Page 54 of Ruthless Financier
The sun was out now, but it was only eight in the morning. I showered for a second time and shaved. Once I ran out of grooming ideas I headed to the kitchen, but it hadn’t been stocked.
I wasn’t sure what I’d do, but as I paced, my phone rang. My lawyer. I quickly answered and asked, “Frank, what’s going on?”
“The twenty-five million we sent to Indigo is back in the escrow account.”
She hadn’t lied, then. I closed my eyes and backed into the kitchen cabinets. One of the knobs pressed against my ass. I held onto the cold marble counter and said, “She’s gone.”
Frank smacked his lips and I listened to his heavy breathing. “I liked your wife and her team. Jasmine’s not returning my calls now.”
Huh? I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head. I had zero clue my personal life was intertwined with his. “Were you dating her?”
“No. We were collegial always. But she laughed at my jokes.”
In my head I quickly imagined that Frank’s face was bright red. I’d never seen him show a woman the slightest interest in years. I straightened up and started opening the drawers, looking for some sign of coffee to drink, as I said, “Indigo left me a note this morning. Before she …”
“Ohh,” he said. “Let’s talk. If it would help you, I’m all ears.”
Just tell me to man up and tell the woman I love how I feel, I thought. I coughed and said, “You have work to do.”
”You don’t have many friends.”
I let out a sad sigh and rechecked the fridge as I said, “I’m not here to make friends.”
“I figure Russ and I are the closest you’ve got. He’ll call you in two minutes if you say no to me.”
Talk? I closed the refrigerator and let my head rest on the door as I said, “Fine … But if you are coming over with Russ, grab me a coffee and a bagel.”
“On our way.”
Good. A business meeting was necessary anyway. The wild parrots outside my beach house screeched but I didn’t care. I headed outside to the backyard to check out the view.
The waters were a clear blue and the sand was pristine and white, but looking at the beach just made my spirit sag. I was truly alone.
I was probably an asshole for not running after her right away to stop her at the airport.
My phone beeped to tell me that company had arrived, so I headed in and opened the door for them. Russ handed me a cup and said, “Coffee, sir.”
I led my team I’d spent the past five years with to a table, like this was just a typical day and my insides weren’t revolting. Once everyone was settled and I’d had my first sip of coffee, I said, “Thanks. Let’s discuss our plan. Indigo wants nothing to do with my father’s last-ditch attempt to control the fate of Frozen Assets. Let’s operate as if we have full control, and force the liquidation vote.”
Frank took notes.
Russ nodded and said, “Done. Will she sign off if we need her to?”
I ignored how my heart raced, pumped with adrenaline. Once I finished my coffee, I said, “If she does, we transfer that twenty-five million right back. She shouldn’t have given it back to me at all.”
Russ stopped typing and said, “Any chance she wants more from you, or your father?”
“I don’t think so.” Fair question. But Indigo wasn’t like that. The only way to get to her was to help her family.
I wished this was a bottomless coffee cup. I met Russ’s gaze as I thought it over. Her money wasn’t mine to keep anymore. And there was more than one way to hand it back. I leaned forward and for the first time my shoulders were easier as I said, “I want you to transfer that twenty-five million to her shelters as a corporate gift.”
He typed, but winked at me. “That’s the way to win the girl’s heart.”
I lowered my head and ignored how heat in my face grew. “She left me, Russ.”
He closed the laptop and folded his hands in front of him. “I find that impossible to believe sir. It was clear she loved you and you loved her. You both needed time to figure it out.”
I was that obvious? My heart ticked. I ignored how my bare feet tapped against the floor as I said, “I made her sign a contract. It was business. And … if I chase her, I could end up like my father.”
