Page 26 of The Councilor

I had to laugh. Thankfully, Vadim had listened to me.

Maybe we’d all live a couple of years longer.

A nagging remained in the back of my head. It had festered during dinner, driving me into a fog more than once. While I’d enjoyed the company, something I usually didn’t have, the picture continued to roll into my mind.

That’s why I’d ended up back in Manhattan late, the only one at the office. What my gut was screaming didn’t seem possible but stranger things had happened over the years. I tried to decide what to do and realized I needed to learn everything I could about my assistant. I flipped on my desk lamp, firing up the computer system, which took seconds. Her paperwork should have been entered into the system. When I couldn’t find it, another hint of anger rushed through me.

Shanna was busy, our recent hires six in total. I certainly couldn’t blame her for my lack of patience.

I headed to the Human Resources department, walking directly into Shanna’s office. While she often tasked her assistant to handle data entry, the only thing she preferred doing herself was including the information about new employees. Not everyone could see the personal details. That would be a breach in various state and city acts.

She had a stack of papers on her desk and I easily found Raphaella’s. I found it interesting that I was hesitating. A part of me didn’t want to confirm what I already suspected.

I had a copy of the picture Vadim had printed and pulled it out, placing it beside Raphaella’s file. We didn’t require picturesof our recent hires, but I needed to concentrate on learning as many details as possible. It was likely my assistant was hiding her identity, including with her conservative attire.

It wasn’t necessary, the girl using her real surname.

The realization forced me to thump down in Shanna’s chair, pulling the photograph even closer. Her fucking bastard of a father had hit her. Why? Because she wasn’t interested in being his puppet? I couldn’t have been any angrier than I was at that moment.

I had a decision to make and the first thing to do was insist on being at the meeting with Bernardi. The second was to ensure this alliance wasn’t going to alter her lifestyle. She deserved the success from all the hard work she’d done.

I yanked out my phone, dialing Vadim.

“You didn’t get enough of me tonight?” He was already sounding sleepy.

“What time is this meeting tomorrow?”

“Seven. Why?”

“Because I’m coming with you.”

Vadim shifted, the noise reverberating into the phone. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, a lot. We’ll talk tomorrow. I have some soul searching to do.”

“This isn’t like you, buddy.”

“You’re going to need to trust me on this one. What is about to occur isn’t in the best interest of the girl.”

He made some noise and I only hoped he wasn’t going to say the girl was just a possession because I would go off the rails. “Do you honestly think I would ever allow that girl to enter into a relationship with anyone who dared treat her with anything other than reverence? You know me better than that.”

I’d already moved to the window in Shanna’s office, staring out at the city. While I’d been eager to move to the city when my parents had told me about the change, and as a kid I’d thought it was better than French toast, there were also times I hated it.

There were too many game players, too many people who enjoyed stepping on others. But when a father did it? Unacceptable.

“I know that. This is just complicated. Trust me?” I asked, knowing the answer.

“Of course. I’ll pick you up. How about that?”

“Fine. I suggest you leave Nikolay.”

“O-kay. Any reason?”

“Because things could get ugly.”

“Okay, but you’re going to need to tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Yeah, I will. I need to ensure I’m right.” And that I knew what the hell I was doing. I remained in Shanna’s office for a few minutes, debating the various thoughts drifting in the back of my mind.

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