Page 68 of Deadly Secrets

“Has William said anything to you?” The mere mention of his name sent shivers down my spine.

“Peter. I won’t ask you again. Do YOU know something about this?”

He paused for a moment before Michael jumped into the conversation.

“Tell her, Peter. She needs to know, especially since William expressed his interest in re-joining the company.”

Michael’s words caught me by surprise, yet I remained silent and tried looking indifferent to their words. They clearly knew something I didn’t. Whatever it was, it seemed troubling enough to worry them. I tried to pull my best I-already-know face so they would continue talking.

With a heavy sigh, Peter said, “Six years ago, Michael found several discrepancies in some of our monthly financial reports. When he raised his concerns with your father and William, your father brushed it off and requested him to keep it under wraps. Just to clarify, these reports indicated that substantial sums of money that were originally designated for specific R&D projects had been redirected to an offshore account. A few weeks later, William handed in his resignation. When I confronted William, he didn’t say much. He just said that he had a disagreement with your father and didn’t wish to continue working with him. About a week later, your father made a considerable contribution, covering the missing amount from our accounts, and did so as a silent investor. He also made it clear that we were to keep all this information to ourselves.”

“What are you implying?” My head spun with the information as I tried to piece everything together.

“Sienna, your father was the signatory of those documents. I suppose William confronted him about it. From what William told me a few weeks back when he proposed his candidacy, it looked like they had a heated argument, which ultimately led to his departure from the company. Michael attempted to persuade me that the right course of action was to involve the authorities and report the embezzlement of private funds. However, having known your father for a considerable period of time, I couldn’t bring myself to believe he would engage in such conduct. Since the money was eventually returned, I managed to convince Michael that the best approach was to write it off and move forward, hoping this information wouldn’t come out. Cos Pharmaceuticals helps millions of patients with their drug developments. Calling the authorities would have meant dissolving the company, damaging the trust of health authorities worldwide, or causing significant delays in bringing new therapies to the market.”

A wave of dread washed over me. Peter’s words were like a punch in the gut, and I struggled to come to terms with them. I didn’t want to accept the idea that my dad could be involved in something so terrible, but there was a strange logic to it. William’s abrupt departure from the company and the ensuing fallout, which resulted in my dad forbidding me from seeing Ander, had always puzzled me. What if my dad wasn’t the one who didn’t want me to see Ander? What if William asked my father to distance himself from their family due to his actions? My mind swirled with questions, and I felt overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin seeking answers.

“Anyway, after we announced your new position as the major shareholder, William approached us and expressed his interest in being considered for the CEO position.”

I hesitated, but I needed to know.

“Are you implying that he may have evidence and is leveraging it to secure his return to the company?” I asked.

“I can’t say with absolute certainty. He hasn’t brought it up, but the timing definitely raises some suspicions,” Peter remarked.

He was spot-on. Why now? I asked myself. After all, my dad’s passing might have created an opportunity for him.

All these secrets, all this lying—it was really getting to me. Being left in the dark about something so big was just infuriating. My dad could’ve easily fed me some excuse, but instead, he chose silence and cut off all contact with Ander. And my mom? She just went along with it, with no sympathy whatsoever, especially after all those months of me pouring my heart out to her about Ander not replying to my letters. Peter should’ve filled me in on this as soon as I took over the company and William... William and his damn schemes.

Just give me a fucking break.

“Peter, tell Mr. Scott to come to our offices. Give him some dates and time slots, and I’ll be there. I’ll only give you an answer after I’ve confronted him. I wanna see if he’s playing us. Let’s hope he’s honest with me. Otherwise, he can go and fuck himself. I don’t want any more secrets. And that applies to the both of you, too.” With that statement, I ended the call.

I rose abruptly from my chair, my hand instinctively reaching for the flower vase on the table before me. Without much thought, I threw it forcefully against the wall just as Ander entered the apartment. The crash echoed through the room, mirroring the surge of emotions I could no longer contain. I collapsed onto the floor, a torrent of tears streaming down my cheeks. Ander crossed the room in a few strides and knelt in front of me. He grasped my shoulders and pulled me into a close, comforting hug.

“What’s wrong?” His words came in a gentle, caring tone. I tried talking between sobs, but the anger and disappointment were too strong for my words to make any sense. Ander lifted me and walked me to the couch. He held me without saying anything while my tears left a trail of black mascara on his T-shirt.

“I’m so sorry, Ander,” I blurted.

“Don’t worry about the vase,” he responded, gently stroking my hair.

“No, I don’t mean the vase. I’m so sorry. About everything. It’s all my family’s fault.” I couldn’t stand it. Because of my dad, Ander and I never talked to each other again. He was the reason his father hated me so much, to the point of intercepting my letters.

“What do you mean?”

“I just spoke with Peter and Michael, the COO and CFO at Cos Pharma.” I paused, attempting to stifle my sobs. “They told me that my dad might have redirected specific R&D funds into an offshore account by fabricating certain documents.”

“Holy shit.”

“I know. I suspect your father confronted mine and left the company to avoid being involved in any scandal. I believe that’s why my dad forbade me from seeing you and sent me off to Europe.”

“Fuck. I guess it makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” I asked.

“What my dad told you on Thanksgiving. That he didn’t want to taint the memory of your father with stories from the past.”

“I’m so sorry,” I repeated between sobs.

---