Page 35 of Fifth Avenue Devil

I furrow my brow. "That's not what I expected you to say. How did you find out? What's the probable source?"

Lori looks down at her hands. "Lance came to me with his suspicions Friday afternoon. I begged him not to tell anyone while I get to the bottom of things." She takes a deep breath. "The irregularities started six years ago. And they stopped the day your father fell ill."

"Whoa. Slow down." I shake my head slowly, trying to absorb the information. "You think my dad had something to do with the accounting irregularities?"

"Yes." Lori bites her lip, her eyes filling with tears. "I spent the last few days piecing a document trail together. Your father used his office computer to log into the company's accounts and move funds out of the employee pensions and insurance accounts. I added it all up and it is something like twenty-two million dollars that was taken in regular withdrawals."

I put my hand over my heart, feeling its frantic pace. Nothing could have prepared me for this news.

Dad is a lot of things. A prick? Sure. A narcissist who only cares about himself? Definitely.

But a thief? And a poor one at that? After all, Lori was able to find a paper trail in a matter of days.

"Annalise?"

"Sorry." I shake my head, at a complete loss. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. Twenty-two million dollars?"

"It's shocking, I agree," Lori shoves her hand through her hair. "But I have multiple records of logins from your father's password-protected account, so..."

"I can't believe it. I mean, I know Dad likes to gamble. But taking money from the company's coffers?"

As soon as I say it, I realize that it isn't much different from my dad wagering the merger on a fucking poker game. I don't know why I'm so damned surprised.

My dad has a real problem.

"What do we do?" I look to Lori for help. "Can we just return the money?"

Lori purses her lips. "I don't know. Do you have a spare twenty-two million lying around?"

I scrunch up my face. "No."

"Me neither. We can cover with the company profits, but that's only a few hundred thousand." She hesitates. "I respect your father. But I think we have to come clean with the board about this. We should formulate a plan. Maybe we could take Nate Fordham up on his offer to buy the company?"

I wince. I hadn't even thought about telling Nate. If I told him about it, that would be the end of my dad's run as owner. If my dad wakes up, Nate will probably force him to go to jail. If my dad never regains consciousness, his legacy will be the laughingstock of Wall Street for years to come.

I put my hand to my brow. "Can we keep this between ourselves for a little while? I need to make a plan."

"Of course." Lori frowns. "That's why we're talking about it right now."

Just as I am winding up to tell Lori about the merger, a knock comes at her door. "Go away!" she responds.

"Nate Fordham is here to see Ms. Gellar!" a voice calls through the door.

Lori looks surprised. She stands up, glancing at me. I grab her hands and yell, "We'll be out in just a second!"

Pulling Lori closer, I whisper to her. "I trust you to keep this between us. Okay?"

She nods. "Of course. I can only keep it under my hat for so long, though."

"I swear. It's just until I make a plan. I'm not looking to excuse my father or hide his misdeeds. You know I wouldn't do that."

She offers me a hug, which I take. But while we're hugging, I tell her, "Nate Fordham is here because I signed the papers to begin the process of a merger between our companies."

Lori pulls back, her eyes searching my face. "Wait, really?"

I give her a half-smile and nod. "Yeah."

She squeezes my upper arm. "That's great, Annie."

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