Page 23 of The Exposed Heiress

Emma sat down next to him. “I know that you and Tyler went to live with him when you were young.”

Leo sat forward and she couldn’t see his expression. “You probably weren’t told that my uncle was afraid to search for us. We were leaving in an abandoned warehouse in Rotherhithe for months. It turned bitterly cold and my mother refused to go to my uncle for help. Your father searched each abandoned warehouse until he found us.”

Emma pushed her hair behind her shoulder. “They were good friends. He should have helped Harvey find you.”

Leo didn’t look at her. “It’s not that simple. It was a dangerous area at the time. Your father didn’t give up. He kept searching for days.”

She resisted touching him. “He told you that?”

Leo flicked his hand. “My mother told us that your father was a bad man and to hide. We watched him from our hiding spots. He didn’t give up.”

Clutching her necklace, Emma said, “I’d hope not. He must have known you needed help.” Her heart went out to the little boys that had been living in such a precarious position.

Leo remained silent and seemed lost in his own thoughts as he leaned forward.

She lightly touched his back. “How did he find you?”

Leo stood up and walked over to the desk. “He found my mother first and made her call us to her. He promised us hot soup and a warm place to sleep if we came to meet our uncle.”

“What did your mother do?”

He stood in the center of the room. “She begged him to leave us there, but he refused. He insisted we needed food and a safe place to sleep at night.”

“Why didn’t she trust your uncle?”

Leo bent his head. “My father had told her lies about Harvey. She was worried that he would hurt us.”

Getting up, she moved closer to him. “What happened when you met him?”

He held her gaze. “He was kind to us, but he mainly spoke to my mother and assured her that we would all be safe.”

“How long did you stay there?”

He turned and opened his laptop. “The rest of my childhood. My mother continues to live in his house. She considers him family and keeps him sane.”

Emma took in a deep breath. Her father had never said anything about helping Leo or Tyler. It made sense now. She swallowed hard. She had pleaded with her father to fire Bloom Advertising but he refused each request and remained loyal to them. Now Leo was helping her save Francis Bolles.

Taking a seat at the conference table, Emma said, “Let’s figure out the staffing plan. I imagine that we have to set a more realistic budget for payroll.”

They spent the next two hours talking through various scenarios. When the list was down to twenty-five employees, she started to brainstorm ideas for other houses that might pick up some of their long-term people.

Leo said, “Let’s schedule a company-wide meeting early tomorrow morning. We can talk in broad strokes and then meet individually with everyone on staff.”

She poured herself a glass of water. “The building?”

“I messaged a friend who is well-connected in real estate. We should hear something by tomorrow or the next day.”

“It’s nearly five o’clock. I’m going to the studio to work for a couple of hours.”

* * *

Leo thoughtabout the evening ahead. They needed to go out to dinner and socialize. When word got out tomorrow that employees were being let go, the press would swoop in and attempt to get someone to tell all. “Find a quintessentially Bolles gown, and let’s go out.”

Emma turned her slender body towards him. “No. I don’t want to be on show during such a difficult time.”

He smiled. “This is exactly when you need to hold your head up high and insist everything will be fine.”

Her voice wavered. “I can’t do that. I’m exhausted by all of this and have designs to finish.”

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