Love Me (The Elites of Cheshire shore #2)

47. Rome

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

rome

I took the liberty of having Becks draw up all the paperwork we could possibly need for our little confrontation match with Brian Deeter. There is no way we’re going to walk out of our conference room without a signature on the dotted line.

“Sav, you know the drill.” I nod to her as I walk past on the way to my office, I need to collect my thoughts before our meeting.

“Yes, Rome.” The moment Brian steps foot into our office, Sav is going to bring him straight to the conference room, only it will be decidedly less pleasant than when he first came here. Luca and Becks are already waiting for me in my office when I close the door behind me. Dante is still stuck in Kadelburg, even after I insisted on him being present for this meeting. He flat-out refused, claiming that he was taking care of something really important. Not that anything at the moment could be more important than Ven Industries acquiring Deeter Group…unless of course it’s a medical emergency.

“I want to keep Nora out of this as much as possible,” I tell them both as I unbutton my suit jacket and drape it over my chair.

“So far the only mention of Nora is when her signatures were illegally obtained.” Becks nods and hands me the paperwork. Since the paperwork side of this acquisition is his responsibility, I thought it was best for him to be here.

“Great.” My phone beeps with Sav’s message that Brian is here.

“Let’s do this.” Luca springs from his chair, rubbing his hands together. He’s just as excited as I am about this, about getting to the root of these issues and putting them all behind us. We have such an exciting future ahead, and some really great plans for Ven Industries that don’t involve Brian.

We take our seats—me at the head of the table and Luca and Becks on either side—and patiently wait for Sav to bring Bian through. The ever-present scowl I’ve grown accustomed to on Brian’s face doesn’t disappoint when he takes a seat on the opposite side of the table.

“Brian.” I nod when he sits.

Brian scans the table. “What, no bear claws?”

Sav gives him a tight smile and leaves us alone, closing the door firmly behind her.

“Sorry, B-man, we only offer refreshments to people we like.” Luca shakes his head. “And you have unfortunately found yourself on Ven Industries permanent shit list.”

Brian rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair. “Did you just call me in here to tell me you don’t like me? You could’ve just put it in an email.”

“Nope.” I let the P pop. “We called you in here because someone in this room has committed quite a few serious crimes in recent months. I watch as the muscle in the corner of his eye twitches. “Spoiler alert, it’s not anyone sitting on this side of the room.” I gesture to us. “There is a significant amount of evidence we have compiled here.” I lift the folder Becks handed me in the air, showing him just how thick it is.

Brian attempts to keep his composed facade in place, but the mask has many cracks to it. “Can I please see it?”

“Of course, after we’re done. These are merely copies. The authorities were very interested in a lot of things in here. Did you know it’s actually quite frowned upon to forge someone else’s signature? And missing oil tankers aren’t exactly easy to disguise. Let’s not forget bribing officials to not accept deliveries, losing paperwork, and the list goes on…”

“Yes, well, as you would have seen those signatures all had Nora’s name on them, terribly troubled girl she is. I had no clue what she was up to until she brought it to my attention.”

“But that’s where it gets interesting,” Becks pipes up. “You see, Nora volunteered her signature for comparison, and the ones on these files do not match. The handwriting did, however, positively match someone else.”

“That bitch,” Brian hisses.

“Now is that really how you want to talk about your daughter?” Luca lifts his thick eyebrows and thins his lips. No one in this room is happy with how Brian is disrespecting Nora.

“She’s been nothing but a nuisance, a sniveling nuisance, especially after her mother died.”

That was it. Not able to listen to any more of the garbage spewing out of his mouth, I clock the two FBI agents waiting by the doorway. It seems Brian has been on their radar for quite some time, and when we provided the documents sitting in my hands, they were all too happy to take Brian in for a little chat.

“She couldn’t even break into the Founding Five, and now I’ve lost another chance.”

I hold my hand up, making them pause. This whole conversation is being recorded, so it’s not like they are missing out on anything crucial. “What do you mean another chance?”

“I was meant to be in the original Founding Five. Me.” He points to himself and bares his teeth. “But your stupid grandfather came to Cheshire Shore all full of life and fun, and everyone gravitated toward him. All of a sudden, my dad was being uninvited to parties and events, and then the giant hit was when Ven Industries officially signed with Founding Five. It was supposed to be ours.” I almost feel sorry for the guy. If he didn’t actively commit crimes in his daughter’s name in order to try to get ahead, I may have.

I run my tongue along my teeth. “And that right there is exactly why you and Deeter Group would never have been welcomed in the Founding Five. We don’t do shit like that, to our family members especially. The Founding Five isn’t just about money and power, it’s also about the bond we have with each other.” I signal to the agents to come in. I can’t stand another second of this sorry excuse of a human being in my office any longer.

The moment the two guards grab Brian, a peeling, evil laugh leaves his chest. “Well, at least I finally won, Ven Industries will never acquire Deeter Group now.”

“Ah, that’s where you are wrong.” It was Becks’s turn to shine. “With Nora’s permission I did some digging. It turns out, in order to maintain your squeaky-clean lifestyle, you signed a document entitling her to fifty-one percent of Deeter Group. As of this morning, she took a very lucrative deal placed in front of her by Ven Industries, which is now the majority shareholder of Deeter Group.” He gives Brian his most charming smile just as all emotion falls from Brian’s face. I guess he forgot about that document. It did take a lot of digging, and it was one of the reasons we stayed so long at the Founding Five office. We do our best work when we can put all our heads together.

“That’s, no— What—” Brian sputters, trying to form a cohesive sentence, but I guess with all the events of today, he must be struggling to comprehend just how deep of a hole he’s dug for himself.

“But don’t worry,” I rest my hand on my heart, “after you have a chat with these lovely gentlemen, and I guess,” I look over at Becks who nods, “in a couple of years, we can discuss just how you will fit into all this. But from what I understand, assets will now become frozen. It wouldn’t be very smart of us to acquire a new business when it can’t trade, now would it, and I’m guessing you’re going to need a really good lawyer.”

Luca blows out a whistle. “Yep, those fuckers aren’t cheap.”

“Especially the one you’re going to need.” Becks rubs his chin. Deeter’s beady eyes dart between us, droplets of sweat sliding down the side of his face.

“We could help you out, purchase the remaining shares now.” I slide the paper toward him. “Think of it as a goodwill offer.” It wasn’t though. It only adds an additional charge to his case. Offloading an asset under investigation is seen as a very big no-no. I guess Brian is too stressed out to not remember that rule though. He quickly signs his name, but no one makes a move to touch the paperwork. It’s now evidence.

“Well, that was a really fruitful meeting. Thanks for stopping by.” I push my chair out and stand.

“What-what about my money?” Brian stammers as the guards tighten their hold on him.

“I wouldn’t know. I believe that’s the conversation you’re about to have.”

“B-b-b—” The sound of his stammer carries down the corridor as he’s dragged away.

“Wait until he finds out Nora managed to get him to sign over his share, too, and we’d already acquired Deeter Group.” Luca chuckles.

This whole meeting was a show for Brian. Ven Industries legally acquired Deeter Group just over a week ago, and Nora is now happily living her life back in Salo.

“Well, it’s official.” Becks claps my shoulder. “Ven Industries has crushed its last opponent. And with that new port your brother’s getting through, you guys are about to become unstoppable.”

A small smile pulls at my lips as I wrap an arm around my brother and Becks. None of this would’ve been possible without them or the Founding Five. “Yes, we are.”

Now I get to go home and tell the woman of my dreams I love her.

I stop by the store and grab a big bunch of flowers and a bottle of Flo’s favorite wine on my way home, tonight is the night I will ask her to be my wife. To some it might seem quick, but to me, I’ve always known. She had her first day back at work today with a new department head whom she’s so happy to be working with and I want to do something a little special and celebrate both our wins.

The moment I open the door, Flo is already racing toward me, I have just enough time to place the flowers and wine on a nearby table so I can catch her. I tangle my fingers into her hair as her lips meet mine. Fuck there is no better way to come home.

“So how did it go?” she asks after we break apart.

“Brian got what he deserved. I think he will have a lot of fun in this new chapter in his life.”

Flo bites my bottom lip. “No, he won’t.”

“Oh, you’re right, sorry. Wrong word choice. He is going to hate this new chapter. But I’m glad about Nora.”

A sad smile pulls at Flo’s lips. “Me too.” She reluctantly drops her legs from my waist and slides slowly down my body, making my dick become granite. “Did you get me flowers?” She finally sees what I placed on the table. I put my hand on her waist and pull her toward me, lightly kissing up her neck. “You bet I did. They were so pretty they reminded me of you.”

“Nawww.” She turns in my arms. “You and your charm. My god, it’s thick.”

“Around you, it always is.” I punctuate my words by grinding my hips against hers, showing her exactly how much of an effect she has on me.

She always has. In a strange fucked up way, I almost want to thank Brian. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have Florence in my arms right now. I pull the small velvet box from my pocket. “Dr. Florence Liu-Savino, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife.”

Flo’s eyes flick between the ring and my face. “I thought you’d never ask.” She jumps into my arms, giggling. And somehow, I got lucky enough to land the girl of my dreams.