnered with. As she considered using Robert’s involvement in Max’s catnapping to get the firm to write a check with a lot of zeros for Chrysalis House, the front door opened.

Chad, his white-blond hair slicked back from his sleekly handsome face, wore a pink rugby shirt with a pair of white chinos. Sage didn’t know why, but she didn’t trust a man who wore white pants. Then again, she could count on one hand the number of men she trusted.

She also didn’t trust the smug grin on Chad’s face as he crossed his arms over his chest and his bare feet at the ankles while leaning against the doorframe. Not only did he look smug, he looked camera-ready, which should have been her first red flag but wasn’t, because Chad opened his mouth.

“Well, if it isn’t Boston’s answer to Gloria Allred. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Then he brought three fingers to his lips like a tween fangirling over Taylor Swift. “Wait, it wouldn’t have anything to do with my cat, Maxamillion, would it?”

Sage’s carefully rehearsed lines dried up in her throat.

He drew a checkmark in the air. “I win.” He laughed. “Too bad the press wasn’t here to capture the moment I rendered Sage Rosetti speechless.” He made an exaggerated O with his mouth and then bent to eye level to what she assumed was his doorbell camera. “Say cheese.”

She rolled her eyes but appreciated the reminder that he’d have a digital record of her visit. She had to tread carefully. She wondered if two minutes had passed but didn’t want to push their luck by leaving too soon. She couldn’t risk Chad catching Jake in the act.

Just as she opened her mouth to keep Chad from closing the door, he turned his phone toward her. There was a photo of him with Max on the screen. “Which pic do you think I should have enlarged? This one…” He swiped to another photo. “… or this one? I think this one. It radiates with his love for his new daddy, don’t you think?”

Her temper obliterated not only her ability to tread carefully but also her guilt about Chad’s restrictive visitation schedule. “Look, I understand that you’re upset you lost custody of your son and only have supervised visitation with him twice a month,” she said to ensure he wouldn’t play the recording for anyone else. His divorce and custody agreement were sealed, as per his father’s demand. “But we both know it’s not me who’s to blame. It’s your anger issues, your cocaine addiction, and your inability to keep your dick in your pants.”

A haze came over his eyes, exactly like her client had described, and he stepped toward her, his fist drawn back. Then a car horn blasted, and he gave his head a slight shake as he lowered his hand, taking two steps backward.

“Get me my cat or I’ll call the police,” she said, because that’s what he’d expect of her. She just prayed he didn’t do as she asked or this had the potential to go sideways.

“Please do. You’ll save me the trouble.” He shook his shoulders playfully, becoming the Chad Winthrop that social media knew and loved, and tapped his chin. “Now, what shall I have you charged with? Harassment? Trespassing?” He wrinkled his nose. “I’m sure my father and I can come up with something that ensures you lose your license to practice law. Or maybe we’ll just tell Robert to fire you. He’ll do what he’s told this time. After all, if he wants to ensure his grandson’s bid for—” Once again he made an exaggerated O with his mouth before pressing his fingers to his lips.

Right before her eyes, Sage saw everything she’d worked for destroyed because an entitled narcissist thought the rules didn’t apply to him. She disagreed with many of the things the founding partners stood for, but she hadn’t wanted to believe that Robert would be involved in catnapping Max, and now it looked like he had been, but not by choice. And the Winthrops had something else to hold over his head.

She didn’t know if there was a way to save her job, but she had to try. She glanced at her phone, surreptitiously pressing Record before returning it to her pocket. She ignored Chad’s self-satisfied smile when she didn’t call the police.

“You blackmailed Robert into handing over Max, didn’t you?”

“Blackmailis such a strong word. Besides, I’m sure you’ve already checked the security footage from the lobby, so you know it was Emilia leaving with a very large box. A little pressure, and I’m sure you can get her to admit to removing myMax from your office. But it would be a shame, wouldn’t it, for her to be deported just when her family has arrived here?”

At the thought of how far Chad was willing to go to get what he wanted, his lack of remorse or empathy for Emilia and her family, Sage saw red and raised her fist. “You son of a—”

Chad leaned forward, a manic smile on his face as he patted his cheek. “Right here. They’ll get my best side.”

The words pierced her anger, and her fist stalled midair as she followed his gaze and glanced over her shoulder. Two men were leaning against a blue Volvo with cameras in their hands, the long-range lens pointed at her. Chad took advantage of her distraction. She felt the graze of skin against her knuckles, turning her head to see Chad stagger back from her, clutching his jaw.

“She punched me. Call the police!” he yelled.

As if on cue, she heard the sound of sirens.

Chad smiled behind his hand. “You can make it all go away by testifying before the judge that my wife lied to you. I’ll give you back your cat, and I won’t press charges.”

“You set me up,” she whispered, stunned that she’d made it so easy for him.

“I did.” He grinned. “You’re not the only who graduated with a perfect grade point average.”

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