23. Addison
23
ADDISON
“I t’s true, unfortunately,” Maxwell said, his hand coming to lazily bring the coffee cup up to his lips as he looked at the vast backyard on Warren’s property.
My eyes followed his to the fountain where two birds sat, chirping at each other. One jumped into the water, splashing the other, who let out a squawk and flew away.
I pressed my lips into a thin line and gripped my own mug. It was filled with a green tea I’d found in one of Warren’s vast shelves, but it had long since gone cold.
I hadn’t expected Warren to accept my request to talk to Maxwell, even though he was the one to suggest it in the first place. I felt like there were things that we just shouldn’t talk about. This being one of them.
But I had been so taken aback by his admission of what my father was truly doing at those charity events that I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed answers.
I was supposed to be here to avenge him, but it seemed like I was opening the door to something I wasn’t sure I wanted to know instead.
“I thought you said my dad smelled bullshit?” I said, turning back to him.
“He did, but that didn’t stop my dad. He heard your father talking about marrying you off, so he offered me up.”
I gritted my teeth, unsure what to say.
“I’m sorry,” I muttered.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, Addi,” he said. “There was so much around your father, his reputation, his company. It wasn’t fair that it all fell on you. You didn’t deserve all this.”
My eyes stung with unshed tears.
“You talk like you know me.” I couldn’t keep the venom out of my voice.
He finally turned to me, giving me a sad smile.
“Don’t I?” he questioned, raising a brow. “I am you, Addi. We grew up pretty much the same way. The only difference is that I caught my dad before Warren did.”
Wait, what?
“Your dad?” I tried to search my brain for any info on his father, but I came up blank.
He nodded and pursed his lips, my guess deciding on how much he wanted to tell me.
“He tried to cut costs… dangerously. Scammed people out of their money. Took some bribes, offered some. Almost all at the expense of his own company.”
“Sterling Enterprises has a pristine reputation,” I said. That much I knew. A conglomerate that was involved in everything from automotive to computer chips. They were a safe bet in the stock market and had never once been in a scandal—that I knew of.
Maxwell gave me a large smile that had a sliver of fear running up my spine. “Because I took out the trash.”
He said it so coolly I had to take a moment and sip my tea to compose myself.
Just like Warren, Maxwell seemed to have become even more bloodthirsty with age.
“I’m guessing your relationship with your father isn’t that great,” I offered.
“Not everyone can turn a blind eye to what their parents are doing.”
I placed my cup a bit too harshly down on the table between us.
“My father was a good man.” Anger threaded my voice.
“Was he, really? Or was he just good to you ?” he spat. “Don’t forget you just found out eight years after his death that he was trying to sell you to marry someone for corporate gain.”
I clamped my mouth shut, my nails digging into the glass.
It stung, but he was right .
“What else can you tell me about my father, then? Since you know so much?”
I meant to hurt him, but all I managed to do was make him smirk.
“Just that the rumors aren’t all that wrong,” he said. “Have you ever even bothered checking them instead of dismissing them right away?”
My back went ramrod straight.
There were just so many… horrible ones. I couldn’t even bring myself to read about it.
“Alec Mercer caught stealing money from employees and laundering it overseas!”
“Mercer caught lining his pockets with his employees’ medical deductions!”
“Savvy businessman or felon?”
I told Dad not to listen to them. After all… They were just too cruel for someone like him, right?
Maybe he had misplaced some money. Corporate greed was a thing, but my dad was someone who couldn’t even hurt a fly, let alone do the things the newspapers accused him of.
“If it makes you feel better… he did love you,” Maxwell said. “That was clear. But that didn’t mean he was a good person. Objectively, that might have actually made him the worst.”
This time, I couldn’t bring myself to react and just leaned back into the seat, my energy gone.
“Thanks for confirming about the marriage thing.” My tone was defeated.
Maxwell stood, fixing his suit.
“Anytime, Addi. If you need me to reach out to a few others to corroborate my claims, let me know.”
My gut turned to stone.
There were more.
Of course there were.
Having to sit next to another person confirming my worst fears about my father sounded like a fucking nightmare, but his sureness meant he was telling the truth.
“No, thank you, but… How many were there?”
He walked by me, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Do you really want to know?”
No. But somehow, I feel like I needed to. At least to get this over with.
“Yes.”
“I personally know four, but I estimate he offered you to not less than fifteen people, considering his connections before his death.”
I let out a sigh. Maxwell squeezed my shoulder before letting go.
“One more thing, though,” he said. “Most of them were made after he was in hot water.”
That knocked the air out of my chest.
He tried to sell me to save himself.
“Thank you,” I forced out.
“Take care, Addi.”
He left without looking back, and I could finally let my tears fall. With shaky hands, I grabbed my phone and typed in Alec Mercer into Google.
The first link that came up was the New York Times post about his downfall.
I kept scrolling, looking at all the headlines. All the ones detailing him stealing money. Taking advantage of his employees.
I didn’t dare click on any of them. The tears were filling my eyes at such a rapid pace that after a few scrolls I couldn’t read any of them anymore.
I placed my phone face down on my lap, sitting there in my sadness.
Fuck. Just one look. Read just one of them.
Picking my phone up, my fingers hovered over a link.
Do it. Just fucking do it already.
Warren’s warm hand was suddenly on mine, pushing the phone down.
I turned to him, my arms wrapping around his waist.
I led him on last night. I made him think he had me, only to turn him away. And somehow, he’s still here. Like he knew I needed him.
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” I said, my voice muffled by his torso. “I’m going crazy.”
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and we just stayed there while he held me. He didn’t call me out on it. He didn’t say anything.
Minutes went by until he finally asked, “So you’re saying I need to fire Maxwell for hurting my prized possession, hm?”
I was grateful for the levity. And as much as I didn’t want to be owned, Warren calling me prized sent butterflies racing through my belly.
“Can we just… go somewhere?”
Meaning, I want to get away from all of this, and hopefully while we’re out, you’ll finally fuck me and make me forget everything.
“Luckily for you, we have a business trip.”