Falling for My Dirty Uncle

Even as I do this, I know I’m far too exhausted to properly concentrate, but something in his email has my curiosity piqued—and not in a good way.

It’s not anything serious, not at first. Just the way Carl has worded a sentence here, a sentence there…in all of his emails.

I search through my physical files for the contract I signed with him.

Surely not, I think. I had a lawyer comb through the entire thing, after all.

But there it is: one damning line in my contract that allows the company’s board of directors to dissolve Wilder Lingerie and sell off all company assets without my permission…if I’m deemed unfit to run the company, at any rate.

Which will never happen. But still.

It’s fucking weird.

I feel a headache coming on. Why did my lawyer allow this in the contract? Why did she let me sign it, knowing this?

I search for my lawyer online. It takes so much digging, way more than could have been expected of me to do when I vetted her in the first place—but eventually, I discover that she actually works for one of Carl’s subsidiaries.

She was working in his best interests this whole time.

Fuck.

“But what does it mean?!” I exclaim, furious at my lack of understanding.

I need coffee. Or sleep. Probably sleep.

I wish Owen was here to help me work things out.

My new ‘doting’ step-father clearly has plans for my company that I’m not privy to. If I were to bring it up with him, what would happen? Would he simply dissolve my company?

And is that why that clause exists in my contract in the first place—to stop me from going against his wishes, lest I lose everything I’ve worked so hard to build?

There’s a horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Is that why Carl gave me the terrible offices with locked doors and no emergency exits—because I wouldn’t be able to complain?

But why invest in my company in the first place if he didn’t want it to be successful? I just don’t understand.

It’s not as if Carl chose to invest in my company after he saw me with his brother, so the reason behind that damning clause in my contract has jack squat to do with Owen.

I lay my head on my desk and sigh.

Today has taken a lot out of me.

And I don’t understand a damn thing.

But one thing’s for sure—I need to let Owen know what’s going on.

He can help me.

I’m sure of it.

Chapter 23

Owen

Today is one of those days where I can’t wait to get the fuck out of my office and get home.

Today has been meeting after meeting, after meeting, after consult, after meeting. You get the idea.