York paces in my office. His shoulders are bunched and anger is radiating off him. He won’t look at me, and right now, I could care less. There are too many signs pointing to him trying to screw me over to be a coincidence at this point. He turns and glares at me. I refuse to back down, though.
“Is this meeting really necessary?” He tilts his head and sneers at me.
“I wanted to talk about this already, but you insisted on waiting for Amelia to get here. Why? Need to get your stories straight?” I fire back, smoothing down my tie.
That’s his real issue, though. Amelia is set to arrive at any moment, and she’ll be shocked to find out what is happening. York has had more time to get used to it, but we swore we would wait until Amelia was here to ask her about her little part in trying to dismantle Knight Industries with her brother.
“Zander, I do not want your company. I had a shitty secretary who messed up the contract, but that’s it. None if these are real.” His hand sweeps over the table, pointing to all the documents I received from Carrigan.
“Have you looked at them? It’s your email and your number.” I cock my head. “This is Amelia’s personal stationary.”
“There has got to be an explanation.” York shakes his head, his hands running through his hair. “Plus, look who your source is.” He scoffs.
I’ll give him that one. Never in a million years did I think I would ever give Carrigan the time of day again. But I couldn’t ignore the evidence she was giving me. We never talked and I never found out exactly how she knew York’s secretary. That’s for internal affairs and the police to figure out. She kept asking to meet, but I couldn’t do it. Even though Amelia is actively planning my demise, I now love her. Even if she deserves it, I couldn’t hurt her like that.
“You’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life,” York warns me, his voice low and eyes blaring. I feel a shudder in my chest, Amelia’s eyes flash in my mind, but I refuse to let his words have any weight in my decision. As I said, there is too much evidence.
Carrigan sent me dozens of emails and screenshots that were taken of private conversations between Amelia and York by Lacy. Proof and evidence that my best friend was colluding to ruin me, and Amelia was helping him. There was even a separate contract that detailed Amelia giving her shares to York so that he had enough money to buy me out, and in return, she would get a settlement for her record company. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I remembered the paper I saw in Amelia’s office, her special design, and it was the exact paper the contract was written on.
I hurt Amelia in the past, and now I feel like an idiot for thinking she really had forgiven me. I chased her, and she played me. I fell in love with her, and this whole time, it was a game of payback to her. I don’t know if it hurts worse because I’m so devoted to her or because every moment between us is mocked in text messages to York, including our engagement.
Heels click down the hall, and my eyes are drawn to the door. My heart clenches. I don’t know if I am ready to face Amelia. I can smell the light scent of her hair and skin before she even walks in the door, and I force myself to shut it all down. I need to remain emotionless if I’m going to find out the truth. Amelia knocks, and I yell for her to come in. She must have come right from the airport, her suitcase rolling behind her. Amelia looks pale. Bluish smudges are present under her eyes, indicating she hasn’t slept. It must be a difficult thing when your conscience is guilty and you know you’re going in to be slaughtered. It takes all my will power not to reach for her. I want not to care that she could be so backstabbing and conniving, but my pride is winning this time. I’m angry. Everything in me hurts. And I want them both to pay.
Amelia’s eyes go to York and then me before she freezes. York watches his sister with concern.
“What’s happening, Zander?” Her lips quiver, and her eyes turn to me pleading. “Are you okay?”
“He’s being an asshole,” York interjects and moves to stand beside his sister.
I give her my attention, and she physically flinches from it. “I found out a few things about Allister Holdings, Knight Industries, you, me, all of it. So I wanted you both to be here to hear it from me.”
I pull up the information I have from the private investigator, who took the tip I gave him with Carrigan’s information. I throw down the alleged documents from York, and the ones that really are damning, the alleged documents on Amelia’s special paper with her Rosen seal.
Amelia’s finger touches each one, her face getting dramatically paler when she lifts the ones on her stationary. “This is impossible. It doesn’t make sense.”
“That’s what I told him.” York growls, throwing the text receipts back onto the table.
I shrug. “You both can say what you want, but the evidence is there.”
“And all your information is coming from a very reliable source” York snaps.
“What do you mean?” Amelia glances between us. “Who’s your source?”
“The information fell in my lap, what was I supposed to do?” My neck heats.
“Who?” Amelia asks again, even though her eyes are watering, because, deep down, she already knows.
“Carrigan,” I say her name and shake my head, “it doesn’t matter who sent it to me. I want to know what the hell is going on.” Amelia flinches. I want her to feel how much pain I’m in right now. We keep going back and forth hurting each other.
“Zander, I didn’t write these. I would never, and have never come between your or York’s business. If anything, I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to stay clear of your names.” Amelia’s voice shakes.
I shake my head, cutting her off. “I think you’d like me to believe that. But right now, I think you’re as big of a liar as you were back then. Read the messages, Amelia. You clearly detail to York that I came to visit you in Atlanta. That your plan is working.”
Amelia sucks in air. “I didn’t write those. I love you, Zander. Why would I hurt you? Why would I do any of this? I broke myself down to find a way to trust you again, so we could move forward. Don’t do this. Don’t believe anything she sent you. I would never hurt you like this.”
She cries and glares at me accusingly. Her words are like bullets to my chest, tearing the flesh and leaving me flayed open. I want to believe her; I don’t want her to cry when I’ve worked so hard to make her trust me again. “It’s in the evidence.”
“So look past that! Trust us. Trust me!” Amelia’s voice rises.
“You think I didn’t want to? I tried hard to ignore it, but there is too much. Look at this, over five hundred pages of emails between you two. Hundreds of text messages. Everything detailing how the start of taking down Knight Industries would be with the Dominion expansion.” I glare at her, yelling back. My heart hammers in my chest, breaking as I imagine her plotting to destroy me, just like my grandfather.
“But you trust Carrigan?” Amelia scoffs. “You’re choosing her again?”
“No, I didn’t. But I’m not letting this go either.” I glance at both of them before turning right to Amelia. “I think we should take some time apart. The investigation could take some time.”
Amelia scoffs and tears roll down her cheek. “These aren’t real.”
“York has been unreachable. The Dominion expansion went through without my knowledge, and when I told you, you were more concerned about York and me being friends than if I was actually screwed out of a deal. I don’t trust Carrigan. But I do believe in the documents in front of me,” I explain, my voice shaking.
I really believed Amelia and I were moving forward, but her emails claim she’s pretending, so it hurts more. I guess some wounds are too deep to heal.
Amelia’s shoulders hunch, and I see the minute she breaks. York is still staring daggers at me. Another knock sounds at the door, and I call for them to enter. Human Resources, Internal Affairs, a police officer and my lawyer arrive.
“I invited you both here as a courtesy. Internal Affairs from the Federal Business Bureau will be looking into this. My lawyer will be looking at the contract breeches and Human Resources from Knight Industries will be assisting,” I tell them and let Internal Affairs scoop up the paperwork.
“I’ll need all your information.” The internal affairs guy turns to York.
“You can contact my lawyer,” York answers.
Amelia still hasn’t said anything, her eyes on the table. “You can talk to her lawyer too,” York answers for her. Amelia’s body shudders. My fingers twitch, wanting to reach for her, but I keep my hands folded in my lap.
“I can’t stay here for the entire investigation. I’ll be back and forth on business, but feel free to take anything from my offices,” she tells the investigator and gives him a tight-lipped smile. My hackles rise, knowing she’s running back to New Zealand as soon as she can.
Her eyes turn to mine, and I see the storm swirling. “I’m returning this.” She places her engagement ring on the table between us. My heart stops. “I would never hurt you, Zander. Even when you hurt me, I never hated you. But you broke my heart today without a second-thought. I will never forgive you this time. And I never want to see that ring ever again.”
Amelia walks past me, eyes forward, a determined look on her face. My chest heaves, and for the first time, I feel a faint flicker of doubt. But everything will come to light. And when it does, the Allisters had better be ready for battle. There is no love in war.
