Chapter 41
***Aggie***
I strode into the executive floor of TGC with one purpose and one purpose alone. Find them. A receptionist stood up as she saw me and clutched her pearls. I didn’t stop as I moved past her.
“Ma’am? Ma’am! You can’t go in there!” She rushed after me, her heels slowing her down on the carpeted floor. “Stop her!”
Moving past the clueless man she’d directed to stop me, I marched towards Zander’s office. I was halfway down the hall when a hand grabbed my arm. I spun on whoever had the nerve to grab me and came face to face with another security guard. Unfortunately for him, I’d hit my limit of being passive.
“Let go of me right now or I’ll make you wish you’d been born a woman. I’m not here for you.” I spit the words out through clenched teeth and yanked my arm away hard enough to surprise the large man. He stumbled forward a step and I yanked hard again, freeing myself while he tried not to fall.
I looked up as I prepared to continue my search and locked eyes with Zander.
A jolt of pain threatened to take me down, but all I had to do was replay Gracie’s screams to gather my strength.
Standing inside a conference room at the head of the table, Zander stared at me through the clear glass separating us.
His face hardened by the time I got inside and stood at the other end of the table.
“You need to leave, right now.” His voice was gravel and the look on his face promised war if I didn’t listen.
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t afraid of him. I looked around at the suited men gathered at the table. Another jolt of pain struck me when I saw Kyrin and Knight at the seats on either side of Zander. “I think we should do this alone, don’t you?”
Zander glanced behind me and shook his head. “No, gentlemen. I think we’ll hear Miss Young out. After all, she came in so prepared.”
I could feel people behind me and knew without looking that security had caught up to me. I listened to a few of the men snicker at Zander’s joke and moved closer to the table. “Alone.”
Zander casually sank into his chair and steepled his fingers in front of his chest. “No.”
Pain warred with anger as I stared down at my feet and realized they were bare. Letting out a bitter laugh, I looked back up at the three men I’d given too much of myself to. “They dragged me out without shoes.”
“Forgive us if we don’t cry for you.” Knight stared at me with disgust all over his face. “You’ve come to the wrong place if you’re expecting pity, Aggie.”
“I don’t expect anything from you anymore. I know better. You’ve shown me that I was an idiot for even thinking for one second that any of you had hearts. You want to know what just happened? Because of your orders, Mr. Graves?”
Zander sighed like he was bored. “They were my orders. I think I know what happened.”
“Then your security team told you that Gracie saw them carrying me out? They told you that instead of stopping and letting me explain to her that things were okay, they ignored her. They told you that she threw herself at me and screamed like her life depended on it? They fucking told you that Olivia and one of your goons yanked her off me and dragged her away while she screamed and cried? Did they fucking tell you that you just scarred your niece and left her in pain because you’re all cowards?
” I sucked in a sharp breath. “They pried her fingers off of my legs, one by one, and I could see her nails breaking, you fucking assholes!
“You didn’t have to do that. I’m an adult and I can handle being rejected.
If only you three had searched your tiny little balls for one ounce of courage to kick me out in person, Gracie wouldn’t be traumatized at seeing someone she loves dragged away like a common criminal.
I thought you were different. I thought I knew you.
You’re even worse than Monroe, though. You didn’t just hurt me. ”
“How much did you get paid for fucking us, Miss Young? Other than what we paid you, I mean.” Zander stood up and braced his hands on the table, leaning into his own anger.
I shook my head and screwed up my nose. “Are you serious? Are you really asking me that? Do you think that pretending I was a whore will make your conscience clean?”
“Who’s pretending?” He looked around the table and then back at me. “She’s expensive, but I can’t say she isn’t good, gentlemen.”
I stumbled back a step. “Why would you say that? Have you felt this way about me the whole time? I don’t fucking get it, Zander. I don’t understand what happened.”
Knight stood up. “You’re just going to stand there and act innocent?”
I held my arms out. “What do you want me to say? I didn’t leave fast enough? I thought bad thoughts about the new nanny? I don’t know what you think I’m guilty of!”
“You’re a good liar, Aggie.” Kyrin laughed. “Blake should be careful with you. I can’t imagine you staying loyal to him if a bigger fish came along.”
The wheels in my brain turned slowly, too bogged down with sorrow. “You...you think I’m still with Monroe? After being with you for a month, giving you everything, you still think I’m some kind of spy?”
Zander slammed his hand on the table. “Look around you, Aggie! This is damage control because we fucked Blake’s plaything and let you get too close!
That information you took? It wasn’t enough to take us down, but you tried, didn’t you?
No wonder you were so upset about Olivia coming early.
You needed more time to finish stealing from us, didn’t you? ”
I shook my head. “What are you talking about? I didn’t take any information. I’ve been babysitting for a month.”
“Just stop lying. I don’t want to hear anything else.
When you crawl back to Blake’s tonight, let him know this stunt did nothing.
All he did was give us three holes to fuck for a month.
And now we’ve taken everything we could ever want from you.
” Zander sat back in his chair and sighed.
“You’re dismissed, Miss Young. None of us are interested in what you have to offer. ”
The backs of my eyes burned and I dug my nails into my palms, fighting the tears. “I didn’t do what you’re accusing me of.”
“Blake told us everything!” Knight walked away from the table, obviously finished with me.
The dots slowly started to connect in my head. “Monroe talked to you. And you believed him.”
“We’ve been over this.” Zander’s voice was lower as he stared at me. “It’s done.”
I felt wetness on my cheeks and wiped my face quickly.
More tears came, my pain too defeating. “Monroe Blake, your biggest competition, told you things about me and you believed him...I guess you never really cared about me. You kicked me out so easily and so quickly came to the conclusion that I’m a useless whore.
Without ever talking to me to find out if it was true. ”
The room had grown increasingly silent and uncomfortable as my tears continued to fall. I eventually gave up fighting them and stared at them through blurry eyes.
“I didn’t do anything to hurt any of you.
I would never do anything to hurt you. It doesn’t matter, though.
” I forced a smile through my pain and held up my hands.
“All that matters is that you think I did. You don’t know me.
You met my dad, met my family, and learned all my secrets.
None of it was enough to show you who I am, though, because you were never interested.
I’ll admit it. You three finally gave me a problem I can’t work out. ”
A security guard behind me gently took my arm and spoke to me softly. “Ma’am? Let’s get you out of here.”
I nodded at him but looked back at the guys one more time. “Whatever you tell Gracie about me, I want you to know that I love that little girl. Remember that when you tell her whatever you tell her to make your actions okay.”
The security guard offered me a pack of tissues as he led me out of the room. “We could probably find you some shoes somewhere.”
I laughed humorlessly. “It’s okay. Everything I own in the world is in trash bags in my car. There’s got to be shoes in one of the bags.”