Page 31 of Sinful Bride

TODD: It’s that baby or your job. Choose.

12

PASHA

I consider myself as a reasonable man.

But I am all out of options for this motherfucker.

TODD: We are running a business

TODD: We need people we can depend on

TODD: People who are accountable and don’t just leave at the drop of a hat

I have to take a break from scrolling through the messages before I snap the phone in half. Why didn’t she tell me? Come to me?

TODD: Answer your phone

TODD: We need to discuss your future at this company

Gritting my teeth, I grab my own phone and dial a number I’ve been holding off calling until now.

“Mr. Chekhov, lovely to hear from you!”

“Aubrey.” I slump back against the couch cushions and bid farewell to my nap. “Everything go through okay with the filings?”

Aubrey’s professional smile is audible through the phone. “Easy as pie. The check was cashed four days ago, so it looks like they got everything they need.”

“And that’s all they’ll be getting from anyone, moving forward.”

That smile widens. She’s a shark who smells blood in the water, and that’s exactly why I brought her on for this job. “Am I hearing what I think I’m hearing?”

“You are. Effective immediately, Todd and Keith Bloom are no longer welcome inside those doors. Send security to escort them out. With force, if necessary. Even if it’s not, a boot in the ass might be called for.”

Daphne stirs. Her brow furrows as she blinks at me, no doubt alerted by the names of her now former employers.

“I’ll have a team escort them to their cars,” Aubrey confirms, “and then a second team can go in and clear out their personal effects.”

“Perfect. Hazel should be there, so enlist her help in divvying everything up if you need it.”

“Will do.”

When I hang up, I look to Daphne. “What are you talking about?” she croaks, her voice thick with sleep. “What’s going on with Todd and Keith?”

I choose my words carefully. This is meant to be a gift—hell, it’s a fucking liberation—but I know she’s still riding the coattails of some pretty powerful hormones and painkillers. “Todd and Keith are no longer your employers. Nor are they the owners of the gallery.”

“What?” She sits straight up. “I lost my job?”

“In a manner of—” I cut myself off when I see the tears glisten in the corners of her eyes. Shit. “Wait here. I need to grab something for you. Be right back.”

The folder I need is easy to find. It’s been resting in the top drawer of my desk for several months. I was saving it for a much better, happier occasion, but now seems as good a time as any to give it to her.

When I return, she’s sitting on the couch with the blanket wrapped around her, watching Taty sleep. I sit down next to her and hand her the file. “I was saving this as a wedding gift, but… go ahead. Take a look.”

Daphne opens the file. Skims the first page. Then gasps and snaps it shut, looking at me in shock. “No.”

“Yeah.”

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