20. Emily
Itried to sleep. I failed.
I spent the first hour in bed tossing and turning, my mind replaying the discoveries, each one a reminder of the wrongs I had inflicted upon Travis.. I dreaded what would happen when he found out, as he surely would.
Restless, I got up and combed again through every inch of information that I could find on the flash drive. It didn’t turn up anything that would help
The sky was starting to brighten with dawn by the time I finally passed out from sheer exhaustion.
I groaned when the sun shone bright through my window, blinding me. I dragged my aching body out of bed and hurried into the kitchen to make a fresh pot of coffee. I had a quick shower and called a ride to take me to Jonathan’s office.
The thought of admitting to Jonathan that his investment in Michael and me had been for nothing filled me with dread.This wasn’t just about my money: this was about my reputation. I had been so sure of this story. I had reassured him so many times. Who could trust an independent journalist again after she made such a huge mistake?
Nevertheless, no matter how much I felt like burying my head in the sand, Jonathan needed to know and it needed to come from me.
I also needed to tell him about the reparations list. It was my hope that informing Jonathan with the list and letting him know that the brothers were making attempts at reparations would be enough to have him feeling better about all of this. Of course it would not give him back his daughter, but the Ross Brothers were innocent of their father’s crime and I hoped that made him feel even the tiniest but better.
Michael had relaxed now. I hadn’t told him that Travis caught me on the way out. He had no idea I was probably facing criminal prosecution.
I sighed and took a deep breath before knocking on the door of Jonathan’s office and pushing it open. My hands tightened painfully around my purse as I waited for him to look up from his papers.
“Good morning, Emily. I hope you have good news for me?” he said, a small smile on his face as he looked up. I watched the smile disappear and his face line with worry as his eyes traveled around my face, taking in my expression. He clocked my hand that was still tightly wound around the straps of my purse and looked back at me.
“What’s the matter, Emily? You don’t look very good this morning.”
“We finally got into the file,” I told him, wanting to get it out as soon as possible.
“Oh? Was what you found that bad?” he asked. I felt even worse as his eyes lit up in anticipation of what he believed he was about to get.
“No, Jonathan.” I expelled a breath before I continued, the words suddenly feeling heavy and tied down to my aching throat. “That’s the thing. There was nothing on the files. Nothing we can use.”
“What? What do you mean?” his face was a model of confusion.
“There was nothing wrong, Jonathan. They didn’t do anything wrong. We checked everything but there was nothing to be found. He’s completely clean. They are all completely clean.”
“What do you mean they’re clean? Surely there has to be something,” he prodded, moving towards the edge of his seat as he stared at me intently.
“No, Jonathan. There is absolutely nothing. that the only notable thing is, they have a list where-”
“A list?” he cut me off, suddenly looking hungry for whatever information I was about to impact on him. I bit my lip, feeling even more terrible when I saw the hope in his eyes, knowing fully well that it was going to be crushed any moment now.
“They have a list of all the people who their father hurt. They’re planning to send the families financial reparations for his crimes. So that’s a kind of story” I smiled weakly.
The older man went silent.
“Jonathan, I’m sure your daughter’s name is there too. I didn’t know what name to search to find her,” I said, moving closer to the desk from the door where I had been standing.
“Wait! Does that mean you have the files from their secure servers? All of them?” he said, completely ignoring what I had just said about his name being on the list.
“Well… yes, I have the files,” I nodded.
“Good. Bring it to me and I will look into them. Let me see them for myself.”
I frowned. “I can’t do that.”
If the information left my hands, I knew it could be used to damage the Rosses. Not by telling the truth in the papers, but by using their files to manipulate their stocks and steal the ideas they were working on. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if that happened.
After a moment of shocked silence, Jonathan slammed his hand down hard on the table. His face turned red with anger. It was the first time I had ever seen him angry, and his reaction shocked me.
“What do you mean you can’t give it to me?” he spat out angrily. “I funded your investigation. Every single thing you’ve found rightfully belongs to me.”
Involuntarily, I stepped back, my eyes locked on him as shock coursed through me.I suddenly wished I hadn’t left the file at home, unguarded.
Jonathan’s eyes widened when he noticed my reaction, and a quick calm fell upon him as he reined in his anger.
“Oh Emily, I’m so sorry. I’m just so worked up. It just feels so strange to know that everything I have done so far was all for nothing.” He rubbed his eyes wearily and sighed, his shoulders deflating in disappointment.
I hesitated. His feelings were very valid. But his reaction frightened me.
“I understand. I also felt my emotions going haywire when I found out.” I’ll give you some time to process this.
That was my excuse as I fled from Jonathan’s office and hurried home, praying nothing would happen to the files I’d stupidly left unsecured in my apartment while I was gone.
I had been so lost in my thoughts and feelings as I stalked up the sidewalk in front of my building that I almost didn’t notice Travis standing there, right in front of my door, looking up at me.
I stopped in shock and stared at him. How could he be here?
Of course. They were already investigating me. It was over.
My heart hurt from the pain of my own betrayal. I didn’t know how to feel as my feelings threatened to overtake me. I struggled to calm myself as I wondered what I could possibly say to him. What he already knew.
Resigned to my fate, I chose not to run. I couldn’t spend the rest of my life as a fugitive, even if I could avoid what was sure to be one of the best-funded investigations of the century.
I walked up to Travis, feeling empty inside. Hating that I loved the feeling of his eyes on me. Of the distance closing between our bodies.
“I know everything,” he said gruffly, confirming what I already knew. I nodded, finding it difficult to look up at him.
“Have you come to arrest me?” I asked.
Travis studied me quietly as I waited for his answer. I could feel his eyes trying to meet mine but I couldn’t find the courage to meet his. Not after all that I had done. I had been a terrible person to him despite how wonderfully he treated me.
“No. I have come to hear you out.”
My heart exploded at his words, beating a mile a minute.
There couldn’t be room for hope. And yet, here he was.