people.
It seemed that some recent event had served as the final straw. Now, when she spoke of her father, he saw not even the tiniest ray of brightness in her eyes—only dark resignation.
“Charlotte,” he ventured, “why did you step from the position of CEO?”
At the question, Charlotte barked a harsh laugh. “Step down? Is that what they're saying?” She shook her copious blonde curls so they caught the light streaming in through the window. For a moment, David's breath caught at her beauty. “I was forced to defer. Now, someone my father favors is in power. He feels it’s safer that way, and he thinks I'm gullible and inefficient.”
Of course, Emerson would feel that way. He didn’t care how many jobs he created or how his products boosted the economy in impoverished nations. There would be no Christmas bonuses, charitable projects, or unneeded expenses. As far as he was concerned, the company existed as his own private funnel of cash. While, yes, Charlotte had run the company in the red, it had been for good causes. She'd begun to turn around the company’s reputation as a solely profit-run company.
And now all that was bound to be reversed.
“If it means anything, I think that the way you ran the company was what made me realize how wrong I was to try and destroy it.”
Charlotte gazed up at him, her gaze softening. “It does…mean something, I mean. Thanks, David.” When he flushed slightly, she looked away in embarrassment and quickly changed the subject. “We need a paternity test.”
“Right.” David frowned slightly. “But how can we get one without his consent?”
Charlotte scowled as she wracked her brain. “I've no idea. I don't even have access to his medical files. He leaves the country for all his medical work, usually. The broken jaw is one of the first things he's ever had treated in the city.”
“Where does he go?” David demanded, inwardly disgusted by the man's acute paranoia.
“The Bahamas somewhere, I think. I've never gone.”
“Well, perhaps you need to pay a visit to the islands.”
At David's small smile, Charlotte rewarded him with one of her own.
“I can't do it alone,” she said.
“Neither of you can do it without breaking some very real laws.” Charlotte and David jumped, turning to see Leah silhouetted in the doorway. If David was judging the look on her face correctly, she seemed to have heard quite a bit of their conversation. The corners of his mouth turned down.
“Christ, Leah, how long have you been there?”
“Not long.” The dark-haired woman had the decency to blush in embarrassment. “But long enough to hear that you're planning on visiting the Bahamas to dig up Emerson's medical records. Risky by any standards.”
Expelling a long sigh, David tried to be civil. The woman was, after all, supposed to be his attorney. “Do you have any constructive suggestions?”
“I have several, in fact. The first of which is a law stating that medical records in the Nation of the Bahamas are to be released to the next of kin in the event of a medical emergency. I have several books on the laws in the Caribbean. Perhaps, you'd like to emerge from your cave so we can discuss them?”
With that, she shot him a winning wink before turning on her heel and disappearing back down the hall. For a moment, David just stared after her. She was certainly something else. By the time he looked back at Charlotte, she was scowling at him.
He merely
It seemed that some recent event had served as the final straw. Now, when she spoke of her father, he saw not even the tiniest ray of brightness in her eyes—only dark resignation.
“Charlotte,” he ventured, “why did you step from the position of CEO?”
At the question, Charlotte barked a harsh laugh. “Step down? Is that what they're saying?” She shook her copious blonde curls so they caught the light streaming in through the window. For a moment, David's breath caught at her beauty. “I was forced to defer. Now, someone my father favors is in power. He feels it’s safer that way, and he thinks I'm gullible and inefficient.”
Of course, Emerson would feel that way. He didn’t care how many jobs he created or how his products boosted the economy in impoverished nations. There would be no Christmas bonuses, charitable projects, or unneeded expenses. As far as he was concerned, the company existed as his own private funnel of cash. While, yes, Charlotte had run the company in the red, it had been for good causes. She'd begun to turn around the company’s reputation as a solely profit-run company.
And now all that was bound to be reversed.
“If it means anything, I think that the way you ran the company was what made me realize how wrong I was to try and destroy it.”
Charlotte gazed up at him, her gaze softening. “It does…mean something, I mean. Thanks, David.” When he flushed slightly, she looked away in embarrassment and quickly changed the subject. “We need a paternity test.”
“Right.” David frowned slightly. “But how can we get one without his consent?”
Charlotte scowled as she wracked her brain. “I've no idea. I don't even have access to his medical files. He leaves the country for all his medical work, usually. The broken jaw is one of the first things he's ever had treated in the city.”
“Where does he go?” David demanded, inwardly disgusted by the man's acute paranoia.
“The Bahamas somewhere, I think. I've never gone.”
“Well, perhaps you need to pay a visit to the islands.”
At David's small smile, Charlotte rewarded him with one of her own.
“I can't do it alone,” she said.
“Neither of you can do it without breaking some very real laws.” Charlotte and David jumped, turning to see Leah silhouetted in the doorway. If David was judging the look on her face correctly, she seemed to have heard quite a bit of their conversation. The corners of his mouth turned down.
“Christ, Leah, how long have you been there?”
“Not long.” The dark-haired woman had the decency to blush in embarrassment. “But long enough to hear that you're planning on visiting the Bahamas to dig up Emerson's medical records. Risky by any standards.”
Expelling a long sigh, David tried to be civil. The woman was, after all, supposed to be his attorney. “Do you have any constructive suggestions?”
“I have several, in fact. The first of which is a law stating that medical records in the Nation of the Bahamas are to be released to the next of kin in the event of a medical emergency. I have several books on the laws in the Caribbean. Perhaps, you'd like to emerge from your cave so we can discuss them?”
With that, she shot him a winning wink before turning on her heel and disappearing back down the hall. For a moment, David just stared after her. She was certainly something else. By the time he looked back at Charlotte, she was scowling at him.
He merely
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