6 months later
“Sir?”
“Ah, excuse me, Mr. Knight…Sir?”
I glance at my temp assistant, Marshall, as he walks over to my desk. As far as temps go, he hasn’t been bad. He probably has a great career ahead of him. He isn’t Katie though. I had lent Katie to York before everything went to shit, and left her at Allister Holdings, partly to help with the internal investigation, and also to be my eyes and ears. After six months the investigation was ending and Katie had already called to give me the heads up. Marshall looks queasy and slightly scared to be delivering me the same message. He doesn’t know I’ve been stewing in it for over an hour already.
I quirk my brow at him, “The investigation is over?”
“Ah, yes, Sir,” He runs his hands over his suit front before setting the binder down in front of me. I’ll get more official papers later, but this is just the preliminary. I open the black flap and read the end.
There is not a preponderance of the evidence to suggest that Mr. Allister conspired to allocate funds, or merge funds from Knight Industries to Allister Holdings. There is not a preponderance of the evidence to suggest that Mr. Allister and Ms. Rosen attempted fraud or misrepresentation in order to acquire land, partnerships, or funds from Knight Industries.
The words glare back at me and it feels like my vision is tunneling. Bile creeps up the back of my throat.
“Has Mr. Allister contacted the office yet?” I ask, and Marshall shakes his head no.
I nod, my mind reeling. I rub my hands over my face and just feel everything slipping through my fingers. I need answers.
“You can go Marshall,” I tell him while getting up from my desk. I need to walk. I need to leave. I need answers, and there is only person who can get me those right now. The viper of a person who helped place all of this into motion. I grab the packet off my desk, and head for the door.
At the front of the office, a car arrives for me and I slide into the back, give him directions and loosen my tie. I flip through the packet looking at the evidence and interviews that were conducted. I look to see where investigators had located more paper that was identical to the kind Amelia uses. I can’t breathe as the reality of what I did sets in. Six months.
In no time, the car arrives at the townhome Carrigan has been living in. She sent me the address months ago, and has made repeated attempts to get me here. Ever since the investigation started I’ve dodged her efforts to rekindle any type of romantic relationship. As much as she wishes, I can’t forgive and forget that she cheated on me. Our history is not enough for me to believe I could try dating her again, and in all honesty, I didn’t want to. She wasn’t who I dreamed about, it wasn’t her face I thought of the very next morning. Carrigan wasn’t the reason I was living half alive for half a year, she wasn’t who I needed. Now I regret even letting her think we were friends again.
My fist pounds on her front door. I hear her footsteps in the house, and when she opens the door she looks upset. Tears run down her cheeks as anger boils in my blood.
“Zander I swear okay, I swear that everything I gave you was the truth! I can’t believe the investigators,” She reaches for me and I move out of her grip and into the house. The last thing I need is her neighbors hearing anything.
“The texts between York and Amelia were orchestrated by a third party phone. There was no evidence on either of their cell phones. The paper from Amelia’s office was bought a month later, and had a forged heading. The contract signatures from York were electronically forged outside his office. You’re meaning to tell me every piece of evidence that was given to you was true?” I fume at her, watching as her face pales and then becomes blotchy and red.
“You never believe me! Ever since I first told you about this you wanted to believe that your best friend and your precious Amelia wouldn’t do this to you!” She screams and her blonde hair flies wildly around her.
“They didn’t! This investigation proved they had no knowledge, or were guilty of wrong doing!” I yell back at her, trying to keep my composure even as my world feels like its caving in. I can’t believe I trusted her. I can’t believe I listened to her, and let the demons from my past dictate how I handled this.
“They could have paid off the investigators,” Carrigan reaches for me, trying to cling to me, “Make them do it again.”
“Lacy already confessed,” I seethe at her, “Your little high school buddy, the one who York hired out of loyalty to Magnolia Hills, his mess of a secretary, she confessed. You both worked together to end things between the Allisters and my company. I want to know why. What do you get out of this?”
“I…I just wanted you back! I miss you. I know I messed up, Zander, but I still love you. We were so good back then. I made a mistake,” She cries. I shake my head at more of her lies.
“Are you sure it had nothing to do with the millions of dollars that the Conor Group would give you when they tried to acquire Knight Industries? If wasn’t able to partner with Allister Holdings that is.”
Carrigan quits fighting, her body still, and I can see her tremor slightly. She never thought her minion, one of the girls who thought she walked on water in high school, would cave so quickly. She never expected the investigators to follow a money trail to bigger fish who were trying to take down my business. “It’s over, Carrigan. Law enforcement will be contacting you. I can’t speak for Allister Holdings, but perjury is a crime. So is defamation. Knight Industries will be pressing charges.”
I turn on my heel and stalk out of her place. Her cries, and frantic calling of my name do nothing to stop me. After climbing back inside the car, we drive off. My head hits the back of the seat and my eyes close. My body is roaring with pent up anger. I did this to myself and I have no one to blame.
Amelia.
I’ll never forget the way she looked at me in my office, pleading for me to believe her. I let her down. I failed her.
“Jimmy, can you take me to the Cardinal Drive address please,” I ask my driver, pinching my nose between my fingers. My head is starting to hurt. The ache in my chest already crushing. It’s almost an hour before we pull up to the familiar cobblestone home. The streets are busier here than in Magnolia Hills. I jump out quickly so Jimmy can keep the flow of traffic moving around us. I climb up the front steps and knock.
“Coming!” I hear my sister’s voice from the other side of the door and my shoulders relax somewhat.
“Oh, it’s you,” Seraphina answers the door and moves to the side, letting me in.
I chuckle grimly at her wording and step inside, “Hey to you too squirt.” I give her a side hug, and notice once again how much of a squirt she isn’t anymore. Seraphina is in high school, but to me she will always be my little squirt with jelly on her face and crumbs in her hair.
“Where’s mom?”
Seraphina exhales dramatically and shrugs out of my hold, “In the kitchen making dinner.”
I follow her into the kitchen, and sure enough, my mom is stirring something in a pan over the stove, while Brody is sitting at the counter with his text books out.
“Oh, hey honey,” My mom calls and Brody glances up, lifting his chin at me.
“Hi, Mom,” I can feel the exhaustion in my voice as I sit down at the counter next to Brody. Seraphina plops down too with a Ginger Ale in front of her.
“What brings you out here on a Tuesday night?” My mom chuckles and walks over. Even though I’m in my later twenties she still runs her hand through my hair comfortingly before patting my shoulder.
“Needed to get away,” I tell her, while her eyes roam over my face studying it. I see her lips turn down in worry. “I’ll be fine, I just need to get my head straight.”
“Is it that investigation?” She asks, and it feels like all the air leaves the room. I had told my mom about it. I was adamant what I saw was the truth, and she had warned me to be careful. That sometimes things from the past should stay there, and I needed to listen more to my gut rather than my heart that had been hurt, and betrayed, by my grandfather.
“It’s over,” I tell her and feel my body deflate, “York’s secretary admitted she forged the documents and worked with Carrigan to set up the text messages.”
God, I’m a fucking fool. I run my hands through my hair and for the first time, tears sting my eyes. “I fucked up.”
“Oh honey–” my mom says at the same time Seraphina says, “Yeah you did.”
I turn to my baby sister and really see the hostility radiating off her, “What’s up, squirt?”
“I can’t believe you trusted Carrigan. And you ruined Amelia in the process. You’ll be lucky if she ever even talks to you again,” Seraphina spits out. Her defense of Amelia is touching, but I feel like I’m missing something.
“What do you mean I ruined her?” Ruined our relationship, yes. I would be groveling the rest of my life to get her back. Probably longer. All the trust we built was now ash. It was going to be an uphill battle, but she’s worth it. And I miss her.
Seraphina jumps off her stool and goes over the magazine drawer, pulling out a few and tossing them in front of me. My mom watches me with concern, biting her lip. Brody hunkers down, as if sensing things are about to get ugly.
“It’s been in all the magazines for the past few months,” Seraphina huffs.
I pick up the tabloid pieces and scan over them. One shows a picture of Amelia and me from our date in Atlanta, except the picture appears torn. The headlines are what kill me.
Houses Divided
Zander Knight Escapes
Boss Lady or Black Mailer?
Rosen Records Tour Canceled.
I drop the magazines on the countertop. I need my phone. I need to call Amelia. I never meant for things to get like this.
“Did you not think they would tear her apart?” Seraphina asks, and I can hear tears in her voice, “They basically call her a gold digger and manipulator in every article. While in the same breath, commend you for being a man willing to shackle himself to her in order to protect your family business. She lost sponsors, clients, and venues started pulling out of concerts. My friend from school, her tickets to The Bedroom Tour concert in LA were canceled already.”
“Zan,” My mom reaches for me, and I move away. Just one look at her face and I know it’s all true.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I rasp out. I’ve been completely oblivious, just going through the motions of the investigation, feeling that I was the one wronged. “ I knew the contract became public knowledge, but I didn’t think this type of controversy arose from it.”
Seraphina snorts, “Probably because you were keeping your enemies very close.”
I glance at my sister and still see the hostility rolling off her in waves. I can only imagine what York and Amelia are dealing with. No one said anything to me about the media. I asked Marshall, and he denied anything occurring out of the norm. This is definitely out of the norm. I never wanted Amelia to be hurt this way. I never expected our story to have such backlash, especially when it was resolved years ago. I was going to marry her. I love her.
“What do I do?” I turn to my mom who grips my shoulder.
“Oh, honey,” She sighs, “I wish I had the answer to that, or that it was simple. You are in for a long battle. This might be something Amelia can’t come back from.”
My head falls. I not only wrecked the heart of the woman I love. I destroyed everything she made, every fight she put into her business, something she was proud of. I dragged us back into the hell of our past, and left her there to bear the consequences without me.
I stay for dinner, but I feel the crushing weight of reality. The food is tasteless to me. I can tell Brody, Seraphina, and our mom are going through the motions, but their eyes are on me. I messed up and I have no idea where to go from here. My phone pings, and I grab it from my pocket. My throat bobs when I read the message.
York: We need to talk.
