Page 56 of Winning Bid

“Excuse me?”

“Surely you're not naive enough to honestly believe her story.”

“June is going to be my wife. I saw what I saw. I don't care what you believe. You're gonna keep that filth out of your mind when you think of June. You will never say those things about her again. And if?—"

He laughed. The bastard laughed. “June Devlin will never be my daughter-in-law.”

“What makes you think you have any control over who I choose to marry?”

“Let me tell you a few things about this girl that you love so very much that you're willing to threaten your father over her.”

It's my turn to laugh. “As if you know a fucking thing about that woman.”

“Then you should be open to hearing what I have to say. What do you have to fear? If you think that it's not true, so be it. But I will say my piece before you walk out that door again.”

“Out with it.”

Dad sat back, steepling his fingers over his lap. “June works for Andre Moeller. This you know correct?”

“Yes. What of it?”

“Are you aware that Andre intends to unseat me?”

I frown. Where is he going with this? “Unseat you from what?”

“Everything.”

“I don't understand.”

“Country clubs, charity boards, you name it. He intends to oust me from everything that belongs to me. Seats on boards of other companies and from the chair I sit as I speak.”

That makes no sense. “That's ridiculous. This is West Media. It's only West Media if a West is in the CEO seat.”

“Come now, you don't believe that. Plenty of companies are run by people whose names are not on the door.”

“But a West has always been the CEO of West Media. It goes through our family line. Everyone knows that.”

Dad takes a stiff breath and runs his fingers through his hair. The man must be shaken to show so much emotion. “Things change, Anderson. And Andre is looking to accelerate that change. With June's help.”

That earns a laugh. “What in the fuck are you talking about?”

“Your little wife-to-be has decided that she's going to help Andre unseat me from everywhere I belong. What do you have to say in her defense now?”

“You are out of your mind if you think that's true.”

He brushes a piece of invisible lint from his sleeve. “And if you didn't believe that the possibility is real, you wouldn't look so nervous right now.”

“You're mistaking my aggravation for nervousness. It's not the same thing.”

“So you say.” I can’t read the expression on his face. Contemplative. Furious. For Elliott West, they are one and the same. “The trouble, my dear boy, is that I have proof. You should know by now that I know everything that happens in my companies. That includes what happens when someone is sniffing around them and asking for documents. Such as what June was doing for the past few weeks.”

“You're out of your mind, old man.”

He smiles. “That's the sort of accusation you make when you know you've lost.” He dials up something on his laptop, then turns it around to face me. On screen, I see June. She's making copies of documentation, furtively glancing around. I can't see what it is until she closes a Manila folder over it. But there's the Branson and Associates logo. One of the companies my dad is on the board of. Then, the picture changes. She's sitting in an office with someone I don't know.

“Am I supposed to know what's happening here?”

“Oh, right. The sound.” He clicks a button, and I can hear everything.

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