Page 4 of Grave Kisses
Archer shuts up immediately, and Bellamy chuckles. “What would he want?” I ask.
“He would want whatyouwould want,” Jesse says, patting my hand.
“Jess,” I sigh. “Fine. Okay. If he kept it for this long, clearly he intended for it to stay as his, so I will just sign it over.”
“There is four million dollars in that trust,” Jesse tells me.
“He would have gotten it last year anyway. It’s fine,” I say. “I have a handle on CyberSafe, so that’s not an issue. I made a point to stay hidden, so I’m not sure what all that entails when it comes to being a subsidiary of Vanderbilt.”
“You own thirty percent,” Jesse says, and my mouth falls open. “And before Marcus tries to trick you into selling it, we both know Alan put that in the will for a reason.”
“I know. He was meticulous,” I sigh.
“What will it take for you to sell me fifteen percent?” Marcus asks me.
“The bitch isn’t going to give it up. She’s worked too hard conning Dad out of it,” Archer bites.
“Do you need anything from me?” I ask Jesse.
“Just sign the bottom, and I’ll get everything taken care of,” she says, sliding a paper over in front of me. I sign my name and stand up.
“I am going to the office. I’ve already called a meeting, so they’ll be expecting me,” I say.
“What do you know about CyberSafe?” Bellamy asks.
“I am the lead computer engineer. I do… everything,” I say. “Alan had me take over about a year ago, and he just handled the business side of things but taught me what I needed to know. You won’t have to worry about it. Nothing will change.”
“Then I’ve emailed with you before,” he says. “You do excellent work.”
“Really?” Marcus deadpans.
“Anyway,” I say. “I’m leaving. Jesse, I believe you and Alan had a prearranged meeting set up for tomorrow. I’ll be taking over his meetings, so I’ll see you then.”
“Okay,” Jesse says with a sweet smile as she stands and hugs me. “I’ll come by for lunch and bring you everything.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I say. I pick up my bag, and Marcus is glaring at me. I ignore him and walk out of the room and out to my car. Once I am locked inside, the tears break free, and I cry.
I hate this. I’d rather have Alan than any of his stuff. I don’t want his money or company, but I promised him I’d take care of what he built. No matter what happens, I will keep my promise. I wish Martin hadn’t bailed, though. I could have used him with his asshole son. Although I don’t blame him for being worried. He has no fucking idea who I am. I know everyone by their login, so I’m sure we’ve emailed before.
By the time I get to the office, I am calm again. I park in Alan’s spot so I can be closer to unload. I feel fucking awful for taking over his office, but I don’t have much choice. I need the room so I can set up my computer and still have his.
When I walk in, Julie nearly tackles me with a hug. “Hey. How are you? Did you see him? God, I hate him. Oh, Marcus Vanderbuilt was texting, asking what was going on with Alan’s stuff, but I told him to shove it… Well… Nicely,” she rambles.
“Breathe, Jul,” I laugh. “I did see him. I am okay right now. He’s a dickhead, so he said dickhead things. Bellamy is nice, I think, but Marcus looked like he was going to choke me.”
“Oh… Yeah, Marcus is kind of an ass,” she says. “He will be okay.”
“I am going to set my shit down and try not to sob my eyes out in his office, and then I will be down for the meeting,” I say.
“I have everything taken care of until after the meeting… And then you have a meeting with Bellamy and Marcus… Then the board.”
“Wonderful. Right into the deep end I go.”
“I got you, babe. I’ll be stuck to you like glue and keep you on track. Alan made sure that if the time ever came, that I could help hold you up until you could get a handle on things.”
“You are a saint, Julie. I’ll be down soon.”
I take the elevator up and make it all of the way to the door of his office before I choke on my tears and stop. I don’t want to do this, but I have to. I force myself to unlock the door with his keys and step in.
