“No shame? At least I don’t trick people into signing legal documents.”
I would never confirm it, not when she was probably recording me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I smiled, wanting her to know that was bullshit but I was too smart to incriminate myself.
That only pissed her off even more. “You asshole.”
“I’d rather be an asshole than a gold digger. So what are you going to do now? The second that paperwork is signed, you’re broke. Wow…I wonder if the poor version of you is nice.”
“She’s not. She’s worse.”
I smiled wider. “I look forward to seeing that.”
She narrowed her eyes like her head was about to explode in a volcanic eruption. “You aren’t going to ruin my life, Slate.”
“And you’re going to ruin mine?” I asked incredulously. “You already did. In case you’ve forgotten, you tried this number on me, but I was too smart for your games. And I was too smart for your games with Coen too. Accept your defeat and dig your claws into someone else…unless you’re too old to get a man’s attention now. I guess you’ll have to settle for a much older husband who doesn’t mind your age.”
She slammed her hands down again. “Fuck you.”
“And fuck you, Simone. Get out of my office before I call security.”
She straightened and opened the folder. She pulled out a copy of the prenup I’d tricked her into signing. “This won’t hold up in front of the judge.”
“You think so? I think the judge is gonna see a woman who tried to divorce her husband the second they returned from their honeymoon. And there’s evidence of you being unfaithful during the marriage. Who do you think he’s going to side with? An upstanding man who gives generous donations to the city? Or a whore?”
Her eyes narrowed. “We both know I’m not the whore.”
I knew she was referring to Cherry.
“And even if this doesn’t go my way, I won’t be poor. You wanna know why?”
“Not really.”
“Because Coen paid me five million dollars to shut my mouth about your cherry-popping ways.”
Now it was my turn to narrow my eyes. Even when she stormed into my office unannounced, I didn’t lose my cool. But now the blood drained from my face from the bomb she’d dropped on me.
“I’m still gonna get his billions. And now I have millions to help with legal fees. We’ll see who comes out on top, asshole.”
I marched into Coen’s office.
“I heard Simone just entered the building. Is that why you’re here?”
“She stopped by my office for a little chat.” I approached his desk. “We need to get her banned from the company. She shouldn’t set foot on the property.”
“Since she technically still owns some of it, I can’t. Believe me, I tried.”
“Shit.” So she could walk in here at any moment, and there was nothing we could do about it. Why did my brother have to be such an idiot and marry the bitch?
“What did she say?”
“Accused me of tricking her into signing those papers.”
“Did you—”
“No. I’m not stupid. But I gave her a big smile as a fuck-you.”
“Good.”
“She also said something else.”
“What?” He stayed behind his desk, his fingers coming together.
“She said you paid her five million dollars to keep her mouth shut about me.”
Coen obviously didn’t expect me to find out about that because he immediately looked guilty. His fingers clenched tightly together, and he sighed under his breath.
“Five million dollars? What the hell were you thinking?”
“She wouldn’t accept anything less.”
“She could use the money in the lawsuit. You know that, right?”
“She told me she was going to destroy your life. Monroe’s too. I couldn’t let that happen. I don’t want to give her a dime either, but if that’s what it takes to keep her mouth shut, then fine. I wasn’t going to let her fuck with you. Sorry…but I’m not sorry.”
I didn’t want Simone to have any of our money as a matter of pride. But I didn’t want Cherry to be harassed for the next few years since everyone would think she was an actual prostitute. I could handle the gossip and the name-calling, but I was a man in different circumstances. Cherry had nothing, and the last thing I wanted was for someone to take something else away from her. “Well…thanks. I can split—”
“No.” He lowered his hands and put his feet on the desk. “Simone wants to go to court, which doesn’t surprise me. So we’ll see how that goes. She’ll pull any stunt to get what she wants. I’m prepared to fight just as hard.” He rested back against the leather of his chair and brought his hands together on his lap, his fingers interlocked. He seemed to change the subject on purpose, like he didn’t want any attention for the gesture he’d made.
It meant a lot to me that he had my back, that he looked out for my self-interest even though he was going through a hard time. “You have a much stronger case than she does. Even if she uses that cash for a good lawyer, it won’t give her a good chance. And we can give the judge a yacht for his troubles, something the Feds can’t trace.”