Page 22 of Coming Home

28

Scarlett

I don’t know how Shaun and I managed to separate this morning, but after a quick car ride home for another shower and fresh clothes, I am now back in the office looking over more financial statements. My thoughts drift to the inaccuracies I have been finding and how I may broach the subject with Stephen and Uncle Ray. I struggle all morning to reconcile what I am looking at. I am reviewing the deal between Shaun and Uncle Ray, although Stephen is managing it, the numbers have Uncle Ray stamped all over them. There are figures that make perfect sense, but then there are others that don’t, and I have been looking over them so much today that I finally push them away in annoyance. Something doesn’t add up, and it is frustrating me. Perhaps I need more coffee.

I grab my handbag and head out of the office. Stephen is in meetings all morning, so I take the elevator down and walk the block to the little hole in the wall coffee shop I found the other day. Mocha Cafe has a hipster vibe. It is a tiny place, but they do great coffee. As I place my order and wait for Simon the barista to make it, my phone vibrates with a text message from Shaun.

Shaun: “I can’t stop thinking about you, Princess.”

Scarlett: “Likewise, Mr. Marshall. I need extra coffee this morning.”

Shaun: “I just need you. Tonight, my place? Spaghetti and a bottle of red?”

Scarlett: “Deal, I’ll bring dessert.”

Shaun: “I will dream about your dessert all day…”

Simon knocks me out of my flirt bubble as he calls my name when my coffee is done. I put my phone back in my bag, grab my coffee, and make the short walk back to the office. But then, it comes to me. Right now, here in my relaxed loved-up state, my mind has suddenly put two and two together, and it is now that I realize that Uncle Ray is sabotaging the deal between Shaun and Stephen and hiding money. Clearly, he’s doing something illegal as with the other finances I viewed previously. He obviously thought I wouldn’t pick it up, or perhaps Ray doesn't know I am reviewing these documents.

But worse of all, if I am correct, this will severely impact Shaun and his business. The family business his father created. Linking him to criminal activities and leaving him financially stressed. I can’t believe I didn’t spot it earlier. My heart is racing, not from the coffee, but the pure dread and anxiety that is running through my body. I have to do something before it is too late. I need to relook at those files and connect all the dots before I can tell anyone. I need to ensure that I have the facts before I say anything.

Now that I know what those files contain, I speed up, nearly running back to the office. My mind is moving a million miles a minute knowing that there could be dire financial consequences if I leave the issue too much longer. While the financial issue affects Shaun, I know they will have a huge impact on Stephen as well. How is it that everyone I love gets hurt? Why can’t I just love and be loved? My family is gone, and there is nothing I can do to save them, but I am not going to stand by while Shaun and Stephen step into the fire. As I reach the office building and step into the elevator, my palms are sweating, and my heart is pumping with fear, adrenaline, and protective tendencies that I haven’t felt before. I need to get the financial files as evidence and talk to Stephen.

I run into my office and lock the doors, not wanting to be interrupted while I furiously study these papers in further detail now that I know what I am looking for. My phone rings, it is Shaun, but I don’t answer, I need to get to the bottom of this. It rings again, but I switch it off. These papers need my undivided attention.

As I scour through pages and pages of numbers and financial statements, my mind boggles. Now that I know what I am looking for, I can see it all so clearly. I am highlighting and making copies of each document, saving it to my personal cloud account and creating hard copies to take to Shaun and Stephen. Just as I am in the middle of it all, the office phone interrupts me.

“Your Uncle Ray is here wanting to see you, Scarlett. Can you please unlock the door?” the administration assistant hollers into the earpiece.

I panic and start shuffling the papers into piles and securing them in my large Louis Vuitton tote bag under my desk, away from prying eyes. I quickly close the files on the computer and go to unlock the door, taking a moment to fix my hair and outfit before opening the door.

No sooner is it unlocked, Uncle Ray barges in so suddenly that I fall back against the wall.

“What are you doing in here, Scarlett? Why is your door locked? His voice booms so loud, I am sure the walls vibrate. His eyes penetrate mine, and we have a stare off, both trying to get insight into the other.

I am too scared to speak, never having been on the end of one of Uncle Ray's wraths before, but his anger is legendary among the staff here, I hear them talking about it in the break room. It came as a shock to me at the beginning, but now I am starting to see the man he really is.

I try to rein in my emotions and fake an air of confidence. “Oh, Uncle Ray, I simply had to change my clothes as I spilt my coffee all over me, and I didn’t want to walk all the way through the office with a coffee-stained shirt to get to the bathroom. Us girls must keep up appearances, you know!” I am not sure I pull off the lie, but he seems to simmer down a bit. Before he can question me further, Stephen walks in.

“Hi, dad, what are you doing in the office today? I thought you and mom were in Florida?”

“We are, well, she is, I am going later.”

“Well, I am just here to pick up Scarlett for my next meeting with Marshall & Co. Come on, Scarlett, grab your things, we will go straight home after the meeting, so we won't be back in the office until tomorrow.”

Seeing this as my opportunity to get away from Uncle Ray, I quickly gather my bag, laptop and all my hidden evidence and follow Stephen down the hall to the elevator. I don’t breathe until we make it to the car and drive away from the office. Stephen has been on the phone this whole time, so I have time to gather myself before our meeting. A meeting with Shaun, and I don’t think he knows that I will be attending, so another surprise for him.

29

Shaun

As I pace around my office, waiting for my 1pm meeting to arrive, I am filled with unexpected energy from waking up with Scarlett in my arms this morning. I think back to last night; she was beautiful, dinner and conversation was amazing, she was as hot for me as I was for her if the car ride home was any indication, and we had the most mind-blowing sex I had ever had in my life. I wanted everything with her to be perfect, and it was. Except now, I can’t stop thinking about her and that dessert she promised for me tonight.

I’ve never wanted a woman to stay the night with me before and certainly never in my mansion. I usually take them to my penthouse, and we fulfill our sexual needs and then we part ways. Sure, it isn’t chivalrous of me, but they understand the situation, and no one gets hurt. Usually once I have sex, the women I meet do not fill any other desire in me; I don’t do small talk in the morning and never have any wish to see them again. But with Scarlett, I didn’t want to let her go. Saying goodbye to her this morning was hell, and if I could have kept her in my bed all day today, it still wouldn’t be long enough.

I have called her a few times today, wanting to check in, but she isn’t picking up. So I text her again, since that was what she responded to earlier today.

Shaun: I don’t think I can wait for tonight to see you again—it is too far away.

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