Page 34 of Fifth Avenue Devil

Nate eases across the bedchamber, looking at my dad as he does. "He lost a poker game. He was running out of funds, so he put the merger on the line. It's as simple as that."

My mom looks at my dad, then begins to usher everyone out of the room. "Let's talk about this somewhere else. Archer needs quiet and rest."

Nate catches my eye as we walk out into the hall. Mom shuts the door firmly behind her and puts her hands on her hips.

She seems like she's about to lay into me, but Don cuts her off before she can get a word out. "I can't believe that you were so foolish to believe anything that this snake in the grass whispered in your ear," Don hisses at me. He stabs his finger in my face. "That was incredibly stupid of you, Annalise. We will be lucky if we're able to take the contract to court and get it invalidated."

Nate smoothly steps between me and Don, his expression hard. "The fuck you will. You're not in charge, Donny boy."

Don's eyes widen. Then he steps forward and pushes his finger into the center of Nate's chest. "Now you listen here?—"

Nate catches Don's hand and twists it hard, spinning him around and pinning his hand at a painful angle behind his back. Don yelps, making me wince.

"Don't touch me," Nate says coldly. "And if you ever think about touching Annalise again, I'll fucking end your life." Don makes a grunting sound. Nate grits his teeth. "Do something about it, you bastard. I'd love a reason to break your fucking arm."

"Mr. Fordham, let him go!" my mother cries.

Nate eases his grip and steps back. Don yanks his arm in front of his body and cradles it. "You fucker!"

My mom rushes to Don's side. "Are you all right?"

Don glares balefully at Nate and then at me. "You know,” he seethes at me, “I would watch my step if I were you. You're just a little kid playing in a grown man's world. It would be a real shame if you got hurt."

"Don!" my mom says, her voice rising. "Don't threaten my daughter."

"It doesn't matter what this little crybaby says," Nate announces. "His days are numbered at Gellar Industries."

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Don flings back.

I grab Nate's arm to keep him from responding to Don's threat with more violence. "Nate, we need to leave."

"I think that would be best," my mom says sourly. "Don't come back here until you're ready to give up the CEO position. I can't imagine why your father willed it to you, but I'm absolutely certain that you don't deserve it.'

I back away, leveling a glare at my mom while digging my nails into Nate's forearm. "Thanks for your support as usual, Mom."

Mom flaps her hand at me dismissively. I drag Nate away, quickly walking toward the mansion's front door.

"I think I changed my mind about letting you fire people," I say out of the corner of my mouth. "Don has to go."

Nate seems unruffled, as if he didn't just do some kind of jujitsu move on my VP. He shrugs. "Think of it as streamlining," he jokes. Then he puts his arm around my back as we step out the front door.

Thirteen

Annalise

When I take three steps into the office, I am immediately ambushed by Lori.

"Where have you been??" she demands. She grabs me by the arm and starts hauling me toward her office. "I texted you five times!"

Knowing that Lori is loyal to my dad, I grimace. "Yeah, about that..."

"Never mind." Lori pushes me past the cubicles and drags me into her private room. She closes the door behind us and whirls to put her back to the door. "We have a huge problem."

Looking at Lori's wild eyes and her unusually messy desk, I surmise that is true. But what kind of problem could have arisen over the long weekend? Will it still be an issue once I explain about the merger to Lori?

"Slow down." I take a seat on her couch and pat the seat next to me. "Tell me what's happened."

Lori perches on the couch next to me. "There are serious accounting irregularities."

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