The Truth

“Don’t even try it,” Daniel snaps. “This sort of scheme would be hard to pull off yourselves. You needed help. But Shaun isn’t that help. That’s what took me a moment longer to figure out. That legalese mumbo-jumbo mess, who wrote it? You, Mark? Or you, Brandon?”

They look at each other, confusion building in their eyes.

“That’s what I thought. Neither of you did. Layla Franklin did. Now tell me, were you both using Layla, or was she playing you two instead?”

It’s like Daniel just slapped both men in the face with a wet washcloth. Mark goes pale while Brandon turns an angry red, but neither breathes as their mental wheels turn and they whisper almost in synch, “playing . . . us?”

That’s when the shit really hits the fan.

Mark and Brandon turn on each other, angry and hurt. Not at being discovered scheming but because they didn’t know.

They both figured they were the only one dating Layla Franklin. I guess the plot got a little thicker than either of them intended with her. Seems like she’s the true genius behind the scheme. Or well, it might’ve been genius if they hadn’t gotten caught.

“You . . . mother . . . fucker!” Mark rasps. “You told me you weren’t seeing anyone!”

“You told me you were fucking that Hooters chick!”

They suddenly lunge at each other, grabbing each other and bouncing off the table several times before falling to the ground. It’s MMA in the boardroom . . . or it would be if either of these guys knew what they were doing. Instead, it’s mostly slapping and shoving while calling each other names.

“She loves me, dickweed!”

“Well, I love her, you ugly ass goblin!”

“Bullshit! You don’t even know her. We’re retiring to the Bahamas with the money!”

“That’s our money!”

I think their words are doing more damage than their fists, especially as they reveal more and more of their plan. Daniel is definitely taking note of every word.

Even so, after a moment, Daniel gestures with his right hand. Billy and Ricky get up from their chairs, physically pulling the two men apart and holding them away from each other with one hand.

“Ow!” Mark whines when he tries to yank his arm free and Billy squeezes harder.

“Relax,” Billy says coldly. “Settle down. Fun’s over.”

Brandon, the cockiest asshole in acquisitions, crumbles like a sugar cube in hot coffee and sags, giving Ricky no problems. I’m surprised. I would’ve guessed it’d be the other way around.

“Sit down,” Daniel barks. Ricky and Billy assist the two men into the chairs, placing a heavy hand on their shoulder to keep them seated. “Tell me everything.”

Brandon scoffs, “I’m not telling you shit.” Seems like he’s finding his balls again.

“I will,” Mark says, glaring at Brandon. I think he’s telling all just to be ornery. “I met Layla a few months ago at a bar. We enjoyed each other’s company. When we talked about work, she told me about TRE and their tech, said they needed funding, so I told her Fox might be interested. It was . . . fine at first. But the closer to signing the contract, the more worried she got. She kept talking about our share and how we deserved it after working so hard. She wrote the clause and helped me buy stock in TRE so we could . . .”

“Sell it high and move to the Bahamas with the proceeds,” Brandon finishes. He looks pale, and I wonder if Mark’s story is pretty close to his too. It sounds like Layla is an opportunistic bitch who made use of two suckers at Fox for her own gain.

Not that they’re innocent in all this.

“What do you want us to do with them, Uncle Daniel?”

“Show them to the door,” Daniel says. “We have more than enough at this point. Gentlemen, you are both terminated, effective immediately. Your things will be packed for you, and a courier will deliver them to your home addresses with your last paycheck within twenty-four hours.”

Mr. Yuri nods his understanding of the assignment while I note that I’m going to be expecting a courier at some point, probably today.

Ricky and Billy march Mark and Brandon out into the lobby. They’re out of my sight for only a moment when I hear a loud scuffle of feet on the marble floor and loud voices echoing.

“You son of a bitch!” Mark yells. “You wrecked it!”

“Me?” Brandon shouts back. “What about you!

I know I promised to be invisible, but I have staff out there who might be in danger, so I get up, giving Daniel a look that dares him to try and stop me. He’s already out of his seat himself, and I hurry to the doorway, wanting to get out there before Megan or Stephanie can be pulled into things. Actually, all of us are moving, and while I beat Mr. Yuri and Ms. Maloney there, Daniel is already standing between Ricky and Billy.