Page 78 of Her Boss

Cold betrayal sank deep and painful in my belly. There was no way Viola would even consider it. “Bullshit.”

“I’ve already begun conversations with her, actually.” Chester tugged at the cuff of his dress shirt. Then he stood, buttoning his suitcoat. “Has all sorts of ideas, that one.”

What the hell?

It couldn’t possibly be true, but of all the things Chester Nantes was infamous for, bluffing wasn’t one of them.

Fuck.

It was a nightmare. I stared at Chester in disbelief, and then slowly he nodded his head.

I had no real choice—and he knew it.

“At least you finally understand the situation,” he said. “I’ll have the paperwork drawn up in the morning. All you need do is sign it.” He chuckled as he headed for the door. “I didn’t expect you’d roll over so easily. And for someone like my niece, no less. You’re that hard up, Trafford?”

I jumped up from my chair, slapping my palm down on the desk, one of my silver pens spinning off onto the floor with a hollow clatter. “You watch your fucking mouth.”

Chester turned slowly on his heel toward me. His eyes narrowed, but he wasn’t rattled in the least. “Careful, Trafford. I might decide to rescind my offer. There could be worse terms for this sale, you know.”

“Get out. I’ll sign it, but… get out of my office.”

Nantes opened the door, not looking back as he almost trilled the words, his tone dripping with malicious mirth. “That’s going to be the last time you say those words. It’s my office as of tomorrow.”

Then he was gone, the door rattling in its frame as it slammed shut behind him.

I sank back into my chair, cursing under my breath. “You’re absolutely rat fucked.”

I was going to keep my girl after all… but I was going to lose everything in the process.

CHAPTER 37

Geneva

Franklin Willington III—incredibly, the lawyer’s absurd business card actually italicized ‘III’—with his dark suit and steel-rimmed spectacles, had been seated across the table from Rick for a few minutes already.

My uncle sat next to the attorney, his lips curved subtly, as if he knew something nobody else did.

As the soulless ghoul in a sharply pressed suit glanced over the twelve-page contract proposal before him, I squeezed Rick’s left hand under the table.

I didn’t know why he needed comfort at that moment, but I was as certain of it as I’d ever been of anything in my life.

Willington’s slender, almost skeletal finger hooked over the page, tapping it. “Just sign there, and initial where prompted. First page, and the second.” The lawyer slid the purchase agreement across the table.

Pen clasped between his fingers, Rick splayed his big hand across the page. “I sign this, and the deal stands?”

Chester nodded, his cool gaze switching to me for a moment, before sliding back to Rick. “Assuming all’s in order. Yes.”

“Okay,” Rick said, a dispirited, almost defeated note in his voice I’d never heard from him before.

Looking more closely at what wasn’t hidden by Rick’s hand on the pages, it started to become clearer to me. But I was still frustrated at not knowing what my uncle’s angle was. I held out a hand. “You’ve never talked about wanting this before…”

Chester stared out the window at the city. “I know I used to hire him to take care of… problems for me.” He stilled then, his eyes growing cold. “But the situation has changed.”

Rick stayed silent, not giving me any indication of what was happening.

I glanced at the lawyer, but Willington refused to even acknowledge me.

“Uncle Chester…?” I grasped Rick’s forearm on the table, noting the way my uncle scowled as I did it.

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