Page 198 of Titus

“Makes sense,” I said.

“The Aster family is a very prominent elite family that has dominated the East Coast ever since it was ripe for the taking. It was quite a shock to everyone who knew them when they moved to the West Coast, but with their children out here and a slight change of heart about what’s important in life, they determined the West Coast was worth their time.”

“And Titus? He moved out here from the East Coast, too?”

I knew it had nothing to do with what we were facing when we landed overseas, but it was nice to change the subject and learn more about Titus from his friends. Things I never really cared about until I finally let the man in.

“He still owns a couple of houses over there, but he’s mainly on the West Coast now.”

“What made him move out this way?”

Jim smirked, “Believing the coast was his to claim.”

“And then he met you?” I arched an eyebrow with a smile.

“And then he met me,” Jim nodded. “He decided it would be a safer bet to work alongside me rather than against me.”

“Smart man,” I smiled, knowing this was Jim’s territory when it came to how these men ruled their worlds.

“Very,” Jim said, standing up and walking back to where he had been working.

“Will this affect your company? If Titus and his company⁠—”

“No,” Jim said. “It could hurt my reputation if he’s found guilty, but no. Herbert Hawk’s bullshit has nothing to do with what my father built or what I continue to grow.”

“If he’s found guilty?”

Jim smiled over at me. “Relax, Cat,” he said, pulling open his laptop. “If I believed he were guilty, we wouldn’t be traveling to Madrid right now.”

“True,” I said, relaxing some.

“I will say that I’m certain Titus would be very interested to know where we’re headed today, though.”

“What if Señor Valdéz doesn’t know anything?”

Jim didn’t hesitate. “Then we keep digging.”

“And what if they hate him as they did his father?”

“I can’t imagine why they would. Men don’t necessarily run on emotion when they’re running global businesses… not normally. It’s mainly about facts and reputation. Herbert Hawk made a horrible name for himself, but Titus has never been anything but respected for bringing his company to where it is today.”

“How difficult do you think it’s going to be to get through to them?”

“Again, if they believe he knew what his father did and that he kept it all buried while benefiting from it, their opinions of Titus will not be good.”

“It’s why we must somehow prove Titus didn’t know.”

Jim glanced over at me and smiled. “I know you’ve only recently seen the real Titus, and you can only trust your experiences,” he said, “but since I’ve known the man, I can tell you he is a man of his word. If he says he didn’t know about any of it, he didn’t know.”

The look on Jim’s face told me all I needed to know. Admittedly, I did feel a little foolish trying to act like I’d known Titus for years and that he was innocent, when all I knew about him was that he was a true romantic at heart and that I was important to him.

I had no fucking idea how the man was in business, but Jim did. And I knew Jim, and he never gave high opinions like that unless they were earned.

“That’s what makes today important,” Jim said.

“I understand that.”

His expression became serious. “More important than I think you realize. The government already believes Herbert Hawk created those structures. They don’t need help proving that.”