Page 53 of An Irresistible Force (Vancouver Vice)

“Hmm.” I could hear Adam shuffling papers on his end. “Ah. Well, that certainly details the salacious part of her statement.”

In other words, the juicy bits. Which only made me want to read it more. “Why would someone give me this?”

Adam’s voice was tense. “Perhaps someone wants you to know what Stella said. You’re in charge of the Vice now, and they want to influence your decisions in some way. But that’s only a hypothesis. One thing that seems sure is that Stella herself is involved in this. Outside of legal counsel, nobody else should have access. In fact, I’m surprised that she even had a copy.”

“I’ve never even met Stella,” I protested. “Why would she send something to me?”

“Amanda, I’m as shocked as you. Maybe someone suggested she do it. But it’s the end game you should think about before you decided to read it or not. Based on the pages you have, someone is trying to shock you and perhaps turn you against your uncle. Why would they do that? What will you do differently?”

“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” I protested. “Uncle Thomas is family. I know him, and he’s not capable of harassing anyone. Besides, isn’t knowing better than going around in ignorance?”

Adam hesitated a long time. “There are some things you can’t ‘unknow.’ The more I think about it, the more I recommend that you don’t read the document.”

I looked down at the pages in my hand and a phrase jumped out at me.Why did you not report him?It reminded me of something I hadn’t yet told Adam. “I put a new sexual harassment policy into place here, as we discussed.”

“That’s great news. You’re a very fast worker. Send me the details. It will be good to know in case there’s any question about future repercussions.”

“Okay, I’ll do that. Thanks for your help, Adam.”

“No problem.” He cleared his throat. “Amanda, again, I strongly urge you to shred those pages without reading them.”

“Thanks for the advice.” I straightened the pages on my desk.

He sighed. “You’re going to read them, aren’t you?”

“I believe I’m strong enough to stay unbiased.”

“What do they say about curiosity and cats?”

I laughed. “I’ve had cats my whole life, and none of them ever died from being curious.” Usually it was kidney failure, but I didn’t share that little tidbit with Adam.

He laughed as well. “Your whole family is stubborn. You know, once this case is over, I was thinking—perhaps you and I could catch a drink together, after work.”

“Oh, really?” Immediately I wondered what he wanted. This was what I hated about living in Vancouver: my assumption that everyone had ulterior motives. Maybe he just wanted to toss some business ideas around. “Well, sure. We can talk about it then. How much longer do you think that will be?”

“Did Thomas not tell you? The mediation is next week.”

“So soon?”

“Last time I talked to you, you were concerned that things were taking too long. You must be enjoying your stint in hockey management.”

We said goodbye, and I sat at my desk. Only a couple more weeks and I’d be returning to Toronto. Which was what I wanted, right? I’d get to leave this temporary job, my old bedroom, and all the expectations and pressures that came with being a Richardson in my hometown. Of course, there were good parts too, like the responsibility and satisfaction of executive work, seeing my family again, Cynthia, and... Chris. I couldn’t deny that I’d miss seeing Chris. But even if I stayed, things would be different. I wouldn’t see Chris every day, and we wouldn’t have all the crazy highs and lows of the Vice to share anymore. The idea of not having him in my life anymore was pretty bleak. He was vital and dynamic in a way that made everyone else seem bland and boring.

I sat at my desk for a few minutes, and then noticed the pages were still in my hands. I tried to clear my mind entirely. Of course, I was prejudiced in my uncle’s favour. He was part of my family. But right now, I needed to be fair.

I didn’t like going into Mr. Richardson’s office alone. I was always nervous. He was a toucher, like always patting me or hugging me. He would say stuff about my clothes and my hair. He liked this one red dress. He said I should wear it all the time because it made me look really hot.

Q: Were those his exact words?

A: I don’t know. Like, maybe not exactly, but that’s what he meant.

Q: Was there more than talking?

A: Yes. It started one night when he asked me to work late on a project. After we went out to dinner, and he drove me home.

Q: Why did you go out to dinner with him?

A: I don’t know. It seemed right since we worked late and missed dinner. I mean, I wasn’t really afraid of Mr. Richardson. I thought he was grabby, but harmless.

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