Page 132 of Forgotten Desires

I hang up, my anger boiling, and I want to throw something. Instead, I let out a roar, hating the world for putting Brynn through this. Hating that my fucking best friend is the one who did this. I trusted him and he might have taken everything away from me.

I can’t think that way. Brynn will come back. She has to.

Once I have a little more control, I call my lawyer and the human resources department to have Ford escorted off the property immediately.

“We’ll handle it, Mr. Knight.”

“Thank you. Where are we with the purchase?” I ask again.

“We’re still negotiating. Obviously, they were taken by surprise since they weren’t interested in selling. However, your name carries a lot of weight and they’ve called for a closed-door emergency board meeting.”

“How much did you offer?”

My lawyer clears his throat. “We asked what it would take to have it done by end of business. I thought it was the best route with the lack of preparation. Looking over the last press releases regarding a purchase of a publication, the prices ranged astronomically. We don’t have time to go through their financials to get the best deal.”

“I don’t care about that.”

He’s silent for a minute. “Can you tell me why you’re interested in purchasing this particular paper today?”

I inform him of the article that is being written and who is responsible for the information they were provided. “As you can understand, my wife will be hurt by this. Therefore, I want it done.”

“I understand. We already have a preliminary contract drawn up, and while the final sale may not go through by the end of business, we’ll have the employees under Knight Corporation by the end of the day.”

“I want all editorial stories stopped and under the company umbrella of ownership.”

“That won’t be a problem. What if they ask for a number far beyond what the company is worth?”

“I’m sure they will. Do your best to negotiate and bring me the final offer options. You have my non-negotiables and I’ll pay whatever it takes for those to be accepted.”

“We’ll be in touch with your options.”

thirty-two

BRYNLEE

My eyes flutter open and close before the light blinds me.

I feel so tired, like I did when I woke from my surgery.

There’s constant beeping around me and I try to remember what happened.

Crew and I were fighting. We were discussing that horrible article that exposed everything about us and I was so emotional.

My heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, and I had to go to the bathroom so bad.

Then there was pain and . . . nothing.

Oh, God. Am I dead?

No. I think if I was dead, it would be quiet, and there’s supposed to be a light. I definitely didn’t see a light until I opened my eyes.

I wonder if that’s it then. Maybe I can avoid it if I just keep them closed.

“Brynlee.” I hear Crew calling my name softly. There’s a light pressure on the top of my head and then I can feel his lips there. “Open your eyes, Bee.”

This totally could be a trick.Open your eyes, look at me, then you’ll die.

I’d rather not.

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