Page 227 of Enthrall Shadows
It was her sadness I couldn’t stand.
She’d carried shame when there was no need. Getting pregnant with Lilly had changed the trajectory of her life. It made me imagine how scared and lonely she might have been in Chile, all alone.
Reaching out, I brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
Fate would take care of itself. Everything would work out. I wasn’t into sentimentally usually—not with those I didn’t trust—but I owed her the kindest sort of closure.
Because she’d not felt comfortable enough to share her pregnancy with me. It was impossible to convince her she’d dated the kind of man you could trust with a secret like that.
“Henry, tell me how you feel about me,” she whispered.
Splash.
We both turned toward the pool, hearing Lilly laughing loudly at something. Maybe she, too, felt the tension lift.
“The others are waiting,” I said, gesturing towards the house.
As we trekked along the endless hallways, I rested my hand on her shoulder to make her feel welcome.
To break the silence, I said, “I roll calls over to the conference room after work.”
“You don’t mind it? Working for Cole Tea?”
“I am Cole Tea, Reese.”
She’d forgotten how far I’d come.
Several minutes later, we’d taken our seats in the conference room. Shay was already here, sitting beside Kinsley Woo, my senior attorney. He’d been kind enough to attend this weekend meeting.
Once Diana had made sure we all had our chosen beverages, and were comfortable, she left.
And we began.
Kinsley slid a contract across the table toward Reese. “You’ll need to sign this before we proceed.”
Reese spun the contract around. “An NDA? Is this necessary?
Shay gave a nod. “We need to confirm you won’t disclose any private information.”
Reese reached for the pen I set before her.
We waited the five minutes it took for her to skim over the document and watched as she applied her signature.
“I hope I didn’t just sign my life away,” she said.
Shay leaned back. “Community Development is a big donor in Washington. That’s how they navigated the state laws in Florida, nabbed the construction contract to build in the center of the preserve. They went around the usual preservation laws and sold their new hotel as an educational center. Then donated to Florida’s Senatorial race.”
“How did you find all this out?” Reese searched our faces.
“We’re thorough,” answered Shay.
“How do we fight a company with such powerful connections?” asked Reese.
“We don’t,” said Shay.
“Don’t tell me it’s hopeless?” she said.
“We solved the problem,” said Woo. “Henry bought them.”
