Chapter 11 – James
JAMES
“Well, there’s good news and bad news,” Sharmi says as she projects her laptop display onto the conference room projector. Clips of headlines from various news outlets flash onto the screen. I cringe, seeing my personal life projected onto a screen.
At least it’s a small screen. Since I’m meeting only with a few members of my inner circle, we’re able to use one of the smallest conference rooms. Apart from Sharmi, as head of PR, and Jack, my personal lawyer, I also invited Roger Lin, one of the most powerful members of Sequel’s board, and the only one I respect on a personal level.
Other than my friends, these three are the only ones I trust to keep all sensitive information about my contract marriage under wraps.
“The good news is that the vast majority of the media coverage of your wedding has been positive,” Sharmi says. “This typifies a lot of the feedback I’m seeing.”
She presses a button and shows a screenshot of a comment reading, They only had a couple of people there and it wasn't too big or fancy. That's how you know it's real. They did it for themselves.
“Your small ceremony added a sheen of authenticity to the marriage, which the public has responded to. There’s also been a lot of positive commentary about you donating the money from the photos to the Walsh Foundation,” she adds.
I grunt. The positive public comments are all well and good, but we all know that we're here to discuss the bad news, not the good news. “And the article in Toronto Tea?”
“Taken down. They folded after our lawyers got to them,” Sharmi says.
I cross my arms. “We need to figure out who Peppermint is and how they’re getting this information.”
“Not just to prevent other leaks,” Jack points out. “The contract you and Victor signed demands a heavy fee for whichever side leaked the information. Even if it was accidental, if it came from someone at Sequel, Victor could demand the money. It would make things messy—legally and personally.”
My mouth tightens into a scowl. He’s right. The money doesn’t concern me, but I doubt Maura would be happy if I countersued her father. No matter how strained their relationship, they have decades of shared experience. She’s known me for less than a month.
“Can’t you talk to Nate Walsh?” Roger suggests. “His security company has to have the names for the top PIs in the city. We can send a fleet of them after Peppermint.”
I make a note on my laptop. “Yes. I’ll contact him.”
“You’re not the only one Peppermint slandered,” Jack says. “I’ll talk to the lawyers I know who specialize in libel. There might be other victims out there with Peppermint in their crosshairs. I’ll see if there’s a suit we can jump on.”
“Good. Meanwhile, talk to every media source you have,” I tell Sharmi. “Find out if there are any rumors circulating about Peppermint or any other writers at the Toronto Tea.”
“I’ll pull every string,” she assures me. “For now, though, our team has also been able to wipe any screenshots of the article off the major messaging boards. The only people who are talking about it have to quote it from memory, and there are inconsistencies.”
“What are they saying?” Jack asks.
Sharmi’s eyes dart over to me. For the first time, I see a flash of concern on her face. “There's a lot of concern about Maura’s well-being. People are afraid that she's been forced into something that she wasn't able to consent to. They believe that you manipulated her.”
She says it quickly, like she wants to get it out before it can upset me. I quickly assure her, “The public already thinks I'm a villain. It can't get that much worse.”
“It can if they call for a boycott,” Jack points out. “The board won’t like that.”
“What’s the board saying?” I ask Roger.
“Most of them haven’t even heard about the article,” he says with a shrug.
“They don’t spend too much time trafficking in online gossip.
The ones who have heard about the contract aren’t bothered.
The way they see it, you did what you had to do to make the deal with Pages happen.
That makes their pocketbooks thicker, so they’re happier. ”
“What are they saying about the child-bearing part of the contract?” Sharmi asks.
“Honestly? They don’t find it all that strange. Lots of our board members are worried about their own legacies. They think James and Victor came to a practical arrangement about their heirs. I even heard one board member say she wished she had locked down James for her own daughter.”
Roger and Sharmi laugh, but Jack frowns.
“It's not just the board or the public that matters,” Jack says. “Have you thought about how this all looks to Maura?”
I frown. “Maura signed the contract. She assured me she wanted it.”
“Still, it can’t be easy for her to be under so much scrutiny. Don't you think it'll bother your wife to hear people talking about her like this?”
“I’ll talk to her.” I suspect Maura will avoid reading anything the tabloids have to say about our marriage. Still, I should make sure it hasn’t rattled her.
Jack sighs. “I just can’t stop thinking about your parents, James. When they came up with the idea for Sequel, they wanted it to have a heart and soul. It wasn’t about profit for them. Do you really think they’d approve of all this?”
Cold resentment slithers into my chest. It’s so easy for Jack to drag up the ghosts of my parents, threatening me with their imaginary disapproval.
Words bubble up in response—bitter, hateful words I don’t want to let escape my mouth.
My parents didn’t have to actually build the business.
They didn’t have to answer to a board demanding profits.
They had no idea of the compromises they’d have to make to grow Sequel into what it is.
My mother’s face flashes into my mind, sweet, smiling, loving. The corners of her lips turn down when she hears that I agreed to marry a near-stranger just to grow the company.
I shake my head, forcing the image away. There’s no way to know what Mom would have thought about my choices.
“Maura consented to the contract,” I tell Jack coolly. “So did I. That’s all there is to say.”
He tilts his head in silent acknowledgment.
I’ve seen Ryan make the exact same expression, whenever we agreed to disagree about something.
It’s hard to believe they’re still not talking to each other, that the man urging me to think about what would make my parents happy won’t acknowledge the relationship that makes his own son happy.
Sharmi clears her throat. “So the priority is still on finding Peppermint and preventing further leaks. Once we’ve done that, we can focus on the partnership with Pages.”
“Good.” I push my chair back and stand. “If there’s no other business, let’s call this early. Report to me immediately with any news.”
Nodding to Sharmi and Roger, I stride out of the room before Jack can say anything else.
I have too much to do to let him fill my head with doubts.