Chapter 12
Alice
“Sorry I couldn’t make it for lunch.” I slide into my seat, placing my purse on the side of the table. “How was your day?”
Katherine Lockhart is one of those beautiful women who should be on the cover of some magazine. With icy blue eyes and jet black hair that flows down her back and frames an exquisitely carved face, she can have any man she wants. However, one of the reasons Katherine and I get along so well is our general disdain toward the male species.
Not that it stops her from chasing my happily ever after, like a woman on a mission.
“Brandon gave me your message.” Katherine gestures to the server, who walks over and fills my glass with red wine. “Actually, dinner is much better. I wouldn’t have been able to talk to you with ease this afternoon. I was still figuring out some details.”
I sip the wine. “Harry already told me that you’re planning to create a team of lawyers for some project. But he didn’t say more than that.”
Katherine leans forward, her eyes glittering in excitement. “My father is planning to retire soon. He’s not in the best of health, and he wants me to take over the position of CEO of Pinnacle Group. He has asked me to oversee a collaboration between our company and a multinational corporation. It’s a very sensitive project, Alice, and he’s trusting me to head it. I don’t want to let him down.”
I study her, contemplating what she is saying. “So, that’s why you need a team of lawyers and not just one. What’s the project about?”
“We’re working on a medical device that is guaranteed to detect Alzheimer’s before it can get to a critical stage. The only problem is, there’s a certain component we need for it, and the technology is only created by Acme Intech Corporation. They don’t collaborate with just anybody. It took a lot of work to get them to agree to this, but even now, they’re not completely on board. We have our first meeting with them next week. I need a lead lawyer on our team, someone I have confidence in.” Her gaze is intent on me. “I need somebody who knows what I’m thinking when I look at them. Someone I can trust blindly.”
A prolonged silence follows her words, and I let out a long breath. “You need me, you mean.”
She gives me a broad smile. “We are always in sync, Alice. Every time we’ve worked together, you and I have made a deadly team. Two of the partners in your firm recommended Levi. The other two recommended you. I’ve worked with you enough times to know how you think and strategize. Even when things are going south, you’re able to regroup on your feet. And you’re absolutely ruthless, a shark in the boardroom.”
“I’m flattered, Katherine.” I swirl the wine in my glass thoughtfully. “But as much as I love the ass-kissing, don’t you need somebody who’ll pander to this company? If they are oh so elusive and you want to convince them to work with you, I don’t think a shark is what you need in the boardroom.”
“You haven’t seen their lawyers.” Katherine grimaces. “Levi plays it far too safe. I need somebody who can meet them toe to toe. Besides, they have a reputation in the industry for respecting strong opponents. They will never take this project if I roll over and expose my belly. This meeting will be them assessing how much they can push us and how much we are willing to bend. I don’t want to bend, Alice. I want them to see my teeth. Will you do it?”
My lips curve in a sly smile. “I’m your girl.”
I lift my glass, and she does the same.
After we place our orders, I ask, “Tell me, who will I be dealing with?” When Katherine doesn’t say anything, I narrow my eyes. “You’re holding back. What is it?”
She taps her fingers on the table, a sign of anxiety for her. “It’s just rumors, but word is that the CEO of the company, Nick Stevenson, isn’t the actual CEO.”
I stare at her, absorbing this new tidbit of information. “Where are you getting this word from? How can that be?”
My friend gives a halfhearted chuckle. “Acme Intech mostly produces their technology in-house and sells it. Their technology is leap years ahead of anything in the industry. But while they are a huge multinational, they’re also very secretive. When I heard this rumor, I looked it up. Nick Stevenson has never attended a single company function. In fact, the CEO is noticeably absent at every public event. Awards are usually handed to a member of the senior management instead.”
I hesitate. Katherine obviously would have done her research, but I end up giving her a dubious look. “I don’t know, Kat. This whole thing sounds super shady. I’ve never even heard of this company before.”
“It’s privately owned,” Katherine says quickly. “They have done groundbreaking research and introduced a variety of proprietary technologies that are of use to many different industries. However, they’ve retained all rights to them. They only sell to a specific list of companies, and only after vetting them thoroughly. Getting Acme Intech to even consider collaborating with us is a huge deal, Alice. I have to nail this.”
I still feel tentative, but this is clearly important to my friend. “Alright. Count me in. Send everything over to my office in the morning. We only have six days to get ready to face them.”
“One more thing.” Katherine smiles at me, and I raise a brow. “Every lawyer on the team has to sign a nondisclosure agreement.”
Her words have me scoffing. “You think there will be a leak on the collab?”
“It’s not for the project.” My friend bites her lip. “It’s in regard to the identities of the people attending the meeting.”
“Oh, this is ridiculous!” I burst out. “They’re acting like they bungee jumped down from Mount Olympus!”
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if they’re Greek gods or mole men,” Katherine replies tartly. “I just need to land this deal. This company is legit, and if this project goes through, we’re talking billions of dollars. We’ll revolutionize the medical industry. I need them to agree to collaborate with us.” Her voice softens, and she gives me a beseeching look. “I looked into them. They’re a successful multinational corporation. No scandals, nothing that raises red flags except their demand for secrecy. And the CEO will be making an appearance during the meeting. We just have to sign an agreement not to disclose his identity. I really need you on board with this, Alice.”
“Fine.” I hold up my hands, palms facing outward. “I’m on board.”
The relief on Katherine’s face tells me I’ve made the right decision, but I’m anticipating that this coming week is going to be a tough one. I’m going to be researching the shit out of this company. Nondisclosure agreement, my ass! There must be some trace of this CEO on the internet, and I plan to find it. No way am I walking into this meeting blind.
As our food arrives, we switch the conversation to milder topics.
“How is Mira doing? How was her first day?”
“Switching from kindergarten to first grade in the middle of the school year is not recommended.” I wave my fork in the air. “I don’t know why I let myself be talked into this.”
Katherine grimaces. “It didn’t go well?”
“Oh, it went well. She made a friend. But she also got saddled with a lot of homework. Her teacher wants her to catch up with the rest of the class. When I left her with my neighbor for dinner, she was working on math problems. Addition and subtraction.”
“So, what’s the issue?” Katherine shrugs. “She’s intelligent. She already has a friend. She’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want her to stand out, Kat.” I sigh. “I want my daughter to be a normal, happy child, not some sort of prodigy. Her new teacher was a little too impressed with her.”
My friend laughs. “You’re the only mother I know who would worry about her kid doing too well in school.”
I flinch. “I just—”
“I know.” She gives me an amused look. “You don’t want her to stand out. But you know, Alice, there’s nothing wrong with standing out. It’s a good thing. Mira is crazy smart. Kids her age aren’t doing long division, and yet, I saw her working on it when I came over the other day. She was trying to figure it out, at least. I don’t know what you’ve been feeding that kid, but you should be proud of her. She is a prodigy, whether you like it or not. Don’t make her feel like she’s letting you down by being too sharp.”
I look down at my steak.
I know it may seem unreasonable to Katherine—heck, even Mary disagrees with me—but I can’t shake off this perpetual fear that Mira may become an outcast if she keeps learning at this rate. I don’t want my daughter to live the life I led. Although my reasons for being an outcast were not the same, at the end of the day, it all boils down to being different. I was different from the other children because I did not have a wolf spirit. My daughter is different because she is too intelligent for her age.
“I am proud of her,” I say quietly. “She knows that. I guess I’m just… I tend to overthink things when it comes to Mira.”
“I still say you should put her in private school.” Katherine sips her wine. “She picks up on things really fast. If I had a kid like that, I would be trying to send her to best private school I could find, even if it meant shipping her off to Switzerland or someplace where only the top one percent of the population goes.”
My head whips up before I realize she’s joking. Well, maybe not entirely joking.
“I can’t send Mira away.” I frown into my drink. “What would I do without her? She’s my whole world.”
Katherine gives me a concerned look. “I didn’t mean that you should send her off to Switzerland. I would never recommend separating the two of you. I know how much she adores you. She worships the ground you walk on. I was just saying that you should give her the best opportunities to cultivate her intelligence. I mean, I know you’re doing everything you can for her, but don’t let your fears get in the way of her growth.”
Katherine’s words trouble me. When I reach home an hour later and pick up my sleeping daughter from Mrs. Getrude in the apartment below ours, I wonder if I’m hindering Mira’s future. I always told myself that I would put her interest first, but am I doing that? Am I being a good mother?
Mira is already wearing her pajamas, and Mrs. Getrude has given her a bath. My little girl snuggles against me, and I kiss her forehead.
After laying her down in her bed, I cover her with the blanket and sit by her side for a few minutes, just gazing at her.
In my former community, when wolf shifter couples become parents, the grandparents are heavily involved in helping raise the child. That’s usually the case for the first child, anyway. By the time the next child arrives, the couple has more experience, and they are left to manage on their own.
Aside from Mary, I didn’t have anybody to guide me. When Mira started teething, she had fevers constantly. I didn’t know this was common for young shifters when their sharper teeth are coming in. Terrified for my baby’s life, I called Mary, and my friend immediately flew to Arizona. She stayed with me for a week till she was certain I could handle it. It took me quite a while to figure out how to react to situations like that when it came to my daughter.
Maybe I seem obsessive, but this child is the only person I have in the world. The idea of anything happening to her…
I stroke Mira’s hair, my heart overflowing with love and warmth.
Six years, and I thought I had learned to be the perfect parent. But when it comes to kids, I guess one can never stop learning. Maybe I can have Mira quench her thirst for knowledge at home, and then in school she can try to be a normal child. I don’t know if this would be the right solution. I don’t want to hold her back, but at the same time, I cannot let go of these fears that are consuming me. The wolf shifter community is always on the lookout for intelligent humans. I can’t let Mira get on their radar.
“I’ll protect you from everyone,” I whisper to her. “As long as I’m alive, I will make sure nobody can hurt you.”
Kissing her forehead once again, I leave her to dream.
I take a quick shower before putting on my own pajamas and sitting down in my study. My reading glasses on, I open my laptop. It’s time to get to work.
Whatever secrets Acme Intech Corporation is hiding, I’m going to dig them all up.
*****
It doesn’t usually rain in December, but when it does, the weather in Phoenix grows much colder than it normally is. After dropping Mira off at school in her little raincoat and umbrella, I head over to the office. It’s not raining cats and dogs, and neither is it a soft drizzle. This is the kind of rainfall that makes me curse at the weather and try to tell it to make up its damn mind.
I park my car outside and hurry over to the building. As I walk in, I greet Toby, the security guard. “I hate rain.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re telling me? Car’s in the shop. Umbrella’s in the car. Buses aren’t running today because of the damn union strike. I had to change my uniform when I got here. Not my finest day.”
I give him a sympathetic look. “You win. Want me to drop you off after work? Your house is on my way.”
Toby has been working here since before I joined the firm. He’s in his early seventies, and when I first started here, I didn’t have a car. Sometimes my workload would be heavy, and I would leave late at night. Toby was on second shift at the time, and he would drive me home if it was an ungodly hour. The man is large and brutish looking, but he has the softest heart.
“Don’t you worry about me, Miss Alice. I got my daughter coming to pick me up.”
The meeting with Acme Intech is this afternoon. I have to go over some of the documents before I leave for Katherine’s office. Harry is waiting for me outside my door, chatting lightly with Holly. When he sees me, he smiles.
“Ready to lead your new team? I thought you might be nervous, so I got you breakfast. I know you usually don’t eat in the morning.”
“Old habits die hard,” I admit as I accept the egg sandwich and coffee from him. “Thanks for this, and I’m glad you’re here. If you don’t mind, can I walk you through some things about this collab? I haven’t had the chance to run them by anyone yet, and I think they need to be looked over by a higher-up.”
“Certainly.” He looks delighted.
I don’t waste words when meeting with clients. But I also know how to play with words. Katherine has already outlined the terms of the collaboration, and it’s my job to make sure that there are no legal loopholes and that she doesn’t screw herself over with her conditions. Acme Intech has also sent over their proposed terms.
“There are a few things that I feel Katherine should discuss with them, or at least consider, before agreeing to what they’re saying.” I hand Harry a paper from my briefcase. “Considering Pinnacle Group’s current status in the industry, the demands Acme Intech is making are a little ridiculous. At least a few of them. I’ve highlighted the ones and scribbled my own opinions beside them.”
Harry goes over them and raises his brows. “I think you can leave the second one as is. They have a right to demand a higher cut of the profit if they are the only ones capable of producing the technology. But I do agree with your first point and the other three. They can’t dictate the marketing and to whom their partner company sells the product. Also, they cannot demand a renewed contract once a certain number of sales are made. I think you should head over to Miss Lockhart’s office early and hammer out these details before the meeting.”
I listen to his words attentively. “I was planning to leave in two hours. The others can join me later, but I have to discuss this with Katherine. I just needed your input. I was going to call you last night, but it was quite late.”
Harry’s smile warms. “You can call me any time, Alice. I will always pick up your call, no matter how late it is.”
His words are sweet and inviting, but my heart stays steady. Perhaps seven years ago, when I was more vulnerable, I would have been swayed easily; but now, when a man says nice things to me, neither am I impressed nor does my heart melt. The cynic in me wants to call him a liar.
But Harry is a friend, and he probably meant what he said from the point of view of friendship or as my boss. After all, he has never expressed any feelings for me. It’s just my own assumption that he has them based on how much preferential treatment he gives me.
I choose not to respond to his statement. “But I’m glad I caught you now.”
“I will go talk to the others about this. You have breakfast.” He waves the paper at me before leaving my office.
I sink into my chair. Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to dig up anything on Acme Intech Corporation. Katherine was right; they are very secretive. And their CEO isn’t real. All I had to do was reverse search an image of him to figure out no such man exists. They made up a person out of thin air and put up a fake picture on their website. Why? What are they trying to hide?
It’s true that they only work with a select few companies, and it turns out that those companies are also very selective with their suppliers and distributors. I don’t quite understand. It’s as if there’s an entire network of businesses existing outside of the usual industry networks. They only interact with each other. It makes no sense.
No matter how deep I dug, there was nothing I could uncover about them.
It bothers me. This whole thing bothers me.
I unwrap my sandwich and bite into it before sighing heavily. I’ve already emailed my concerns to Katherine, but going over to her office and discussing them in person is the better option. I know she wants to make an impression, but I don’t want her to be so overeager that she shoots herself in the foot.
I’m draining my coffee by the time Harry returns with more notes scribbled on the paper. I spend the next hour with him as he goes over additional points the partners thought I should consider. By the time we are done, I feel more confident. The truth is that even though I am a good lawyer, I’ve only been in the game for four years. Four years is not enough time to make a mark for yourself in this field. Even if my success rate is indeed high, and I have brought in multiple clients for the firm, I know there’s still a lot that I have to learn. Having somebody like Harry watching over my shoulder comforts me.
Katherine’s office is not far from my own. The only problem is that the rain has worsened. There are dark clouds looming in the sky, and a feeling of foreboding washes over me. But I have a job to do, and I’m not going to let superstitious thoughts worry me.
When I get to her office, my friend is staring at her phone, looking stressed.
“Got a minute?” I knock on her door, and her smile blooms when she sees me.
“Alice! I was just about to call you. They pushed up the meeting! They’ll be here in ten minutes.”
“What?” I stare at her, shocked. “But you said—”
“I just found out. Is everybody else here with you?”
“No. I’ll give them a call.” I quickly take out my phone and call Holly. Relaying my instructions to her, I know my assistant will take care of it. She’ll get everyone here even if she has to drive them herself.
“Relax,” I reassure my friend. “It’s going to be fine. Let’s go to the boardroom, and we’ll talk on the way. There are a few things we need to go over before the meeting starts.”
I can feel how tense Katherine is. This project really means a lot to her. Even more than I thought, apparently.
My team is still on its way when Katherine’s assistant, Brandon, knocks on the door. “The people from Acme Intech Corporation are here, Miss Lockhart.”
Katherine exchanges a nervous look with me before straightening her suit jacket and getting to her feet. “Let them in.”
I stand up, as well.
The door to the boardroom opens, and two men walk in. Alarm bells immediately start going off in my head.
Wolf shifters.
Those are wolf shifters! Dammit!
Suddenly, the whole thing about a selective network begins to make sense to me. This corporation must be owned by a wolf shifter, and they only deal with other wolf shifter companies. No wonder! It’s very rare for shifter-owned businesses to work with human-owned ones.
The two men who enter the boardroom sniff the air discreetly, and their eyes settle on me. I see their interest in me written all over their faces, and I give them a cool look. Even if they recognize what I am, they don’t know who I am. Just because I live in Phoenix, it doesn’t mean every shifter in the city knows I’m here. I know for a fact that my identity was erased from the shifter registry after I disappeared. Mary told me.
It’s not like I haven’t run into shifters in the last seven years. However, with my scent diluted, they usually have a hard time figuring out what I really am.
The taller of the two speaks first. “Miss Lockhart. I’m Mark Turner, and this is Smith Miller.”
He’s speaking to Katherine, but his eyes are fixed on me.
Katherine exchanges polite pleasantries with them as others walk in. There are totally eight people in the room now, and Mark says, “Our CEO is joining us as well. He’ll be here in a minute.”
My own team has not arrived yet, and I’m feeling uneasy. I know Holly will not let me down, but having the people from Acme Intech here already puts us at a disadvantage.
Mark’s eyes keep flicking toward me, and he finally says to Katherine, “You haven’t introduced us to your associate.”
Before Katherine can say anything, the door opens, and all eyes turn toward it.
A man is standing there.
A man far too familiar.
His dark hair is styled into soft curls that give him a distinguished but handsome look. His green eyes, once filled with laughter when looking at me, are cold and empty. Exactly the way they were on that day seven years ago.
When he enters the room, I see the way his body turns stiff. His head turns, and he looks directly at me.
My heart skips a beat, but it’s not out of attraction. It’s fear.
It’s Darian Kassel.