The bedroom door closes, and I抦 alone in the dark. I realize maybe you don抰 have to have already experienced something to know you抮e experiencing it for the first time. My emotional experience with men is laughably limited, as in nonexistent. I was so busy teaching myself not to get hurt, I never let anyone close.
Crew Kensington doesn抰 just have the ability to hurt me.
He holds the power to destroy me, if he ever decides to use it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CREW
I抦 running on the treadmill when Asher calls. I debate answering. I slept poorly in the guest room I used to inhabit. Scarlett is still sleeping. I didn抰 want to disturb her last night.
When he calls for a second time, I answer. Before I can say a word, he asks. 揥hat the fuck is going on? Is it true??
I falter. 揑s what true??
揑s Kensington Consolidated getting investigated for insider trading??
Shock freezes up my limbs. I almost fall on my face. 揥hat? Where did you hear that??
Asher swears. 揥here didn抰 I? It抯 all over the place, Crew. Papers, television, online. Lead story. Front page. I had to go into the back entrance of the office to avoid the fifty reporters outside.?
We need to talk more tomorrow, Crew.
Realization hits me like a sack of bricks when I recall my father抯 parting words the last time we spoke. He wasn抰 talking about Scarlett or Candace. Dread trickles down my spine.
I turn the treadmill off and collapse on the floor, breathing heavily. Talk about a shitstorm of a week. My brother potentially knocking up our stepmother, Hanson Ellsworth抯 heart attack, and now this.
揑 don抰 know,?I admit.
揂ren抰 you with your dad??
揘o. Scarlett抯 father had a heart attack yesterday. We抮e back in New York.?
Asher inhales. 揝hit. Is Hanson going to pull through??
揌e should be fine.?
There抯 a beat of silence. 揟his is a five-alarm fire, Crew. People are panicking. Phones are ringing off the hook. Stock is off the cliff.?
I scrub at my face. 揥ho broke the story first??
揑 don抰 know. Why??
揑 need you to find out.?
揅rew, we抮e way past the point of containment. This shit is everywhere. Discrediting one source isn抰 going to棓
揟rue or not, someone leaked this,?I interrupt. 揑 want to know who.?
Asher sighs. 揙kay. I抣l do some digging.?
I hang up and call my father. Voicemail. Call Oliver. Same.
My feeling of foreboding grows. They knew about this. Both of them.
My next call is to Brent Parsons, the head of Kensington Consolidated抯 legal team. Luckily for him梐ssuming he wants to keep his job梙e answers on the first ring. 揚arsons.?
揑t抯 Crew. You抳e seen the news??
揜eading it now.?
揥hat抯 your gut??
揟here was definitely an investigation. Too many details to be totally fabricated. But if the feds had anything solid, we would have found about this very differently. Whoever leaked this probably did us a favor.?
揂 favor? Stock has dropped ten points in an hour, Brent.?
揟his came out sooner than they wanted. We can hit back while they still have nothing. Defamation. Document requests. I抦 already coordinating with public relations on putting out a statement. Assuming there抯 no smoking gun, we抣l be fine.?He hesitates. 揢nless there抯 anything you need to tell me??
揑f there is, I don抰 know it.?
Brent sighs. 揟hat抯 probably for the best. I抣l keep you in the loop on everything. Do you want me to copy Arthur as well??
揘o. Everything goes through me.?
揧ou got it.?
I hang up and stalk down the hallway to take a shower. The door to our bedroom is still shut, so I head to the guest room抯 bathroom. The hot water washes away the sweat, but none of the worries.
I should have taken Royce Raymond抯 offer. If I had, I wouldn抰 be in the middle of this shitstorm, all alone. With a pregnant wife. A kid on the way who抯 supposed to inherit this burning legacy.
When I enter the kitchen, Phillipe is standing at the stove, cooking. 揗erry Christmas, Mr. Kensington,?he greets.
And卭f course it抯 fucking Christmas. 扵is the season for corporate espionage.
揗erry Christmas, Phillipe,?I reply. I rub my forehead, feeling the few hours of sleep I抦 running on. 揧ou didn抰 need to come in today. I didn抰 even realize厰
He smiles. 揑t抯 no trouble. The usual this morning??
揧es, please.?
I take a seat at the table and scroll through the news as Phillipe cooks my omelet. Asher wasn抰 exaggerating. It is everywhere. I scroll a few articles and get the gist of the story. There aren抰 any concrete details, and that gives me some reassurance.
After eating breakfast, I end up on the living room couch, working on my laptop. I need to go into the office, but I don抰 want Scarlett to wake up all alone.