A Bossy Roommate (Next Door to a Billionaire #2)

33. Carter

33

CARTER

“ W hat’s up, Bradley?”

“Who’s your best friend in the entire world?” Bradley greets me as I’m drying off my face with the towel Eden handed me before disappearing behind the bathroom door. The sound of running water fills the space behind it.

Bradley sounds cheerful, which instantly puts me at ease. “Probably Eden,” I answer to get a rise out of him.

“Ouch, dude. That hurts.”

“It’s nothing personal.”

“I get it, I get it. You’ve seen her in ways the rest of us can only dream about, you lucky devil. Fair enough. But seriously, you’re going to be kissing the ground I walk on.”

“Cut to the chase, I don’t have much time.” Only Bradley has the perfect timing to call right in the middle of my proposal, and he’s the only person who could get away with it. But this doesn’t mean we have to drag things along.

“I caught him. I caught Huxley.”

My heart jumps into my throat and I straighten, letting the towel drop. “You did? How?”

“The new internal messaging system. Actually, your wifey was the one who pointed out how weird it was that the system went down right when you got fired. So I met with IT late this afternoon, and we did some quiet digging. Guess what? Huxley bribed one of the IT interns to manipulate the system, causing all the disruptions, likely as a means to obscure his tracks. There’s still tons I have to read through, but so far, we’ve uncovered a slew of deleted messages between Huxley and Gwen, telling her to hold back calls or sabotage orders.”

“Gwen, the front desk manager?”

“Yeah. Gretchen and I went through his calendar and cross-referenced with some expense reports, and let’s just say, Huxley has a lot of explaining to do.”

I can’t believe it.

Eden, Bradley, and Gretchen risked their jobs and reputations to prove my innocence—and they succeeded. They didn’t have to do that, I definitely didn’t expect them to. I’d even told Eden not to. And yet, they did.

That new messaging system had never quite clicked with me. My gut had been screaming at me back then, but I’d foolishly brushed it off. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, and now I realize I should’ve trusted my instincts from the get-go. Lesson learned, the hard way.

“Did you talk to Gwen?” I ask him.

“Sure did. Gretchen and I intercepted her just after work. She started shaking like a leaf and admitted to everything. Told me that Huxley had ordered her to keep an eye on you. Offered her big bonuses for any dirt she could dig up. So she did some digging, all right, and even stole your little black book, which proved to be worthless for Huxley. However, there were a few cues about ‘your wife’ that likely aided him in thinking along the right lines.”

My black book. I recall the day Eden had returned it to me, just a few moments after I’d been searching for it, certain I’d left it on my desk the previous day. I’d assumed Eden had taken it to synchronize my appointments, as she’d done on numerous occasions.

“Next,” he continues, “Gwen saw you and Eden ride in on your motorcycle in a tight embrace on the day your aunt showed up for lunch, and that sparked her curiosity. She investigated your addresses—as front desk manager, she has the means—and when they were a match, she even went so far as to pay a visit and talk to your old neighbor, Hattie Hutton. Hattie confirmed that you two are married. Told her all about your lavish Vegas wedding with huge diamond rings, custom tailored dresses, and shiny limousines.”

Hattie, for Christ’s sake. She meant well as far as I know, but she definitely needs to be careful who she gossips with in the future.

“So what happens now?” I ask him.

“Now I have to take all of this to the board,” Bradley says. “I already called an emergency meeting which, I have to say, was a baller move on my account. You should have seen the look on Bernie’s face when I told him.” He chuckles. “ Damn . Huxley has no idea we’re onto him yet.”

Other than relief, I’m not sure what else I feel about everything Bradley has uncovered. I have no idea what any of the information will change. I highly doubt the board will hire me back, and if they do, will I accept? Not likely. At the very least, I’m willing to wait and hear them out. If they have any shred of decency, they’ll let Bradley present his case.

“Seriously, Bradley,” I say, “this means a lot. Thanks for having my back.”

“Anytime, bro. I’ll let you know how the meeting goes. I wouldn’t have uncovered half this stuff if it weren’t for Eden.”

“I’ll let her know. Talk to you later, bro.”

“Later, Carr.”

We end the call.

A storm of emotions rolls through me, and I’m having a difficult time keeping track of them. Part of me hadn’t expected them to uncover the truth. I thought it was too much to hope for. And yet, they have. They’re actually going to be able to clear my name.

“Eden,” I call toward the bathroom. “Good news.”