Fifth Avenue Devil

Chapter 32

Thirty-Two

Nate

I t’s the dead of night in downtown Manhattan. The lobby of my office building is quiet. The night concierge nods at me as I cross the echoing space. If he’s surprised to see me, he doesn’t show it.

I take the elevator up to my office, almost vibrating with anger.

911. Your office. Now. That’s all Cash texted me.

The tension in the air is palpable as I stride into my office. The windows are dark, and only a single small lightbulb glows at my desk. Drew and Cash sit on my couch, waiting for me. Their sober expressions raise my hackles.

“Which one of you two idiots was complaining the last time we had a meeting?” I ask, striding over to the sitting area imperiously.

They exchange a glance. Then Cash clears his throat. “We need to talk about Gellar Industries. We have found out some pretty serious information that complicates things with the purchase.”

I wave a hand. “And this couldn’t wait? You had to tell me right now?”

“You’re such a prick,” Cash mutters. Drew doesn’t say anything, but defiance sparkles in his eyes.

What the fuck do these two cretins think is going on here? I shake my head. "I've thought it over. I'm not interested in short selling Gellar Industries. I’m bringing them into the fold. It doesn’t make sense to sell them for parts."

Cash rolls his eyes. He tosses a thick stack of papers onto the coffee table between us. "Shut your face hole. Look at these financial disclosures Gellar Industries sent over, Nate."

I raise an eyebrow and pick up the papers. My eyes widen as I look at the charts and rows of figures before me. My breath catches as I flip page after page. I’m not a finance bro like Drew, but I can tell when numbers simply don't add up. The figures swim before me, revealing a discrepancy that can't be ignored.

"Drew, what the hell is going on? These numbers are off by millions. Tens of millions, maybe." I scowl at the pages as if they will change their mind with a little intimidation by me.

"Someone's siphoned millions from the company," Drew says. His tone is heavy with concern.

Aghast, I give my head a little shake. I look at the numbers again. "Who could've done this?” I mutter under my breath, trying to make sense of the situation. A horrible thought occurs to me. “Annalise?"

A vision of her blonde curls and defiant blue eyes flashes through my mind, somehow both enticing and infuriating me. She's stubborn, yes. But could she really have orchestrated such a massive theft? It seems so improbable.

"It could have been her. It also could’ve been any of the board members," Drew suggests cautiously. Obviously, he senses my hesitation to blame her outright.

What. The. Fuck? I clench the papers in my hand, crushing them. Could my sweet little Annalise be hiding something so heinous? I just told her I loved her. And now I find out that the same girl could be a thief?

No. It’s not possible. Is it?

"We need to get to the bottom of this," I say, clenching my jaw. "And if it means taking over Gellar Industries to do so, then so be it."

Cash smirks at my words, clearly pleased with the shift in my convictions. "Listen, Nate," he says, leaning casually against the floor-to-ceiling window, "not only should you take Gellar Industries over, but you should get it at a fraction of the price."

"Are you out of your mind?" I snap, my fingers tightening around the damning financial documents. "This isn't some game we're playing here."

"Actually, brother, it is." Cash smirks, his eyes glinting with cunning. "And right now, you have the upper hand."

As if on cue, Drew chimes in. "If you don't agree to this, Nate, I'll move to unseat you as CEO of Fordham Enterprises. We’ll install someone more… dynamic ."

"Dynamic?" My blood boils. With one swift, decisive motion, I close the distance between us and punch Drew square in the face. He stumbles backward, gripping his nose as blood spills through his fingers. "You're fired," I growl, my voice low and dangerous.

"What?!" he gurgles.

“You heard me, motherfucker. Get the fuck out before I do more than just punch you.”

Drew spits, clutching his bloody nose as he makes a hasty exit. "You're making a mistake!"

I turn on Cash. He raises his hands, jerking his chin at the financial disclosures in my hand. “The numbers don’t lie. Your girlfriend stole a massive amount of money. That, or she was complicit in the cover-up. Either way, no board will let her retain control of the company. Annalise is on her way out. It doesn’t matter whether you drop the info on her in a bid to buy the company for cheap or not.”

I’ve had enough. I can barely think. I point toward the door, scowling at Cash. He rolls his eyes, shoves his hands in his pockets, and slinks out of my office.

For almost a minute, I don’t move. Staring at the open doorway, I try to think of a way that Annalise could possible not be involved.

But damn, I can’t come up with anything.

How do I even go about confronting her about this?

I can't shake the image of her from my mind. She's stubborn and determined. Certainly a force to be reckoned with. But could she really have orchestrated such a massive theft?

If so, I have to fire her. The fucking FTC will be all over me as her business partner if I don’t act immediately.

But can sweet little Annalise really be guilty? My mind just can’t process it.

My knuckles ache from the impact on Drew's face. But thinking about the girl I left only an hour ago hurts more.

I can just see Annalise, all vulnerable and betrayed. Annalise, caught in the middle of the coming storm. I know I have to confront her. I will find the truth that lies somewhere deep below the surface.

My gut twists itself into knots at the mere idea.

To distract myself, I work out at my company gym, take a shower in the private ensuite in my office, and dress for the upcoming day. Then I sit on the couch, mulling over my options.

They are few. And the options I do have are repulsive.

At seven a.m., I text Annalise and ask her to meet at her office. Then I steel myself.

I may be in love with Annalise, but that doesn’t mean she is blameless in this situation.

At eight a.m., I stride through the imposing glass doors of Gellar Industries. The tightness in my chest is a constant companion today. Am I going to have a fucking heart attack if I find out that Annalise is a thief?

Maybe .

Upstairs, I'm met with an eerie silence from the office floor. The once-bustling office now a veritable ghost town. It seems word has somehow spread about last night's findings. The rumor mill runs rampant on Fifth Avenue and Wall Street.

Gellar Industries is a company in turmoil, its future uncertain. The vultures will soon begin to circle. And by vultures, I mean me . My stomach turns as I approach Annalise’s office.

She’s here, relaxing on the couch in a sleeveless gold minidress. She looks up when she hears me approach and smiles. She looks worried, though. “I guess the employees heard about the layoffs.”

She gestures to the mostly empty office. I shake my head. There’s no time for that right now. I come right out with it, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"Annalise, some serious accusations have been leveled at you."

She stills, her cheeks flushing. “What? By whom?”

“That doesn’t matter,” I snap. My patience is thinner than thawing ice. "There are millions missing from this company. It looks like someone embezzled from the employee pension plan.”

The look on her face isn’t entirely surprised. She swallows.

Fuck. Could Annalise actually be guilty?

“Just wait,” she says, her voice raspy. “Let me explain.”

“Christ.” My stomach clenches hard. “So you did know. Did you take it?”

“ Me? ” Her eyes widen. “No! Of course not.”

I sag onto the couch beside her. “You were just complicit in covering it up. That’s great.”

“Nate.” Annalise reaches her hand out to touch my arm. I rear back like her hand is made of flames. “Look at me, please.”

“How long? How long have you known?” I stare at a point in the distance. It’s taking everything I have to remain calm.

All I can think about is the fact that I said I loved her last night. What was I thinking?

“A few months,” Annalise admits. “Lori came to me about the missing money. We’ve been trying to trace where the money went, but it disappeared in a labyrinth of shell corporations and offshore bank accounts. Lori hired some forensic accountants–”

I stop her with a hand. “Lori was in on it too?”

She hesitates. “She found out about the missing cash when I did. She has been searching the company records and asking questions. I told her that I planned to pay the money back–”

“Wait.” I shake my head. “Why would you do that if you didn’t take the money in the first place?”

“Well, the employees were going to find out eventually.”

“Bullshit. If you embezzled the funds, I need you to tell me right now. Then you can start explaining to me how you only told me that you love me to manipulate me.”

Hurt flashes in Annalise’s eyes. She grabs my hand and pushes it away. Heat laces her tone. “I didn’t steal anything. And I do love you. I can’t believe you would question that!”

“You’re really going to sit there and lie right to my face??” I scoff. “Unbelievable.”

“Nate, I wouldn’t lie to you. I love you.”

“I can’t sit here and listen to you lie to me. I’m done.” I cross my arms, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. “Here’s what is going to happen, Annalise. I’m going to make a very, very lowball offer to buy Gellar Industries. And you’re going to take it.”

"You would buy Gellar Industries? We’re already merging! Why would you want to buy a company with so much liability?" she chokes out.

“Because I can take the lab employees and their work product. When I buy the company out, they and their work become part of ViaLife. Everything else gets scrapped.”

Her eyes bug out. "You can't be serious!"

"Deadly serious," I reply, smirking at her reaction. "Your father approached me about the acquisition, Annalise. He wanted me to take over and clean up this mess. What do you have to say about that?"

Her eyes flash with betrayal. Her delicate hands bunch at her sides. "My father? You expect me to believe that he would willingly hand over his life's work to you? He despises you!"

"Believe what you want," I sneer. "But I'm telling the truth."

"Truth!" she scoffs, finally regaining her composure. "How can I trust anything that comes out of your mouth, Nate? My dad doesn’t believe in doing serious business over the phone. Which means you snuck off to see him without telling me. He just woke up from a coma, for god’s sake! You were talking business with him on his sickbed?"

My temper flares up like a hungry lion escaping its cage. "Look who's talking," I spit out. "Where did the money go, Annalise? Because it certainly looks like you embezzled it."

"Are you really accusing me of stealing from my own company?" she hisses.

"Convince me otherwise," I challenge.

Our faces are mere inches apart. The heat between us grows with each angry breath we take. Her eyes lock onto mine and she jabs a finger into my chest. "You are so arrogant. I can’t believe I thought I was in love with you!”

My heart goes cold. I glare at Annalise. “You are a manipulative witch,” I hiss. “And if it’s not clear, we are over.”

“God, Nate!” Annalise's lips quiver. She screws up her face. She seems like she is seconds away from bursting into tears. Then again, what do I know? She’s obviously been working me since we met. "I don’t know who stole the money. Maybe my dad, maybe our VP…"

I bleat a surprised laugh. "Of course you'd say that. Your dad makes a perfect scapegoat."

She pins me with a desperate look. "I didn't even work for the company when the money started going missing. I was a little kid then. I swear I’m innocent."

"Then how could you keep something so important a secret from me?" I bellow. It's hard to believe that someone as intelligent and resourceful as Annalise wouldn't have known about her father's indiscretions.

"Because it was my family's fuck up," she replies defensively. "I wanted to fix it myself. I wanted to prove that I can be a real CEO."

“Don’t make me laugh. You’re complicit in this, Annalise. The FTC is going to rake me over the coals just for being mixed up with you. You might be going to jail , sweetheart.”

Annalise’s jaw drops. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Tell it to somebody who cares. Preferably a very expensive lawyer.”

The defiant fire in Annalise's eyes burns into me. She straightens her spine and waves an angry hand in my face.

"Enough! I've had enough of being controlled!" she yells. "First my dad. Then you. I won't let either of you dictate what I do with my life."

I arch a brow. “What are you going to do? Quit?”

"Maybe that's exactly what I need to do.” Her eyes never leave mine. "Maybe it's time for me to forge my own path. I’m sick of men trying to exploit me and use me as a pawn in their sick little games."

I throw down a gauntlet so casually and icily that I barely sound like myself. “Once you leave this office, there's no coming back."

“I'm done with Gellar Industries.” Her eyes promise that I’m going to feel pain. “And I'm done with you."

"Where are you going to go? Your dad is the one who sold you out."

“No.” Annalise’s mouth twists with aggravation. “You did that all on your own.”

As the door slams shut behind her, I'm left standing alone in the office, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions churning within me.