Page 3 of Dreaming About Forever

“Stacy already called me. What happened?”

And there was her business voice. Right on schedule. Running a multi-million-dollar company required her to be perceived as level-headed and authoritative–something she struggled to maintain, no matter how intelligent she proved herself.

“We were notified of suspicious activity early this afternoon. We’ve been combing through things ever since, and we have sound evidence that Marcus and Julia Carver have authorized inappropriate withdrawals to both your account and your sister’s.”

Alicia swiped at her temple. She was about two seconds from sweating off her meticulously applied makeup, despite the cool air blowing from the vents. “How much were these withdrawals?”

Henry sighed. “The total is just over ten million.”

A breath halted in Alicia’s throat. Over ten million.

She listened as Henry and his team gave her the rundown with numbers and transactions. Her teeth throbbed as she ground them together. How could they do this?

It was happening, unfolding in real life like a slow-motion train wreck.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give Stacy information about your accounts. I would never disclose your personal and financial information to anyone, but I feel like your sister’s intentions were good.”

“I understand.” She appreciated that standard. It was invaluable given her career, and Henry was known to represent many celebrity figures. Too bad his career would probably tank after this. “I have to go. We’ll talk about this tomorrow morning. I’ll be at your office at six a.m.”

“Yes, Miss Carver.”

She quickly ended the call and stretched and fisted her hands to dispel the tingling in her fingers. Her parents could have just asked. Alicia and Stacy would have given them anything.

Well, anything within reason. Their mom had asked for a “small villa” in the Greek Isles last year that was listed for thirty million. Alicia and Stacy had agreed to turn down that request together. Her parents already had multiple estates, and enough was enough.

Lillian placed her hand on Alicia’s shoulder. “We have to go. I’ll let Ashton’s team know this will have to be a quick appearance.”

Alicia looked up. They were approaching The Plaza. “Shoot. I’m not ready!”

“I’ll have Henry’s team send you a synopsis, and I’ll have everything ready for our early meeting. The Stars need your attention tonight.”

Alicia took a deep breath and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. It had been years since she shed a tear, and she wasn’t going to start today.

She needed to talk to Mom and Dad. Had Stacy already called them? What did they have to say about this? Did they have anything to say for themselves? The heat in her middle was rising, and it was the worst possible time to let her emotions get out of hand. She had to look like she’d just been poured out of a plastic mold of the perfect woman in less than an hour.

Lillian leveled Alicia with a stern look, furrowing her auburn brows that matched her long, straight hair. “You can do this. I’ll do my best to manage the fallout for the rest of the night, then you can give this your attention tomorrow.”

With a small nod, Alicia turned to the door as it opened. Dag and Raul waited as Max and Will pulled the fluffy fabric of her dress out of the car.

Finally, Max reached for her hand. “Miss.”

Her hand shook as her assistant grasped it in his. Piling out of the car, she tried to push the problem with her parents out of her mind, but forgetting about ten million missing dollars was nearly impossible.

Lillian was right. Tonight was the biggest music award ceremony of the year. All eyes would be on her as she stepped onto the red carpet beside her fiancé.

Ashton. Suddenly, she wanted a quiet room alone with him so she could let the frustration out. There would be no crying. The makeup took too long to apply, and only perfection was allowed on the red carpet.

Finally free of the car, her knees threatened to buckle, and her face tingled as the adrenaline rushed through her body.

Control it. Control it.

She’d been controlling her emotions her whole life. She’d gotten really good at stuffing everything into a box and closing the lid, never to open it again.

Lillian placed her hands on Alicia’s shoulders, forcing her to make eye contact. “You can get through this. I’ll handle things until the night is over.”

Alicia wanted to sag into her friend’s embrace, but that would have to wait until later. “Thank you for taking care of this.”

Lillian turned Alicia around by her shoulders. “Let’s face the music.”

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