Page 25 of Fractured
I thought I was stronger than this. I had it all planned out and sealed my heart. But as I look once again at the shackle on my finger, I am grieving the love I have lost for the man who would have been my entire world.
Alexander places his hand on my back, bringing me under his arm as we face the church full of people.
“Fucken smile, Isabella.” He mumbles low in my ear, kissing the outer shell. So I do.
I mentally shake off despair and step down with him as we make our way to the front of the church as our friends and family clap for the new couple.
Chapter 5 ~ Alexander
Twenty hours ago.
As I walk into the conference room and take a seat at the table, my fingers still tingle from the feel of her in my arms. The scent of lilies lingers in my nose, and I breathe in deeply.
Carlos and my father come in behind me. Sebastian is already seated, laptop open, with a grim expression on his face. Christopher rushes in, bringing up the rear, and closing the door behind him.
“Sorry, Jesus, I thought I’d never make it.” Chris takes the seat beside my father, and we all sit down.
Carlos leans in close to me. “That was some waltz, brother. Didn’t know you were so smooth on your feet.” He gives me his shit-eating grin.
“Fuck off,” I mutter back.
Sebastian looks around the room. “Okay. before I tell you what I found. I want all of you to promise you won’t go out there and kill anyone.” He points at me and raises his eyebrows.
I adjust my suit jacket. “It’s my rehearsal dinner. I definitely won’t kill anyone. But you got us all kind of sweating here, buddy.”
Sebastian looks back at his computer and starts clicking away. My father looks over at me, irritably raising one eyebrow. I just shake my head, like ‘let him do his thing’. Sebastian stopstyping and looks at us, his expression is grim.
“We have seven head chairs in this organization. Each one has a vote. The majority vote wins the head chair, which dad’s been holding for the last 25 years.” He types a bit more.
“There are twelve subsidiary companies that Robert has been dumping the money into. Four we know, the other eight I’m close to figuring out.” He looks at me, “Sorry I missed dinner. I set an alarm if anything popped up on my tracker. And I got this.”
He turns his laptop around, and the four top names jump out.
My anger skyrockets and I stand, pushing my chair back and it knocks over to the floor as I head to the door. Carlos grabs my arm and I struggle to rip it out of his hands.
“SIT! Now.” My father’s deep voice snaps me out of my red rage.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I point at the door. “All four of those pricks are sitting out there as we speak. Half the fucken organization is out there right now. We could drag their asses in here, show them what’s been going on under their noses and put those four motherfuckers down.”
“You never learn, do you?” He sighs, resting his hands on the table. “With only half the information? What good would it do, Alexander?”
Carlos picks up my chair and points to it. I take my seat once again, grabbing at my jacket to straighten it out and get comfortable. I don’t know how he does it; my father just sits there so calmly, looking at us like Sebastian didn’t just announce a major coup in the organization.
With the four votes from the traitors sitting out there at my table, plus Roberts, he’d have the deciding vote, making him the organization’s new leader.
If my father even decides to bring this to the board members. His rule is absolute, and he will decide how this will play out inthe future.
Me? I’d call those four pricks in here, snap on my silencer, and put an end to this bullshit.
“Are they active in laundering or are their names being used as a cover? I need more than just four names before I can act, son.”
Sebastian turns his laptop once again to face him and begins to type rapidly.
“As I said before, I have to follow the money. I only set the alarm if I could break through and get the names of the companies. I’ve got the names now, which led me to the four head chairs that we are looking at right now. The others are hidden so deep I’m still trying to crack that firewall.”
Silence fills the room and we all look at each other and back at Sebastian who is typing away ignoring us.
“And?” My father prods him.
