9. Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Anson
" W hat on God's green earth is goin' on, Anson?" Bailey demanded as she barged into my office. "I saw her name as the project manager from Savannah Lace."
I should've warned Bailey, but I hadn't had the time. I had told Alma about seeing Nova at Savannah Lace. She'd asked me not to work with the company and to go back to the firm we usually worked with.
But business was business, and I'd seen the work that Savannah Lace had done with several development companies, and knew they were exactly what Larue Homes needed for Sentinel Heights.
In any case, Nova working with us was not a bug but a feature. I wanted that bitch here.
I approached Bailey and kissed her softly on the mouth. She didn't pull away, but it was close. I realized she was jealous. After all these years, she was still envious of Nova. She'd been devastated when we broke up, and I started dating Nova. She had begged me to take her back. I hadn't, not until recently.
We'd remained friends with benefits, even after Nova, when I had fucked plenty of women with impunity.
Getting engaged to her seemed like a not unpleasant idea.
I didn't love Bailey. I was fond of her for the most part. I knew I'd never love her, not the way I had Nova. But I didn't want to feel like that ever again. Love made you helpless—broke you, destroyed you. Once was enough.
I led Bailey to a chair at the conference table in my office. The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains sprawled out behind her framed by a wall of windows.
She looked at me expectantly, her perfectly manicured hands folded neatly on the table. She had long nails painted fire engine red. She wore a slim black skirt, with a red blouse in the same hue as her nails. Her blonde hair curled around her shoulders. She was slim with decent tits and an ass that she worked hard for in the gym with a personal trainer. She wore black heels that made her look like her legs went all the way up. She looked like she always did. Well put together, elegant, graceful, beautiful, and, I had to admit, boring . She looked like every vapid society wife my peers were married to.
I couldn't help but think about Nova in her dress that cupped her curves. Her ass was round; something you could hold on to. Her tits were luscious. There was something provocatively sensual about her. She looked like a sex goddess without even trying. She'd always had that pin-up girl feel, even when she wore those ugly diner uniforms or shorts and T-shirts that she bought at Salvation Army. But now, there was a polish to her. The way she talked, walked, and carried herself.
Regardless of what I thought of her, my body wanted her.
"Well?" Bailey coaxed.
I took a deep breath, steadying myself, before laying out the plan that had been consuming my thoughts ever since I asked Nina to have Nova project manage Sentinel Heights.
"Darlin', first things first. You don't need to be insecure about Nova King."
She scoffed. "I'm not insecure. I'm livid. She's a slut and a thief, and I don't trust her to run one of our largest projects."
Our? Hell, she was thinking she was a Larue, and she wasn't. Not until we were married.
"I trust Nina Davenport," I remarked lightly. I didn't like her insinuation that I wouldn't do right by Larue Homes. She worked for me, yes, but she didn't have the right to question me.
I'd just had a conversation with the head of construction on my team to let him know that Bailey would be running the Sentinel Heights project. I had run my mouth off to Nova when I said she'd have to work with Bailey—I'd done it because I knew that would sting. Alma and Bailey, I knew, had made Nova's life miserable in high school. Then, I'd been disappointed with their mean girl behavior; now, I was going to use it to my advantage.
I knew that none of the people on my team would raise an eyebrow at my giving my inexperienced fiancée such a big project. They trusted me and knew that I wouldn't give Bailey this responsibility if I didn't believe she could do it.
The truth was that I knew this was too big a project for her. But I had no intention of letting her run this on her own. I'd be there with her every step of the way, well, until I exposed the real Nova to her new friends and colleagues.
Bailey's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion crossing her face. "I don't understand why she has to run this from their end?"
"I asked for her to be the project manager for Sentinel Heights," I said, watching her reaction closely.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you do that? After everything that happened?"
"Exactly because of everything that happened," I replied, leaning back. "This is my chance to finally expose her for who she is."
Bailey shook her head. "Anson, why not just let her go? I mean—"
"No," I gritted out. "She's working for Nina, and there's no fuckin' way I'm goin' to leave that snake there."
There was more to it than that. I wanted my revenge.
"I just…." Bailey sighed. "I just don't want her around you."
"I can handle her," I assured Bailey.
She closed her eyes. "You…were so upset after all that happened with her, Anson. You joined the military, for the love of everythin' holy. I don't want to—"
"That was a long time ago. Then, I'd been heartbroken. Trust me, I just want to protect Nina, and maybe I want some payback for myself."
Bailey looked perturbed.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?"
She shrugged. "I don't trust her. I think she's going to cause trouble with lies, and…just…I don't want her here, Anson."
"It's not your call, Bailey."
"Is that why you gave this project to me?" she demanded.
I grinned. "Yes. You have a problem with that?"
Her eyes widened, and then her lips curved slyly. "You have a plan, don't you."
"I'm going to make it damn easy for Nova to embezzle funds from Larue Homes. With her in a position of control over the finances for the project, I'm certain she'll take the bait."
Bailey frowned. "What if she doesn't? What if she's become smarter?"
"I'll make it as tempting as possible for her. She's a thief, Bailey; she won't be able to resist it." But what if she did? What would that mean? It would mean nothing. It would mean that she was, as Bailey suggested, smart enough not to steal from me again.
"We can also make it look like she's embezzling," Bailey offered.
I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not going to have to frame her, darlin'."
"But what if—"
"No," I said emphatically. I might make it easy for Nova to steal from me, but I wasn't going to corrupt myself for the sake of revenge.
"Okay, fine." She threw her hands up. "How are you plannin' to do this? It's risky. We could lose money."
There she went with the we .
"A series of fail-safes are already in place," I explained. "We'll make sure the financial records are accessible to Nova but with a twist—anytime she touches anything, it will leave a neon-blazing digital trail that leads back to her. She'll have rights to transfer funds, and we'll monitor every move she makes."
Bailey nodded slowly, starting to see the picture. "So, we wait for her to take the bait?"
"We have regular audits set up already, and if something is amiss, we'll know," I said, a hard edge creeping into my voice. "And if she's responsible, the trail will lead directly to Nova. She won't have a leg to stand on, and we'll have undeniable proof to put her behind bars."
Bailey smiled, a glint of approval in her eyes. "But, Anson, I ask again, what if she doesn't take the bait?"
I steepled my hands, a cold determination settling over me. "She will."
Bailey reached across the table, placing her hand over mine. "You're sure about this?"
"I'm sure," I replied firmly. "Nova needs to pay for what she did, and this time, she will finally get what she deserves."
"Why do you care so much?" Bailey pursed her lips. "Why, Anson? Do you still have feelings for her?"
I stroked the eight-carat engagement ring she wore, the one she chose. I didn't have my grandma's ring anymore, but even if I did, I wouldn't have given it to Bailey. I didn't probe too deeply as to why that was.
"I do have feelings for Nova, Bailey, and they all have to do with hate and disgust."
Bailey squeezed my hand, a conspiratorial smile spreading across her face. "You know I'm with you always."
"Thanks, darlin'. Now, let's go through the project brief." I looked at my watch. "Nova is going to be here to meet the team. I want you to run the meeting. I'll be there, but you take point."
Her eyes flashed something nasty—reminding me of the spoiled girl she was. "Oh, don't you worry about that."
Poor Nova, I thought smugly; Bailey was going to fuck with her, but good.
A part of me resented that. No one should fuck with Nova but me. I didn't know where this feeling of protectiveness came from. I detested the woman, didn't I?