Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 449(@200wpm)___ 360(@250wpm)___ 300(@300wpm)
“So, you chose to do something you have absolutely no clue the consequences of?”
“Jackson, I didn’t know what—”
“Bullshit. I should have known.”
“Known what? I didn’t want to—”
“The second I found you in my room, I should have known you were a conniving little cunt.” His words hit like a slap. I gasp, stunned by his cruelty. “Was this your plan along? Your endgame?”
“Jackson, no. Listen to me. Vince—”
“Fuck Vince. Get out of my office.”
I bite down hard on the inside of my cheek, fighting back tears. “No. I did it to protect you and Noah. I didn’t know what was on the ledger. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You should have come to me!” His tone is cold, lethal.
“I know. I wanted to. I’m sorry. I swear to you, I was putting it back. I couldn’t do that to you. You caught me putting it back.” His chest rises and falls sharply. “Please, I need you to believe me.”
“I don’t have to do shit.”
“Then consider the bigger issue. Vince saw me leaving your room. He knows. Not only was he adamant about getting that ledger, but he made it very clear if I didn’t, he’d tell Noah. If you don’t believe me, check your security cameras. They’ll show Vince attacking me. Twi—”
“You expect me to believe that? Now you just look desperate.”
“You don’t have to believe me. You can hate me, whatever. It doesn’t change the bigger issue.”
He’s silent, his jaw clenched tight. After what feels like forever, he finally speaks. “When does he expect this?”
“Tonight, after work.”
A heavy moment passes between us before he responds. “Go home. I’ll take care of this.”
“What? How?”
He takes a step closer. “I won’t repeat myself. Go home. I’ll handle this.”
“And what about us?”
“There is no us. This”—he gestures between us, his tone final—“is over. I’ll handle Vince. Then I’ll handle my son.”
Tears sting my eyes. “You’re just going to tell him?”
“What I do is none of your concern. But no, I’m not telling him. Going to make sure that bit of information stays far from him.”
“Jackson, don’t do this. I swear—”
“You did this the second you decided to go behind my back and steal from me.”
I open my mouth to say more, but the coldness in his gaze stops me. I nod, defeated. He’s right. I knew the consequences going into this.
“You’re right. I’ll go.” I step around his desk, walking past him, praying he stops me. He doesn’t, and I walk out of his office, leaving Blake Industries most likely for good.
Chapter twenty-three
Jackson
“Fuck!” A howl erupts from deep inside my chest, my lungs seizing as I take in short breaths. Fury surges through me, and I smash my fists against the desk, hurling everything off it. As the papers and objects scattered across the floor, my gaze falls on the worn ledger, the binding torn and fraying. In an instant, my mind snaps to what truly matters—something far more important, hidden away in the bottom drawer.
I bend down and yank the drawer open, rifling through it until my fingers close around the small box. I let out a breath and pull out the sealed box. Pressing my thumbprint to the lock, it clicks open, revealing the USB drive inside.
The sound of my office door opening breaks through the chaos. “Is everything all right, Mr. Blake?”
“No. Get Wayne on the phone. NOW!”
I need to set my emotions aside, burn them to ashes, and pull myself together. Beneath Georgia’s betrayal, there’s an even bigger issue at hand.
Fucking Hallstead and his son.
I always knew Vince was trouble. Jealousy and hatred are written all over him, just like his worthless father. But this? Blackmail? Why the hell would he want the ledger now? If I hadn’t walked in, would she have found the USB as well?
I shake my head, already knowing the answer. Only one person knows the importance of what’s inside that ledger.
Burt.
It’s been a lifetime since I’ve crossed paths with him. A man I considered a brother.
“I can’t believe we did it. This is gonna work.”
“Fuck yeah, it’s gonna work. The plan is flawless. No one’s ever created a coding system like this. It’ll be impossible to duplicate, which means the demand for our program will be insane.” I slap Burt on the shoulder. Years of hard work, and we finally developed a coding system that’s set to revolutionize the medical field—a platform that integrates AI, robotics, and real-time diagnostics to perform surgery with unparalleled precision, minimizing the need for human intervention.
“I’m so proud of you, baby!” Veronica jumps in my arms, pressing her plush lips to mine. “Baby, we’re going to be rich.”
“We’re all gonna be rich,” Burt chimes in.
I squeeze Veronica’s ass, grinding her against my eagerly growing hard-on. “And what do you plan on doing once I’m rich, baby girl?”
“Showing you how proud I am of you.” She grabs my cock through my jeans, and I buck my hips into her hand.