Page 22 of Thorns of Malice

Ivy

"Jaxon, you're not being fair. You promised me it would stay between us," I remind him.

He scrubs his hand over his face, groaning. "Ivy, we've been over this. We need to take legal action and quickly. The sooner we move on this, the better."

I shake my head. "I don't think that's the right way to handle this."

"Then how will you gain control of your dad's patent that Dax Carrington stole?" Jaxon questions.

I stare at him with no answers. I haven't had any solutions any of the other times he's asked me this question.

There's a knock on his door. Jaxon calls out, "Come in."

His assistant, Kay, chirps, "Your attorneys are in conference room A."

"Thank you. We'll be right in," he replies.

My stomach flips. I don't know why I'm opposed to this, but everything in my gut tells me it's not the right way to beat Dax and get my father's patent.

Jaxon pushes, "Ivy, let's go talk to them. Everything we say is confidential."

"You don't understand how powerful the Carringtons are," I say for the millionth time. I can't get Jaxon to understand how much money they have. I know he does well, but the Carringtons are uber-wealthy. They could bankrupt Jaxon if they wanted to, and I wouldn't put it past them to do so.

He claims, "Yes, I do."

"No, you don't," I argue.

"Ivy, I know who the Carringtons are, and I'm not scared of them. Now, let's go meet with the legal team. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to, but at least talk with them and hear what they have to say," he insists.

I'm exhausted from our argument. We've been fighting about this since last night. Maybe I should give in, but instead, I ask, "Why does there have to be a team of people?"

Jaxon crosses his arms. "Because we're dealing with Dax Carrington. We need the biggest number of legal brains possible."

I groan. "This is what I was talking about. We're never going to beat him. They could financially destroy you or destroy you some other way," I warn, wishing he'd listen to me.

"Ivy, I'm not scared of them, and I'm not backing down. Now, go see what your options are before you lose the ability to get your father's patent back," Jaxon advises.

I sigh. "Fine."

He leads me to the conference room. Several men in suits have their backs toward us, selecting plates of baked goods. One sits at the table sipping coffee.

I sit down and tap my finger on the table, staring at it and biting my lip, wondering how this will do any good. The Carringtons have more money than God. The last thing I want to see is Jaxon go down.

"Ivy?" a familiar voice says in surprise.

My heart beats faster, and my pulse increases. I glance up and stare at a familiar face.

No way.

He's older, more filled out, and still has the same type of glasses. He pushes them up on his nose, exclaiming, "It is you!"

"Matt?" I question, then gape at him.

He shifts on his feet, nodding. "Yeah. Long time no see. It's been..." His face falls. He goes quiet, and we exchange glances.

It's been since he saw me fucking everyone on the video.

My face heats with embarrassment and shame.

---