Page 78 of The Cinderella Secret
“Are you sure?” he asked with a smile. She didn’t reply and he went over to the board and looked at the pictures. He was a naturally slender man. Her father had been built along similar lines. Their faces were distinct, but Bai made occasional movements and gestures that reminded her of Bo.
“Uncle,” she said, leaning back in her chair, “why DevEntier?”
“It’s owed to us,” said Bai.
“Is it? Are you sure?”
“You’ve seen the email,” said Bai. “There was an agreement.”
“And we don’t think that maybe…”
“Maybe what?” asked Bai, turning around.
“I’m not stupid, Uncle. Utah? California? Are you telling me you didn’t make those agreements based on contacts that Dad provided? Or maybe those were actually agreements he made, while he was still at DevEntier? He was setting up to be their competitor while he still worked there, wasn’t he?”
Bai sighed. “Not exactly. I mean, yes, he made those contacts and hammered out verbal agreements with people while he still worked here. But DevEntier was primarily Department of Defense contracts in those days. They hadn’t shifted toward public sector and energy. So… it’s not like we would have been their direct competitor.”
“But he was using their network to build Zhao Industries?”
Bai sighed again. “Yes,” he said, looking a little guilty. “But that doesn’t change anything. He was promised shares. We should own part of DevEntier.”
Ella stared at her uncle, wondering just how far to push. “You hate the Deverauxes. Why do you want to be in business with them?”
“Because they owe us,” said her uncle harshly, his eyes snapping with anger.
“Do they?”
“Randall was your father’s boss. If the offer of shares came from anywhere, it was from him. And he…”
“He what?”
Bai didn’t respond, but instead pivoted to look out the window.
“I asked Aiden about them—Randall and Owen,” she said, and Bai wheeled around in surprise. “He said they were horrible fucking people. I figure they have to have been pretty bad if their own family describes them like that.”
“They were,” said Bai.
“Do you know what Aiden calls me in court?”
“No?” Bai looked confused by the shift in topic.
“Ms. Zhao, his esteemed colleague.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Absolutely nothing,” said Ella. “But in the year and a half that I’ve been playing in your sandbox, I’ve had opposing counsel call me everything from child-lawyer, hysterical co-counsel, and in one instance just plain idiot.”
Bai made a face.
“I’ve never had an opposing counsel argue with me and not make the argument about who I am. Of course, I’ve never been this close to losing before, but the point remains: Aiden treats me with respect.”
“You’re not going to lose. And I don’t care what he does in court. He’s still a Deveraux. I’m sorry I yelled the other night, but they are dangerous.”
“Lots of people are dangerous,” said Ella. “Hell, I’m dangerous if I want to be. But he’s not Randall.”
Bai’s head hung down a bit. “I really am sorry about yelling.”
“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”
