23. Byron Graham
23
BYRON GRAHAM
“I brought pizza and beer!” Kaylan exclaimed as soon as I opened the door.
It may have been the first time I’d smiled in a week.
My former coworker held up a six-pack of a local brew and what looked to be a large pizza that smelled fucking divine.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as I stepped back to let him in into my apartment. It was Monday—a full week since my inglorious firing—and he should’ve been in the office right now dealing with the phones, reports, and whatever the chairman needed him for.
“The chairman felt sorry for me and gave me a three-day weekend after the shit storm that was last week.”
I winced at Kaylan as I shut the door. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m blaming Sebastian for this nightmare, and I am cooking up plans for how I’m going to torment him when he returns to the office.”
For a full minute, I let myself daydream about all the ways that Kaylan could fuck up Sebastian’s day and make his work hell, but then the minute was over, and I came to my senses. “No, don’t.”
Kaylan swung around, his eyes wide enough to roll right out of his head. “Are you shitting me? You don’t want me to get even? Just a little torture? Wait! Are you still dating?”
Talking to Kaylan could be a roller-coaster ride at times. He had this fantastic way of firing questions at you faster than a machine gun spit out bullets, and he’d change topics midstream.
With a grunt, I took the pizza and beer from him and nudged him toward the futon. “Sit. No, we’re not dating…technically…I think. We’re…on a break, I guess. I need some time to get my bearings. Besides, regardless of what’s happening between Sebastian and me, you can’t be unprofessional at work. You’re better than that.”
“He’s not,” Kaylan muttered under his breath, and his sense of loyalty was touching.
“Sebastian was. Mostly,” I corrected him. “What happened between us was unprofessional, but the personal side all occurred outside the office.”
Mostly.
I’d never gotten to fulfill my fantasy of giving him a blowjob in his office or having him fuck me on his desk, but that was for the best.
“How did you even find out where I live?” I asked, trying to get us off the topic of Sebastian and Courtland Enterprises for a second.
Now it was Kaylan’s turn to wince as he opened the box holding the beers. He handed me one and offered an apologetic smile. “So, I might have gone begging to Janice for it. I told her I’d been unable to contact you, and I was worried. That I just wanted to check on you. Are you mad? I would have asked you, but you’ve always been so private, I was afraid that you wouldn’t tell me.”
How could I be angry with him? It didn’t sound like Sebastian had put him up to it, and Kaylan had always been such a good friend to me in the office. The only reason I would have avoided telling him was out of shame for my place, but sitting there with him as I opened a beer, it didn’t feel like it mattered.
“No, I’m not pissed. I’m touched that you were worried about me.”
“Of course! I loved working with you, and how things went down was fucking wrong.”
“How’s morale in the office?”
Kaylan shrugged one shoulder as he grabbed a slice of pizza loaded with toppings. “Not great. Everyone is worried about earnings and if there are going to be layoffs this winter. Of course, there’s the thing with you and Sebastian. Last week was rough. I’m kind of hoping that things improve this week after everyone has time over the weekend to chill.”
I took a big bite of pizza and moaned. To make my money stretch, I’d already slashed my meager food budget to the essentials. A greasy, hot pizza loaded with meat and veggies was just the thing I needed to fill my stomach.
“However, Mr. Courtland is planning to announce later this week that they are going to implement your proposal to improve earnings and save jobs. They’ve still got one new product they are planning a big splash for, but he said that he thinks your proposal is brilliant and will save the company even without the new product.”
The bite of pizza was forgotten in my mouth for a moment as I struggled to digest what Kaylan had said.
“Really? He told you that?”
Kaylan nodded. “He did, and it wasn’t Sebastian pitching it to his dad. Declan Foster and a bunch of the other executive VPs all pushed it. They’re excited about your plan.”
Wow…
Just…fucking wow.
More than anything, it showed my termination wasn’t personal if he was willing to hang the company’s future on my plan and that so many people supported it. Now, if I could get someone to admit that during a reference call, I’d be golden.
“How are things with you?” Kaylan asked as he snagged another slice of pizza.
I shoved to my feet and went to the kitchen to grab a hand towel for us to share. “It’s about as good as you would expect. The job market isn’t all that great right now. I’ve sent out about twenty résumés so far, but I’ve heard nothing back.”
“Yeah, but it’s too early. It takes forever for those big companies to work through the stack of résumés and then send the ones that meet the qualifications to the manager and then the manager has to go through them. You’ll start hearing from people later this week.”
The smile that grew on my lips felt so damned forced. I knew Kaylan was trying to help, but the idea of waiting and not knowing was the worst part. Plus, most of these enormous companies were using algorithms and AI to weed through applicants. There was no telling if my application was getting through the AI sorting or if I was being rejected before a human even saw my qualifications.
Thankfully, Kaylan was good at reading people and wandered off to a new topic. This one was the more enjoyable random gossip he still heard, despite being on the top floor. Unlike me, he was always smart enough to make a trip to the coffee cart in the first-floor lobby at lunch and always volunteered to deliver random documents and other things to the various other departments. He said it was to “stretch his legs” but I knew it was his chance to chat with other departments and get all the good tea.
While we talked, we polished off half the pizza and a couple of beers a piece. I was debating another slice when there was a knock at my door. I looked at my companion and raised one eyebrow.
“No clue. I didn’t tell anyone I was coming here,” Kaylan said.
I answered the door and was floored again, but not in a good way.
“Mr. Stern, this is a surprise,” I choked out. The Courtland family lawyer was standing in my hallway. Jacob Stern had appeared in the office here and there to deal with some personal legal matters for Sebastian over the years. We’d exchanged pleasantries, and I’d fixed him some coffee, but that was the extent of our interactions.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Graham. I hope I’m not disturbing you. If you have a moment, I’d like to discuss some legal matters.”
“Um…sure,” I said, fighting the urge to mumble as the pizza I’d eaten now churned in my stomach. I stepped aside and waved him to enter. “Mr. Stern, I don’t know if you’ve met Kaylan Baumgartner. He is Sebastian Courtland’s executive assistant now.”
Kaylan jumped to his feet and stiffened, going from relaxed and easygoing to prim and proper in a flash.
Jacob smiled at Kaylan. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced, but I believe I’ve seen you in the office. A pleasure, Mr. Baumgartner.”
They shook hands while I hastily gathered up the box of remaining pizza and the box holding the last two unopened beers.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch, gentlemen, but I have two small matters the Courtland family has asked me to discuss with you.”
Kaylan took a step away and pointed at the door. “I’ll get out of your hair then. I’m sure you want to discuss this in private.”
“No!” The word leaped from my tongue. I had a dark suspicion of what one of those issues might be and I wanted a witness here with me, someone who at least had my back. I cleared my throat and forced a grin for my friend. “Could you stay? Please?”
“Yeah, sure. Of course.”
No one said anything for several minutes as the lawyer perched his old bones on the edge of my futon and awkwardly dug through his briefcase, which was balanced on the box I was using for a table. I sat next to him, trying not to peer at the papers he had with him all while every nerve in my body practiced tying itself into a bow. Kaylan grabbed a folding chair I’d had propped against the wall and set it up next to me. The apartment had more people in it than I’d ever had. This was almost feeling like a party.
Except one of my guests was a lawyer and was probably there to sue me.
“Mr. John Courtland initiated the first piece of paperwork I’d like to go over with you. It is the incident of you and his son, Mr. Sebastian Courtland.” He handed me a large stack of papers that were filled with tiny type and instantly created those first twinges of a headache in my eyes. “The basic overview of the document that I’d like you to sign is an agreement that you will waive all right to sue Sebastian Courtland, the Courtland family, and Courtland Enterprises regarding the termination of your position as it relates to your romantic relationship with the younger Courtland. You would also agree to not publicly or privately slander Sebastian Courtland regarding your work history or your romantic history.”
Some of Jacob’s words blurred a bit in my brain, but I got the gist of it. Sebastian’s father was making sure that I wouldn’t come back and sue their asses. Maybe some people were assholes and would jump on this, but there was no way I would. I might be the person who was suffering the most from this debacle, yet I couldn’t deny that I’d brought it on myself. Sebastian wasn’t alone in this. He hadn’t harassed me or forced himself on me. Fuck, I was pretty sure I was the one who’d jumped his bones.
My brain tuned in to the lawyer as he pulled out a check made out to me with a lot of fucking zeros on it.
Ten million.
Jacob Courtland was offering me ten million dollars to not sue the company or his son.
A loud coughing and choking noise came from across the room, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the check to look at Kaylan.
“Holy shit,” my friend whispered, though it sounded like a shout in that quiet room.
“Is he trying to pay me to stay away from his son?” I demanded in a strangled tone.
“No! No, that’s not what this is,” Jacob argued. “Mr. Courtland said he had no problem with you dating Sebastian. No, this is a matter of the impropriety of the relationship at the time and the possible legal ramifications. Mr. Courtland would like you to view this monetary offer as a show of gratitude for not dragging the Courtland family and company into a lengthy court battle that would be emotionally exhausting for all involved.”
“No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“What?”
Jacob and Kaylan reacted at the same time.
“You won’t sign?” Jacob pressed.
“I’ll sign, but I won’t take the money. I don’t want the Courtland money. This isn’t and will never be about money for me.” With my heart pounding, I reached out and grabbed a pen from Jacob’s open briefcase. I snagged the check first and wrote “void” across it in big, bold letters, so there was no mistaking that no one was cashing this damn thing, and I didn’t have room for second-guessing myself. While both men were busy gasping for air, I picked up the legal document and started skimming to make sure that I wasn’t admitting to any wrongdoing or other nastiness by signing it.
“Byron!” Kaylan groaned. “Why not take it? No offense, but you could use it. Hell, most people in the world could use it.”
“Just because I could use it doesn’t mean I have a right to it,” I snarled. “I never had any plan or intention of suing anyone. I have no interest in Courtland money. Taking the money is wrong.” I finished skimming and signed the document. With it back in Jacob’s hands, I felt like I could breathe easier.
“Thank you, Mr. Graham. I’ll tell Mr. Courtland. I’m sure it will put his mind at ease. You understand, of course, that it was a formality to protect the financial well-being of the family and the company. I don’t think Mr. Courtland is particularly proud of this offer, but unfortunately, Sebastian had a run in with someone who didn’t possess a tenth of your integrity. I think that past encounter has made Mr. Courtland very…cautious.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in a smirk. “There are no hard feelings.”
Yeah, it was a dick move on John Courtland’s part, but I got it. There were plenty of people out there who would have done anything they could to get a slice of Courtland money, and this was the easiest way he could protect his family.
Yet, despite everything that had happened, I didn’t hate Sebastian, and I certainly didn’t want to hurt the company. They were facing enough problems. I didn’t want to be the reason hundreds or even thousands of people lost their jobs.
“Well, there is one other matter, and after your response to this, I’m not sure how you’re going to react,” Jacob continued. He stuck the legal documents that I’d signed away into a folder and pulled out another thicker packet. I couldn’t even guess what it was. The first thing wasn’t a surprise, but what else could there be?
Jacob opened the folder and in big letters at the top was written “The Ronald Graham Jr. Trust.” The gasp cut my throat, and I slapped my hand over my mouth to hold in any other noises before they could escape. Kaylan leaned closer to me in his seat, his hand squeezing my shoulder.
“Sebastian Courtland had me start on the creation of the trust weeks ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t get it completed until now. He has funded the trust already. He told me that the goal of the trust is to provide the money needed to support your disabled brother comfortably, covering all his living expenses and medical needs for a minimum of ten years. I was there in the meetings with the financial team, who will oversee the investment of the funds, so they will continue to grow. I will be honest with you, Mr. Graham, with careful management, the amount in this trust should last all of your brother’s life without a problem.”
“But he can’t…” My voice broke and I could only shake my head. The bargain was one year for each date. We’d gone out on six dates, but he’d put aside all this money to help my brother. He couldn’t do this. After the meltdown at work, I’d decided that I wouldn’t hold him to that stupid bargain. The whole thing had been a silly ploy to get me to go out with him.
“I can’t accept this,” I said, wiping away the tears that kept trying to spill down my face. This hurt even more than that ridiculous check from Sebastian’s father. This was for my brother and making sure he could live the best life he could. No matter how hard I worked, I’d never be able to give him this kind of security.
“I’m sorry. You misunderstand, Mr. Graham. Technically, there’s nothing for you to accept. The money has been set aside and placed in a trust for your brother. Not you. As his primary caregiver, you can elect to not use the money for his care, but it will then sit there untouched. As you’ll see here.” Jacob flipped through some pages to show me the details of the trust. “Mr. Courtland has noted that he is willing to act as an advisor if you have questions, but he can neither take the money out of the trust nor spend it. You are the sole manager of this trust.”
“And as the manager, I could dissolve the trust and give the money back to Sebastian, right?”
Jacob frowned at me, and even Kaylan was frowning now.
“True, but is that in your brother’s best interest?” Jacob asked.
Kaylan’s hand tightened on my shoulder, and I looked at him. “Maybe he wants to help your brother. Why don’t you take some time to think about it before you do anything rash? You’ve been through a lot recently. Got a lot on your mind. Just…just let it be for now. Maybe talk it over with Sebastian in a few days.”
They were wearing me down. I honestly didn’t know what the right answer was. Rejecting John Courtland’s payoff felt like the right thing. I wasn’t for sale. What was left of my integrity and pride were still intact.
But now, with this trust, I wasn’t as sure. When it came to Ronnie and his care, I was willing to sell my soul to take care of him. Was that so wrong? Would Sebastian say I used him for his money, even if it was for a good cause?
In the end, I closed my eyes and nodded. I swallowed hard against the tears of relief that had risen in my throat. “Thank you, Mr. Stern. Could you tell Sebastian that I appreciate the trust for Ronnie and that I will think this over?”
“I will pass the message to him.”
Jacob spent another few minutes walking me through the information packet that he’d brought, showing me a variety of people I could contact if I had questions about how to use the money, how it was invested, and any tax-related concerns. It seemed like Sebastian had thought of everything, but then it might have also been the problem of my brain being overloaded by the shock of what he’d done.
After the lawyer left, Kaylan lingered for another fifteen minutes. Clearly, he was there to make sure that I was okay and wasn’t about to do anything insane like call someone to have the trust dissolved. My gut response might have been to shove the money away as if it were something dirty, but the more time passed, the more all I could feel was relief.
Ronnie was safe. I could move him to the new hospital, and he’d have access to whatever treatments and medication he needed.
Plus, if I wasn’t worried about paying Ronnie’s bills any longer, I could breathe easier about finding a job. When I did, I might even have enough free now to get Mom in an assisted living facility or at least try to get her in another program to help her sober up. This was more help than I could begin to even understand or explain.
The moment I was alone, I sat on the floor in the middle of the apartment and cried. Big, heaving sobs left me, shaking my entire body until I thought my bones were going to break. I didn’t have a job, but my brother was safe. Part of me wanted to run out and find Sebastian. To hug him so tight and thank him a million times for what he’d done.
But I couldn’t. Things were still such a mess between us. There was no way Sebastian would want me back if he thought for a second it was only out of gratitude. Sebastian hadn’t created this trust to buy my love. That was not his style.
No. It was all too much right now.
Yet…later…after things were quiet and settled, could we really find our way to each other?