10. Maddison
Maddison
I rest on my elbows as I stare at the computer screen, eye strain making my head throb. I’ve been holed up in the house for days, spending most of my time in the sad excuse of a library that the Griffins have turned into their office.
My first task had been to conduct my own research on Barrett Emerson.
I’m done having other people tell me what to think, so I ignore the shiny public face of the Emerson empire, and follow a trail from the holding company to some of Barrett’s shadier subsidiaries.
It soon becomes clear that many of their investments were poorly disguised schemes to raid and pillage struggling factories and industrial plants.
In contrast, when I dig into the financial reports of Griffin Corps, I find no shortage of businesses that were in a similar position to my paper mill before the brothers stepped in. And yet despite all the good they do, their online presence is negligible.
There are no photos of the brothers, and certainly no information about their private lives, which leaves me frustrated. I want to know more about Hunter Griffin than just the size of his… I sit back in my chair and knead my fingers into my scalp.
“Why don’t you take a break?” Hunter suggests. He’s sitting at the desk opposite, and I know he’s been watching me. He does it more often than he thinks I notice, but we’ve made a concerted effort to keep our relationship strictly professional. I miss him calling me his little bird.
“She needs to finish compiling a list of the mill’s stakeholders,” Mace says. “There’s a reason Barrett picked the mill, and the sooner we find out what it is, the better. I don’t imagine he’s sitting in the Bahamas twiddling his thumbs, even if one of them is inside someone’s pussy.”
“Thanks for that imagery, Mace,” I say. He said it to get a rise out of me, but I’m getting used to his ways. I wait until he looks up, then flutter my eyelids. “Oh, and to think it could have been me.”
I’m sure I see a hint of a smile, which is a stark contrast to Hunter’s stony expression. He doesn’t appreciate the picture I’ve just planted in his head. Maybe that’s why I said it.
“I’m almost done with the lists,” I continue. “And I don’t want to lurk in our systems too long in case Hugo catches me looking.”
“He won’t,” Mace says. “That’s the whole point of me getting you in through the back door. Take as long as you need. Just not too long.”
I’m not comfortable with the ease in which Mace hacked into the mill’s computer systems. It’s a reminder that not everything the Griffins do is wholesome and honest, but I’m yet to hear anything discussed between the brothers that’s overtly criminal.
Not that I’m fooling myself there won’t be something.
I just hope it doesn’t destroy my growing admiration for what they’ve achieved.
After completing a review of all our suppliers, and adding a few more names to my list, I’m done. “Finished,” I tell Mace.
“About time.”
I’m not someone who expects praise, and Mace’s comment is tame compared to having Hugo point out my perceived failings. My only response is to poke out my tongue at him.
Mace wasn’t expecting the gesture and I’m pleased with how uncomfortable he looks until I turn to Hunter. His gaze is on my tongue, and I lick my upper lip before closing my mouth. He shakes his head imperceptibly.
“Have we all got time to go through Maddie’s lists now?” Mace asks, breaking the spell.
Hunter has his gaze back on his computer screen. “Sure.”
I begin printing off my lists while the others finish up their own work.
Reid sits back in his chair, and groans as he stretches his arms high above his head. His feet poke beneath his desk. “The draft prenup has just arrived and I’ve pinged it over to you, Hunter.”
“Send it to Maddie too,” he says. His eyes don’t leave his screen when he raises a finger to stop Mace saying whatever he opened his mouth to say. “There were only a few minor corrections. It should be good to go. Maddie needs to see it.”
“Fine,” Mace mutters, presumably not happy that it’s being shared before Hunter has signed it off.
“Can you let me know which attorney you’ve opted for, Maddie,” says Reid. “I can copy them in too. ”
“It’s OK. I’m happy to check it over myself,” I reply as the notification pops up with the email he’s just sent. I’m using a new Gmail account for emails. If Hugo could put a tracker on my phone, I’m pretty sure he’ll be reading my emails too.
“You really should–”
“Find an attorney or I’ll find one for you,” Mace snaps, interrupting Reid.
“He has a point, Maddie,” Reid tries more gently, but Mace and I are already locked in a staring contest. He sighs. “And while you two sort it out, I’ll go and ask Connie to organize some refreshments.”
I narrow my eyes at Mace. “I don’t need an attorney”
“Explain your reasoning, Mace,” Hunter says slowly. “Don’t just bark orders at her.”
Mace doesn’t break eye contact with me. “If you don’t have appropriate advice now, you could later claim that you signed it under duress,” he begins. “Like, I don’t know, you were traumatized after being abducted by Hunter when we crashed your wedding.”
“I’m not going to do that. We’ve agreed–”
“ We haven’t agreed to anything,” Mace says, flicking a look to Hunter. “There are enough variables as it is, don’t add another one.” His chin juts out, daring me to argue some more. “Just do as you’re fucking told.”
My damn eye twitches as my scowl moves from Mace to Hunter.
I’m waiting for him to step in again, but the bastard actually smiles at me.
“Now, if Mace had spoken to my wife like that, we might be having words,” he says.
“But until you take proper legal advice, we don’t know if we can or should get married. Do we?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “The pair of you can go fuck–” I’m half-way through my tirade when refreshments arrive.
“Hey, Connie. That cake looks delicious,” I say to cover myself.
I give her my brightest smile as she places a tray in the center of the conference table.
Reid is behind her with another tray of drinks.
Connie isn’t fooled. “Are the boys giving you a hard time?”
“So far, they haven’t done anything else,” I say as if they’re not in the room. “Mace is being rude, and Hunter isn’t defending me. I’m starting to think it’s Reid I should be marrying.”
There’s an awkward silence as my joke falls flat.
“You didn’t hear that, Connie,” Hunter says.
“Hear what?” Connie replies, setting out the refreshments before grabbing the trays and heading for the door. “Just give me a shout if you need anything else.”
“What is it with all the secrecy, Hunter?” I ask. I’ve picked up enough to know it’s their older brother they’re worried about, but I don’t understand why. And it’s making me nervous. “Surely, Ash will have to be told eventually.”
“And I’ll tell him, but only when it’s too late for him to stop the wedding,” he replies, getting to his feet.
Goosebumps prick my skin. What if Ash isn’t too late to stop things?
This might be just another deal to Griffin Corps, but it’s everything to me.
If the Griffins walk away, I’ll be ruined in a completely different way to how Hunter could ruin me.
My life wouldn’t be worth living if I have to go back home.
I wouldn’t want to live. And I’m certain Hugo wouldn’t want his disgraced sister to live either.
Hunter must see the color draining from my face and he heads for my desk. As he draws nearer, the world quietens. “Connie won’t say anything,” he says softly. “I just didn’t want anyone else being forced to withhold information from Ash too. ”
I grip the edge of my desk, the desk meant for Ash when he returns from his business trip. I can feel the shadow he casts as if he’s already here. My throat bobs up and down. “Should I be scared of him?”
“If you can charm Mace, you can charm Ash too,” he says, and we both ignore Mace’s mutter from the other side of the room. “I’m the one who should be scared.”
My eyes widen further. “Of your brother?”
He holds out his hand for me to take. “Mostly,” he says, a wry smile on his lips as he looks at me pointedly.
The four of us spend the rest of the afternoon poring over the information I’d collated.
I give an overview of each of the mill’s suppliers, customers and subcontractors including their history with us, and what I know of their dealings with other companies.
Mace has his laptop, and mines for more information in his own particular way.
We’re searching for that one tenuous link that connects my company to the Emersons, the Griffins, or anything else to explain why Barrett set his sights on the mill.
We manage to come up with a short-list of businesses that bear closer inspection, but there’s no eureka moment.
“Why would Barrett want to marry me?” I ask, only vaguely aware I’ve spoken the question out loud.
Hunter’s gaze roams my body, making it obvious what he sees as the attraction. But I never saw Barrett look at me that way, not even on our wedding day.
“Is there anything in your conversations that felt odd? Like he was probing you for information?” asks Reid.
“We became engaged over a video call, with his mother and my brother in attendance. That was the first time we’d ever met,” I mumble.
I don’t like admitting how twisted the arrangement was.
It makes what I’m doing with Hunter seem romantic by comparison.
“And I met him in person exactly once before our wedding. We were never alone, and I was never party to any of the negotiations. I didn’t even pick my wedding dress. ”
“Well, that’s a relief,” Hunter says softly. “It was a monstrosity.”