Page 136 of Thorns of Malice

She swallows hard. "You're not getting away with stealing my money. And I'm not stepping down from the company."

I grin. "Ah, but that's the beauty of it, Avery. You don't even have to step down. You've been removed."

"You can't remove me, Dax. I'm Avery Carrington of Avery Carrington Scents. Do you not get this, or is your brain too thick to comprehend it?"

I chuckle. "See, that's where you're wrong again. It doesn't matter if your name is part of the company. Carrington Enterprises' bylaws have a moral code, and you violated it."

She jerks her head back. "Moral code?" She starts to laugh uncontrollably.

"I'm glad you find this funny. I thought you'd be taking it a little differently," I admit.

She stops laughing. "If there's a moral code in Carrington Enterprises, I can guarantee that you've violated it a thousand times over. So that's fine, I'll have you removed."

"Ah, but you can't. You've been caught on video for the whole world to see, doing things that are"—I pause a quick moment for a dramatic effect—"illegal. Things that will put you in jail."

"I'm not going to jail!" she claims.

"Sure, you aren't."

"I'm not!"

"Regardless, you've created a bad PR problem for your company, which is bad for Carrington Enterprises. Never mind what you've done is completely immoral. So, Carrington Enterprises had no option but to say goodbye to you. So bye-bye." I wave at her.

She shakes her head, pointing at me. "That's bullshit, Dax. You're lying."

I tap the envelope. "No, I'm not. It's all in here. Read it when you want, but it's all in here, and you no longer have anything to do with the company."

Her eyes widen. She sits up in the tub. "You're not going to do this to me, Dax."

"I didn't do it to you, Avery. You did it to yourself," I point out.

"You're not taking my company from me. And I want my money back!" she shouts.

I put my hands on both sides of the tub and lean toward her. "You're never getting that money back, and you never again will have anything to do with Carrington Enterprises or Seducing Ivy."

"We'll see about that!" she spouts.

"Grandpa was right. He knew you wouldn't be able to run the corporation. He had the wisdom to foresee that all you would do is run it into the ground. This is just another example of your incompetence," I say, rubbing it in.

Her face turns redder. She takes her hand and slings mud at me. It hits my face and drips down.

I wipe it off, laughing. "Sling all the mud you want at me, Avery. It'll never match the mud you've slung at yourself."

"You bastard!" she hurls.

I rise and go to the sink. I wash my face and hands and then glance in the mirror. I take my suit jacket off and start to take off my tie.

Avery calls out, "This isn't over, Dax! I'll get you back. If it's the last thing I do, I will get you back!"

I toss my tie in the garbage and unbutton my shirt, replying, "Think what you want. You can stew on it while you're in jail. But there's one more thing you should know." I take off my shirt and toss it in the trash next to my tie.

She stays quiet.

I pick up my suit jacket, button it over my undershirt, then look in the mirror to ensure I don't have any more mud anywhere.

When I'm satisfied, I spin back to face her and lean against the counter. I drop the final bomb. "You no longer are welcome in the house or on the estate."

"You can't do that either," she asserts.

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