Page 39 of Painfully Merry

“Watch your mouth, or it’ll be a permanent cut next time.” Chaos growls.

This isn’t going to work. No matter what I do, I’ll never get my answers. Kevin is a disposable pencil pusher. The only way to get answers is to go to my uncle, which will never happen. If Kevin won’t tell me why, I doubt my uncle will.

If he could easily steal from the company, he could do anything.

“Chaos, he’s yours. I have to cut the head off the snake. And this asshole isn’t worth it.

“Sabrina, no, you can’t do that to me.” He fought to get away from Chaos. “I’ll tell you anything you want. Please don’t kill me. What do you want to know? Please. Your uncle was pissed and wanted to seek revenge. He wanted to steal from you after discovering that your grandpa left the company to you and not him. He didn’t care if the company collapsed. He wanted to make you a laughingstock when the world found out. That’s the truth. I only helped him.”

“How much, Kevin?” Fury riddled every last nerve. “How much did it take for my uncle to bribe you?”

“He promised me thirty percent of what I could embezzle.”

“Jesus Christ,” Parker mumbles. “You walked away with over half a million dollars, and I got fired for it. You fuckin’ asshole.”

“Actually, he stole more than you think. It was my idea to fire you, Parker. You are the youngest and, well, you are kinda stupid.”

Parker rushes toward Kevin, throwing a punch to the side of his face. Chaos backs away, letting Parker have his way.

I slowly back away, sliding down the wall. Dropping my head in my hands, I can’t help but wonder how I got here.

18

Parker

This wasn’t how I planned all this out. I was seeking my revenge on Sabrina, and somehow, I’m bumbling Kevin’s face into a bloody pulp. I can’t believe I let my anger cloud my judgment and wanted to ruin everything for Sabrina. I know now that she wouldn’t try to ruin me and that she was looking out for her company, not for herself.

The real asshole is Kevin and her uncle.

Kevin groans as I plant another punch to his stomach. Why am I wasting my energy on this fucker. Even Chaos looks bored. I glance over and see Sabrina on the floor.

“Sabrina?” I rush over and kneel in front of her. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I brush the hair away from her face. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and I gently swiped it away.

“It’s nothing, Parker. Everything just caught up to me, that’s all. I’m going to head upstairs if you two are—you know.” She points to Kevin.

“Go have a bath, take your mind off things. We’ll find you later. I’m sorry for all of this. It’s my fault.”

“No, Parker, it’s mine. I should’ve known better. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t listened to the board members and went with my gut. My uncle has walked away with over a million dollars without a care. He’s probably already looking for his next victim in the company to try again.”

“Then we take him down too. But that’s for later. Go.”

Once she’s out of sight, I turn to Kevin and Chaos. There’s only one thing left to do.

“Kevin, since Sabrina is gone, tell me the entire truth. Why else did you help her uncle steal all that money?”

Kevin chuckles. “You haven’t figured it out yet?”

“Figured out what?” Chaos questions.

“Why was it so easy for me to access the company's accounts when you yourself couldn’t, Parker?”

What the fuck does that mean? We both worked in the same department, and he isn’t that much higher than me in the department. It doesn’t make sense.

Chaos shrugs. “I think he’s lying. I’ll slice him again.” He grips Kevin’s hair, tugging his head back.

“No, I want to hear what bullshit lies he’s spilling this time. I don’t believe him, but I’m curious.”

Kevin pulls his head away from Chaos. “Call the dog off, and I’ll tell you.”

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