Money Man (King Maker 1)

He ignored that and asked, “Threatening note?”

The jerk looked utterly confused. Not that I would expect more. He still didn’t get why I left him for cheating on me. I let go of the question about the ring. It was none of my business.

Instead, I held the note up near his nose so he could read it. He snatched it from my hands and balled it in a fist.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Good,” I said and went back into the conference room.

The rest of the team busied themselves as if they hadn’t been watching us through the glass panes of the conference room walls. I sat and took out my laptop.

Thankfully, work kept me extremely busy. I had a spreadsheet a mile long with the questionable transactions, including amounts coded as bank fees that weren’t labeled that way on the bank statements. There was most likely fraud going on at King Enterprises as some had suspected.

After discussing with Scott that I wasn’t making headway in getting the information I needed from the King’s accounting department, I shut my computer at six on the dot, much to Scott’s dismay. But tonight was Lizzy’s night and I rushed home to give her all the moral support for her first big event.

“Are you excited?” I asked, rushing through the apartment to stop at her open bedroom door.

She was already dressed impeccably for the showing at her gallery that night.

In reply, she lifted her hands in the air.

“Let’s get this party started. And don’t you dare bail on me early. We’re going for drinks afterwards.” She gave her hips a little shake.

“And where is your supermodel?” I responded, smiling.

She waved her already outstretched hands and said, “He had another thing tonight he had to go to. In the biz, it’s all about appearances.”

Amused, I shook my head and made my way to my room to get ready. We would meet there as she had to leave early to make sure everything was in place.

I thought about Kalen and how I hadn’t heard from him. I really wanted to ask him about a wife, but thought it best if I did that in person.

By the time I arrived fashionably late to Lizzy’s gallery, the place was packed. It paid to know people like Lizzy and her family did.

Everything was bright with white walls, light bamboo flooring, and colorful art that hung from the rafters to stand on its own and create a maze. Overhead, the place reminded me of a warehouse with exposed beams and pipes, painted so it was clear that they were meant to be seen.

I walked each corridor, naturally progressing to the next. Lizzy had an eye for design. Originally, she had gone to school for that, but her parents steered her toward an art history degree.

Yet, fresh out of college—instead of being someone’s assistant, she was her own boss. She certainly had an eye for art. Hell, her apartment looked like an ad in a home and garden magazine.

“Lizzy, this is great,” I said, giving her hand a quick squeeze when I caught up to her.

“I know,” she said with hushed excitement. “The portraits are selling like crazy. Haven might be an up-and-comer, but she is making a name for herself. I was so lucky to snag her.”

Haven was an artist from Chicago, though she’d lived in New York for a while. Matt had recommended Lizzy get in touch with her.

“She’s over there.”

Haven was stunning as was her companion. Talk about delicious. “And there’s a story there. They say he’s a priest.” When my eyebrow arched quizzically, Lizzy shrugged and added, “Or used to be.”

We were interrupted when a regal couple stopped to congratulate Lizzy. When they walked away, Lizzy pulled me in another direction.

“Everything is great.” I looked from side to side at the visually interesting art. Then she pointed directly ahead of us. “Except that,” I said, when we stopped in front of it. Although it was alone where it sat on the wall, it just didn’t fit with all the other pieces.

Her giggle was infectious, and I did too. “Yeah, it was a favor of a favor. You know how things go. Mother’s friend had a son or daughter, I can’t remember who, wanted to show their art. I couldn’t say no, though I’m confused by it as well. But you never know when you might need a favor,” she said when our amusement died down.

I was still staring when she said, “You don’t mind if I leave you for a bit and attend to my guests?”

“Of course not. Go, I’ll be fine,” I said. Somehow, I was transfixed by the odd painting, trying to figure it out.

She nodded to me before heading off, looking tall, sleek, and statuesque in a stark white asymmetrical off-the-shoulder sheath. I wasn’t a jealous person by nature, but looking at Lizzy, I admired her height and beauty. I felt a little underdressed in the raspberry belted-at-the-waist number I wore, which shouldn’t work with my hair color but did. I wasn’t expecting to know anyone, but in the back of my mind, I thought of Kalen. I still wanted to see him despite all the questions I had in my head.