Page 42 of Billionaire Corruption

His question caught me unawares.

The investigation and Paul flashed through my mind.

“Come on, out with it,” he said. “What’s going on?”

I looked over my shoulder. Toby was in bed in his room watching TV and my grandmother was taking a bath.

“Just a minute,” I said and closed my door.

“There is something,” I said.

“I knew it! Is it a guy?” He asked.

“It is, actually,” I admitted. “I like him, and he likes me, but…”

“But what?”

“I’ve actually met him at work. He is the CEO of the company we’re investigating for fraud.”

“I see.”

“As far as I can tell, he must have known something was going on. Possibly even be behind it all.” There, I’d said it. My worst fear about Paul.

“Of course, he knew, he was the CEO!”

“But that’s terrible, Daddy! How can I be with someone who is a crook!”

My father laughed. “Ah, honey, it doesn’t mean he’s a crook.”

“Of course, it does!”

My dad sighed. “Is he good to you, treats you well?”

My voice softened, “Very.”

“That’s all I care about.”

“Really?” I couldn’t believe that my father would give him a pass like that.

“Look, I don’t want you dating a drug dealer or a gangster. Obviously. Or a car thief. But a Wall Street guy with pockets full of cash? I mean, he’s got money, right?”

“He does, yeah,” I reluctantly admitted.

“Well then, what’s the problem?” My father sat back and grinned widely. He was still a good-looking man, fit and tanned from the outdoor work. But he seemed to avoid any relationships. Being out on the rig suited him. He had accepted that normal city life was not good for him in the long run. I suspected that, eventually, he’d want us to move out, leave the city. Maybe with Toby gone next year and me making my own money, he’d find his own place near the coast somewhere.

“You’ve got to take the opportunities when they come, kid,” my father said. “You’ve got to grab them by the horns and hold on because they might not come again. When the flood comes and someone offers you a lifeboat, are you going to ask if they’re a good or a bad man?”

“I guess not.”

“What was that other fella called again? The one with the glasses?”

I tried to think who he might mean. “Ben?”

“Was he the one who fell asleep during the game that one time?”

Poor Ben. He’d been working as well as studying in college, and before one big exam, had spent all night cramming. The next day, he’d come for lunch at our place and fell asleep on the couch while watching a Giants game with my brother and father. They would never let him forget it, especially as the Giants were winning.

The day after Toby came out of the hospital, I went to dinner with Paul. It hadn’t been some over the top, fancy place like the last time. We’d gone to a burger place, had a few beers and talked. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a shirt, his hair still wet from the shower. We’d talked about his family and things he’d done after college. We avoided talking about Ladden, the investigation or anything to do with finance.

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