Page 20 of Dauntless

“It may,” I admitted. “And it may not. I’m not willing to gamble with Perfetto. I’m still the owner. It just means I won’t be the face of the company.”

He opened his briefcase, and I tilted my head down. Stuart didn’t call me out on the lie we both know I just told him. I loved Perfetto and loved being out there promoting the company. It hurt like hell to have to step back after the blood and sweat I invested in building it.

“How do you plan to handle this video?” he asked and glanced over at Tove, who had returned to the chair he had been sitting in during the morning,

I waved my hand to and explained Tove’s presence to Stuart and once he was satisfied, he said, “You need to watch the video to make sure your statement is accurate. I can step out of the room to give you some privacy.”

“No. I will later, before I send the statement,” I replied. I didn’t want to appear defeated and weak before my staff meeting. “Decline The Agency’s offer. I’ll draft a statement for you to issue before the end of the day for the video leak. When I’m finished being a witness, should I be called on to testify for the criminal case, we’ll pursue a civil case.”

Stuart cleared his throat. “Okay…something else came through: new filings from Patrick’s lawyers.” He slid a stapled stack of papers over to me.

I pursed my lips. “What does he want?” I asked picking them up and leafing through them.

“Fifteen million, twenty thousand dollars a month in alimony, and a public statement that says your marriage had ended a couple of years prior, though you lived together and only recently divorced—in other words, lie for him about the length of your separation,” Stuart replied with abhorrence. “He also wants you to include that the events in the video were of your own personal interests, and never a part of your marriage.”

“I’ll definitely include the last part of his request,” I scribbled down on a pad. “I’ll include it in my statement but excuse me while I call him about the rest.”

Stuart gave the go ahead, and I placed a call to Patrick’s private cell, which he always carried with him.

“It’s about time you called,” His tone was smug when he answered. “You have the lawsuit I see. It’s clear in the divorce. You agreed not to be in a public relationship for six months, and you wouldn’t embarrass me. You’ve done both with bravado. You’ve messed up my chances of re-election and will leave me unemployed. I’ll be expecting your signed agreement to my terms no later than 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. We don’t need to speak, so if you don’t mind—”

“Not so fast,” I said abruptly cutting him off. “I’m not agreeing to anything. I’m countersuing for breach of contract.”

“What breach?” he growled. “I never breached our divorce agreement, you did.”

“That’s not true. You agreed to sell Perfetto to me, but you sold your shares out from under me,” I said sharply. “That makes our agreement null and void. You haven’t lost your bid for re-election, so you can’t blame me for something that hasn’t happened. Was that me or did someone else say in an interview before Christmas that your campaign assistant Hannah was ‘someone new and special in my life.’ You weren’t supposed to go public with a relationship for a year. Don’t even bother denying it. I have a copy of the article in my email.”

“You’re spying on me?” he grumbled.

I snorted. “Spying on an interview you gave to the media? Hardly. Actually, the only reason I found out about the interview was because I haven’t removed my Google Alerts for your Governor press page,” I reminded him.

“That remark was taken out of context. It was more the exaggeration of the reporter. I wasn’t at fault,” he said working his angle through as he spoke. “It’s nothing compared with your pornographic video. I show that in court and I’ll win my case.”

“Go on and sue,” I goaded. “I’ll tie you up in the courts for the next ten years. By then, you and Hannah won’t have a dime left of her trust fund.”

“You’re done,” he hissed. “No one will have anything to do with you. You debase yourself like that before all those men. I always thought you were a strong, respectable woman. Who knew you were a sleazy whore? No one with respect would want you now. Where were your morals?”

“You’re going after me on morals?” I laughed. “I know about your meeting with the members of The Agency. You’re not clean, and if you try anything against me, I’ll start digging, and this time I won’t remember how much I cared for you. I wanted you to continue as governor instead of telling everyone about your affair with Hannah and how you made a fool of me.”

“That’s nothing,” he said his voice raising. “There is pornographic footage of you. I’ve got a good case against you.”

“I’ll bottom line this for you, so you understand,” I seethed. “I will have a countersuit submitted today. My next stop will be a social tour pouring my heart out about your affair, and my lack of love. The world will shift to my side. Then I’ll hire a Private Investigator to dig up all your dealings and leak them to the press. One move by you, and I will make good on all this. I have nothing left to lose now. I expect you to withdraw that lawsuit by 7 tonight.”

“When did you become so cruel?” he said bitterly.

“It came after spending eight years of my life lovingly devoted to you. After you betrayed my love with an affair and sold off my hard-built business. It came after I was blackmailed and filmed without my knowledge. Kidnapped and assaulted.”

The lack of care and even a semblance of concern crowded the line that went quiet. So, had been my life.

“Congratulations on your pending marriage. Make it work and don’t ever contact me again.” I hung up on him.

“I would clap, but it’s Patrick,” Stuart said and smirked. “He never knows when to stop.”

I shrugged. “He’s been warned.”

Stuart laughed. “You are so much your father’s daughter. He’d be proud of the way you’re handling everything.”

I swallowed hard. “I wish I would, but with the video…. Anyway, what’s next. Have we recorded any progress on the Dalton theft?”

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