Page 78 of Just Like That

Royal pursed his lips and made kissing noises toward Abel. With a laugh, he handed me a fresh beer and folded me into the conversation with ease.

I sneaked one last glance at Hazel and let myself pretend that it could always be like this.

Much of our work,between placating our current business partners and seeking new opportunities, was tedious. It largely consisted of researching businesses and analyzing their data and performance. It made buying the struggling companies much simpler when you understood and could exploit their weak spots.

On the side, we were digitizing decades of paperwork and account ledgers. Untangling my father’s web of deceit was practically a full-time job.

I looked at my computer screen. “Where are we at with the offshore account balances?”

From behind me, Veda answered. “Looks like we’re nearly up to date, so that’s something. What are you looking for?”

I pressed my lips together. “I’m not exactly sure yet.”

I clacked the keyboard, shoving down the tiny pang of guilt for lying to my partner. I knewexactlywhat I was looking for.

Opening the drive that housed the digital business records, I opened the search bar.

Olive Adams.

My pulse raced when not one, butseveral, results popped up. My eyes swept over my shoulder before opening the first one.

A check for $50,000. The image of the cashed check had a feminine signature scrawled across the back in large, loopy handwriting.

I clicked back to the other results. Ten thousand every year, and she’d cashed them every time.

ThehelpOlive claimed my father gave was money. He had paid her off to keep her silence. She had been under the impression I was cold and callous, with no desire to help a struggling single mother. With that narrative, my father was able to give her money, keep her quiet, and keep my reputation intact.

The only cost was a child thinking his father wanted nothing to do with him.

Teddy’s innocent face flashed in my mind, and my fist clenched.

I wasn’t angry at Olive. In fact, I was angryforher. She was unaware of how manipulative my father could be in order to get his way. He saw her as nothing more than an obstacle.

A pathetic inconvenience to placate and keep out of the way.

I scanned the other entries. Most were aligned with scheduled payments to Olive, but one record snagged my attention. It was a ledger for an investment account, one of many, but this one had to be in some way associated with Olive as it came up in the document search. I clicked it and scanned the file.

My eyes landed on two words:sole beneficiary.

Well, that didn’t make any sense. Why would Dad name Olive as the beneficiary to a very healthy investment account if he was solely keeping her quiet?

I leaned back in the chair and groaned.

Veda’s eyes slid toward me, unamused. “Do I even want to know?”

I sighed and shook my head. “Probably not. Do you have any good news for me? I could use it.”

Veda swiveled in her chair to face me and crossed one leg over the other. “Well ... your brother’s Pulse account is being featured onWake Up, Chicago. That’s exciting.”

My face twisted and I fought back a smile. My siblings and I had recently learned that Pulse was an adults-only website where Royal made content. “You can’t be serious.”

“What can I say? The people love him.” She shrugged. “There’s good money in what he does. Plus, he loves it and that’s all that matters to me.”

I groaned at the ceiling, closing my eyes and willing the throb in my skull to go away. “Why? Why is my life so unhinged?”

Veda’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Probably because you always focus on the wrong things and haven’t learned how to loosen the reins yet.”

Ouch.

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