Page 4 of All the Right Words
***
She walked out of the meeting with true relief, not to mention amazement that Brenda still had a contract with Parker Press. Brenda had done her best to derail the whole thing early. But after Olivia had put paid to the money issue, she was a good little doggy for the rest of the meeting.
Brenda turned in the foyer. ‘Well, that’s that,’ she said. ‘Thank goodness I was there to sort everything out,’ she said smugly.
Harper sighed through her nose, frayed. ‘Brenda…’
‘Harper, hold on,’ said a voice, and Harper turned to see Gina. ‘I forgot to give you Olivia’s contact details.’ She handed Harper a card. ‘Though you can contact me if you can’t get Olivia.’
‘Oh, thanks. I have your details, don’t I?’
‘I’m sure you do,’ Gina said with an eyebrow raise and the lightest flash of teeth. It was the first smile she’d ever seen from Gina. Though it barely qualified as one. That woman was a cold beauty. But Harper couldn’t pay that beauty any mind. What would have been the point? That tiny smile was probably about as warm as Gina would ever get with her.
Three
Gina knew who Harper was before they met. She’d met her several times through the years, though she knew Harper wouldn’t remember her. Why would she? Harper was one of those people who didn’t need to remember anyone because everyone would remember her. She was an effortless type, charming and attractive, always perfectly put together with her chic blouses, always a smile for everyone, lots of eye contact from those enormous dark-green orbs. Gorgeous, obviously. Fragile featured, ridiculous cheekbones, a pout a Kardashian would have murdered one of her sisters for. Not Gina’s cup of tea at all. Gina had always been suspicious of the charmers. What were they hiding? Why was life so easy for them? What did they know that she never would?
Luckily, one thing Harper didn’t know was where Michael was. Olivia had pulled a story out of her arse that seemed to go down well. Gina didn’t understand how she could do that so easily. She was still utterly flabbergasted about Michael. She could barely function, her mind turning around and around the scene this morning.
Gina desperately wanted to know what he had been accused of. She held a slim hope that it was all some misunderstanding and that he’d stroll back in any minute and explain that he’d been mistaken for someone else, that there was some jewel thief who looked exactly like him, but it was all fine because he had an excellent alibi for that armed robbery at Cartier. Then everything could go back to normal. Normal wasn’t perfect, but it was easy.
But Gina knew in her heart that wouldn’t happen. There’d been no surprise in Michael's eyes when they’d hauled him off. He’d seen it coming. Gina didn’t want to think this way, but she already knew that whatever charge he faced, he’d done it.
But what had he done?
***
‘Fraud,’ Olivia told her two weeks later in Michael’s office. Though Gina knew it as Olivia’s now. She’d fully settled in, slapping some of her bestselling book covers on the walls, changing a few lamps.
‘Fraud?’ Gina repeated. ‘What kind of fraud?’
‘Tax,’ Olivia said, shaking her head. ‘He’s been under-reporting his earnings.’
‘That’s it?’ Gina blinked. ‘Do they do the whole arrest thing for that?’
‘For twenty years,’ Olivia added. ‘Significantly. He gave himself bonuses and never reported them. So a bit iffy for the company too. But that’s yet to be...’
‘How doyouknow,’ Gina asked.
‘I went to see him.’
‘In prison?’
‘No, he’s out on bail. I went to his house. The one in Berkshire.’
‘And he justadmittedit to you?’ Gina asked.
‘He told me the charges, and he said it was a misunderstanding with his accountant. But…’ Olivia left it hanging, and they both knew what she was saying. He was guilty.
‘But he’s the boss. I mean, he owns this place, doesn’t he?’ Gina asked.
‘He’s the majority stakeholder, yes.’
‘So what happens to Parker?’
‘I think, I mean, I hope that’s going to be fine,’ Olivia said. ‘He’s going to sort that out, and he’ll have to divest his interests, sign them over to someone else if the charges stick.’
‘He’s definitely not coming back, then?’ Gina asked anxiously.
