Page 81 of Ugly Truths
The storage room he pointed to is small and cluttered with server tools. I flick on the light, shut the door, and hope the signal holds.
I answer, “Elias.”
“Silas,” he replies, sounding a bit worn. “How are the audits going?”
“So far, so good,” I fib, sliding a hand into my pocket.
“That’s great,”
There’s a brief pause before I push for a lighter note, “Did you call because you miss the sound of my voice?” Normally, this would draw a laugh from him, but today, silence follows.
Elias exhales heavily. “Have you talked to Jeremy recently?”
I frown, staring at the floor. We haven't spoken since that night at the club before he ditched Davey and me for his friends.
Dread starts to trickle in.
“He came to my office yesterday, asking for a mentorship,” Elias says without waiting for me to answer. “I asked him why he didn’t ask you, and he was quick to say you’re too distracted to help him.”
Heat rises under my skin, but I keep my voice steady. “Did he now?”
The rustle on the other end of the line tells me Elias is nodding. “Your personal life is none of my business, but he mentioned your ex being back in town and how it’s affecting your focus.”
It takes all of my self-control not to bark out an incredulous laugh.
This is how my father thinks he will regain control. Because let’s be honest, that’s who formulated this idea. Who else could have told Jeremy that Elena is here?
I can picture Elias sitting uncomfortably behind his desk, being forced to listen to all the ways Jeremy regurgitated that Elena is a gold digger—her date at the Gilded Sear, the time she spent living with me in the spring, how she ran away.
My jaw flexes, though I try to relax the muscles there. “Do you agree that my mind and dedication have been elsewhere?”
“No, that’s why I called.” My shoulders deflate a fraction with relief. “But Jeremy seemed very adamant about discussing it. You know I sympathize with his situation, but I joined the board because of the visionyousold me on. So, I wanted to check in.”
Though I see Elias first and foremost as a trusted associate, we’ve also become friends. I was the one who sought him out for the board after we were introduced at a charity event. His more progressive business stances aligned with mine and offered balance to a room that was mostly handpicked by my father. Both William and Jeremy knew this, and theystill tried to plant seeds of doubt in the one board member most loyal to me, aside from Natalie.
There are two potential outcomes he’s hoping for in this smear campaign: I cave to the COO nomination, or he’s going to attempt a vote reversal on the CEO transition.
My own fucking father.
“Well, since my personal life seems to be on the table,” I start with a lightness I don't feel, “Scarlett is back in Chicago. We're keeping things quiet, but my father has some unfounded concerns about her.” The more half-truths I find myself saying, the easier it is to understand how Elena was able to fool me for as long as she did. “Davey’s looked into her extensively. She checks out.”
Elias responds, almost relieved. “Good. I liked Scarlett when we met. She seemed like she could handle you.”
I almost forgot that I introduced them at the one gala Elena and I attended together. Elias's approval eases some of my tension, but just barely.
“She understands my work and where my priorities lie.” Looking around the small storage room, I search for the right combination of words. “I think Jeremy is hurt over the last board meeting and has gotten himself stuck in the middle of this thing with my father and me.”
Elias scoffs a little. “Yeah, well, they're lucky that the conversation ended when it did. I thought Everett was going to blow a fucking gasket when Jeremy suggested we’d figure out the financials as we went.”
I manage the smallest chuckle. “I don’t think any of us were prepared for how that conversation went, maybe besides my father.”
Another small pause. “We were all surprised by William’s response, even Randall. It’s not like your dad to throw caution to the wind on anything, let alone an operational change that large.”
My eyebrows lift.The board is gossiping across party lines.
“I appreciate you letting me know all of this,” I say, breezing past his last comment. And I mean it. My father’s mistake was sending my brother instead of handling it himself. Jeremy is great at misleadingpeople from a distance, but he doesn’t have an ounce of real finesse in his whole body, especially when it comes to swaying someone as intelligent and level-headed as Elias.
“Of course. I want to see you succeed. But I can’t imagine that I’m the only person he’s approached.” Elias voices the concerns that have already seeped into the corners of my thoughts.
