Chapter 41
Gabriella
I wondered how many times I would be able to endure Chandler walking away from me, but this was the last time.
As painful as it was, I tried not to let my hurt show.
I couldn’t give him that satisfaction, no matter what we shared this afternoon together.
He had tried to hurt my father and his company, and in doing so, he hurt me.
And for what? Because his pride was too hurt?
Revenge? I thought I mattered more to him.
I wiped at my cheek, tears now falling as I looked at the closed door he had just walked out of.
He hadn’t even tried to defend himself, or maybe I hadn’t given him the chance to.
All I saw was red when I looked at him. He knew how much this company meant to me and now it was being torn apart by the SEC all because of him.
The first thing he did when I left the office was bring in his own team of accountants to dig into my father’s company.
I couldn’t understand why, and was finding myself irritated that he had found something.
Something big. I shouldn’t be irritated.
Someone was stealing from my father, and Chandler was onto them.
Whoever them was. I wished ignorance was bliss in this situation, but I had to find out who was responsible.
I cleaned myself up, wiping the salty tears from my face and tucking my hair behind my ears.
If I wasn’t a mess already, me crying like a baby while I hid in Chandler’s old office wasn’t helping.
I kept getting flashbacks of what went on between us here in this office, but quickly pushed them away.
It was over now. It had ended as quickly as we gave it the chance to begin.
My heart felt like it had cracked down the middle, but I had to move on. At least for right now.
I opened the office door and peered down either side of the hallway, but there was no sign of Chandler among the sea of SEC agents who were carelessly continuing their ransack.
I glared at each one of them as I walked back to the conference room, putting on my best game face as I stepped inside.
My father was rubbing his temples as his attorney spoke quietly to him.
“Could you give us a minute?” I interrupted, gesturing toward the door.
His attorney looked at my father for permission, who in return gave him a single nod.
I sat beside my father and waited until we were alone, the click of the door sounding behind his attorney.
I took my father’s hands and held them tightly in mine.
He looked so lost. So childlike. It was so different from the father I knew. I knew I had to be strong for him.
“I’m so sorry for what Chandler did. He’s gone now. He won’t be back,” I said firmly.
My father’s eyes were wary. We hadn’t talked about Chandler since our big fight, and I hated to bring him up now, but I wanted him to know we were done. At least it could be one thing that eased his mind.
“I don’t know who is doing this, but I am going to find out,” I said insistently. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get to the bottom of this.”
“It’s a shitshow, Gabriella…” he started.
“I don’t care, Dad. I want to help. I want to save the company. Please.”
He sighed and looked down at our hands still weaved together.
“If we don’t figure out who is doing this, I’m afraid there won’t be a company to save.”
I swallowed hard at that, realizing everything he had built could be gone just like that. It wasn’t right.
“We will, Dad. Everything will be okay.”
“I’m not so sure.” He shook his head, his glassy brown eyes looking at me. “If we don’t, the SEC will tie up all our assets. As owner and now acting CEO, I’ll be the one to go down with the ship.”
“You won’t,” I said, squeezing his hand.
He was right, though. Now that Chandler was no longer CEO, my father had to step in.
How ideal for Chandler to step away before the shit hit the fan.
The shit that he had caused. Even though he wasn’t the one who had been stealing from the company, he did something unforgivable.
He could have at least given my father a chance to look into things internally, but he just had to get his last dig in.
“I’m going to go grab some files that haven’t been seized yet and we are going to start poring through them, okay? I don’t care how long it takes. We will stay here all night. All tomorrow. We are going to find this asshole and make them pay, okay?”
My father chuckled. It was like music to my ears.
“There’s my fiery girl,” he said, a hint of a smile reaching his lips.
I smiled back before getting up and heading back into the hallway to find anything that might help us that wasn’t already in the hands of the SEC. I motioned for his attorney to come back in, knowing we would need his help through this.
I was able to find a few boxes in storage that the SEC hadn’t gotten to yet.
They had left around 5 p.m., promising to return the next day and warning us not to do anything questionable.
I knew our time was limited. My father and I went through the files, carefully inspecting each one.
Looking for anything suspicious. As much as I hated to admit it, it would have been nice to have Chandler’s accounting firm here.
They were the ones who had found the discrepancy in the first place.
“I’m getting hungry,” said my father, leaning back in his chair and patting his belly.
“Want me to order Chinese?” I asked, glad that he had an appetite. It looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.
“That sounds perfect.”
“Egg rolls coming right up,” I said with a grin as I pulled out my phone and dialed the Chinese restaurant down the block. After placing our order, I hung up and found my father looking at me.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?” I asked.
“Taking care of me.”
“Of course. You’re my father.” I shrugged as if it were obvious.
It didn’t matter that we were in one of the biggest arguments of our lives, I still loved him.
I still cared for him. It was why the past few months had been so difficult.
Ever since he announced Chandler as CEO, leaving me questioning everything, things had been rocky.
They only got worse when he found out about Chandler and me sleeping together, and the baby.
The baby.
My stomach churned with unease. Hours ago, I had thought I had everything figured out for my future.
For the baby’s future. I had actually been excited, feeling hopeful for the first time since finding out.
Now, I was back to being alone and facing raising my baby as a single mother.
What Chandler and I had was fleeting. A flicker of what could have been, and now it was gone as quickly as someone blowing out a candle.
“And you’re my daughter,” said my father, reaching his hand to my face and stroking it gently with my thumb.
“I’m sorry things have been so weird between us,” I said remorsefully.
“I am, too,” he said.
“I hope you know that I never meant to disappoint you. That’s the last thing I would ever want to do. I’ve spent my whole life just trying to make you proud…” I said, my voice cracking slightly.
“You have, Gabriella. You have.”
I should have pressed him right then about why he had chosen Chandler over me, as he had never given me a solid answer, but it was over with.
It didn’t seem to matter now. Not when everything was falling apart.
Chandler was gone now. My resentment toward him had no merit anymore, at least in terms of him taking the job I wanted.
“Now that Chandler is gone,” I said, trying not to choke on my words.
“If we do get this figured out, if we do save the company, I can’t be in charge, Dad,” I said.
I didn’t even know if it was a possibility anymore, or if he was still reluctant to let me be his successor for whatever reason, but I had to tell him.
He raised a surprised brow as he studied my face.
“I know he will need a replacement, but it can’t be me. As much as being CEO of your legacy has been all I’ve wanted. All I’ve worked for. I can’t do it.” I shook my head, and the words hurt me more than I expected them to. It was like watching a dream fly away.
He tilted his head curiously, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath, afraid to deliver the next words.
“I’m keeping the baby,” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. “I can’t commit to the company when I have a baby to raise.”
He took a deep breath and gave a single nod as he sat back in his chair.
I couldn’t read him. Was he angry? Sad? In shock?
Whatever he was feeling, I was still glad the words were out.
I had been wanting to tell him more about the baby ever since I knew I was going to continue with my journey of becoming a mother, but since things were so tense, I hadn’t. But I needed my father.
“You’re keeping it…” he said, more of a statement than a question.
“Mhmm. And I know what you’re thinking. That I’m crazy and irresponsible and throwing my life away—”
“I’m not thinking that,” he interrupted.
“Y-you’re not?” I asked, surprised.
He shook his head and smiled, blowing out a breath through his lips. “I’m going to be a grandfather,” he said in quiet awe.
I laughed out loud, unable to hold it in.
“That’s right,” I said.
He grinned at me, excitement shining in his eyes. It filled my heart with so much joy, when it had been filled with so much dread over this moment.
“At least in all this mess, something good is coming out of it,” he said, looking at the piles of paperwork surrounding us. “An unexpected silver lining.”
I remembered the ultrasound photo in my purse and fished it out. I looked at it before turning to my father. “Do you want to see your grandbaby?”
His eyes widened and he nodded eagerly.
“I went to the doctor this morning…” I held out the photo.
His hand shook slightly as he took it and brought it closed to his face to get a better look.
“Wow,” he whispered. “That’s my grandbaby…”
He wiped a tear from his cheek and I choked on a happy sob.
“I heard the heartbeat and everything,” I said emotionally.
“And all is okay? All is good?” he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
“Mhmm.” I nodded.
He let out a sigh of relief as he set the glossy photo on the table, amongst the headache of papers and numbers and accounts. It really was a silver lining in all this mess. I looked down at it fondly.
“You’re going to be a wonderful mother, Gabriella,” he said, reaching for my hand.
I hadn’t realized I was crying. “I’m going to try…”
“And Chandler?” he asked curiously.
I shook my head sadly. I swore I saw disappointment in his eyes, but he blinked it away as quickly.
“Well, I’m here for you. Always.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
Little did he know that those simple words filled my unsure heart with so much ease.