39. The Sweetest Revenge
THE SWEETEST REVENGE
I always thought I was less than. That I was the forgotten brother, not as big of a success as Aiden, not as driven as Lincoln, and not nearly as likable as Ben.
Maybe it’s the reason I pushed away the idea of having a partner for so long.
This idea that if I didn’t hold on tight to Ben, I’d simply be left in the dust.
Looking back, I realize that while some of those fears might have been true, maybe I was just waiting for Kate all along. Someone that showed me that I wasn’t inferior, that I wasn’t a consolation prize.
Do I think this relationship is going to always be flowers and daisies? No, but for now it is, and I’m going to soak up every single moment I can of this pure bliss.
Kate has her glasses on, her laptop on her lap, as she looks over at me on the couch. Ben comes strolling in straight from out of the shower, moving her laptop and placing his head on Kate’s lap and instinctively she runs her fingers through his hair.
“So, are you going to tell us your plans from our photoshoot?” I ask, toying with a strand of her hair.
“Well, I’m waiting for a phone call and I do need both of you to approve this plan.”
Both me and my brother give each other wary glances.
“What exactly do you have up your sleeve?”
“I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a rather petty person,” she says and I just give her an unamused look.
Her phone buzzes and I’m guessing that it’s one of her friends, but she smiles. “Oh, I think it’s the call I was waiting for.” Kate answers it with a friendly “Hello?”
She listens intently on the phone, nodding her head and glancing between the two of us.
“He hasn’t been made aware of the sale yet?” she says, nodding as the person on the other line speaks. “I understand that this isn’t what you advise.” She gives a few mmhmms and other sounds of agreement. “Yes I understand.” A few more words are shared and she hangs up the phone.
Ben and I both look at her as a wicked grin that has me fearing this small woman for the first time takes over her face. “How would you guys like to take a little trip to Dennis Commercial?”
“Oh, are you going full on evil Kate?” Ben asks, his head not even out of her lap.
She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m making a statement. One that will hopefully avoid a lot of other legal bullshit down the line.”
I clear my throat, not liking the idea of her going anywhere near that man. She reaches out and touches my forearm and squeezes.
“If you’re not okay with it, I can call the lawyer back and have him notify Will and we can move forward.”
“This is what you want?” I confirm. Not even truly knowing what kind of scene she wants to cause.
“He invaded my privacy, he broke me a little bit. I’m all put back together now, but it only seems fair that he gets it dished back to him. If anything gets out of hand we’ll leave right away.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I really don’t want to go to jail for strangling this dick,” I tell her.
“That’s why Ben will be on Gavin duty, and you’ll be on me duty,” she says smiling.
“Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“Then it’s decided. Let’s take a little field trip to see your brother’s new company,” she says, as she grabs an eight by ten framed picture of the three of us. It’s actually a tamer image, where the three of us are laughing while standing next to each other.
The whole drive to Dennis Commercial I worry that we’re doing the wrong thing, but Kate wants vengeance, and who am I to deny this woman anything?
“Mr. Dennis is in a meeting,” the woman at the front desk says, and Kate doesn’t even register her words, just storms past the desk and swings open the door to Will’s office.
He in fact was not in a meeting. His darkened eyes look over me and Ben with disgust, before landing on Kate.
“Thought you weren’t supposed to be within three-hundred feet of me. Do I need to call the police?” he asks sarcastically. “Or did you come here to beg me not to share your dirty little secret and give me back my shares.”
Kate taps her chin three times. “None of those things actually,” she says, placing the picture frame on his desk, and adjusting it a few times on the table. “What do you think? Too much for your brother’s new office?” Kate asks me, scrunching her nose.
“You gave him a pretty good deal, the least he could do is admire our faces every day before work,” I say.
“I still think we should’ve gone with the one with my face on your tits,” Ben adds and Kate laughs.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Will says, his hand already on his phone, ready to call security.
“Oh, that’s right. It’s irritating not knowing something, isn’t it? Sucks to have someone you thought you knew go behind your back and do shady shit,” Kate says as I watch her in all her glory; I’m pretty sure Ben is hard watching her tear this man to pieces.
“What did you do, Kate?”
She taps her chin a few times. “What did I do? Hmm. Well, I didn’t stalk you, threaten you, or get someone else pregnant.”
Will stands up abruptly and I take a step closer to Kate, and her hand grabs my forearm. Her ex-husband assesses us, adjusting his suit jacket.
“What. Did. You. Do?” he says, his voice raising.
“You better watch your motherfucking tone,” I tell him pointing at him.
“Baby, what did I do?” she asks Ben.
Will looks over at my brother, seeming even more irritated over the fact that there are two of us in her corner versus one.
“Oh. You mean how you sold your shares to my brother, and Lincoln Carlson of Carlson Commercial is now the majority shareholder of Dennis Commercial. That thing?”
“Bingo, that’s the one,” Kate says, and Will grabs the framed picture of us, knocking it onto the ground, the glass shattering into pieces. “Don’t worry, I really did the photoshoot more for myself and have prints I’m going to be putting up around the house.”
“You fucking did what?” Will bellows.
Kate adjusts her stance. This man is taller and bigger than her, but she doesn’t care as she takes a step toward his desk staring him down.
“Listen to me carefully because I’m not going to repeat myself.
I know I was a wet blanket in our marriage, that I gave up at some point and we were no longer a good fit, but never once did I belittle you or ever treat you like I didn’t care about you as a person.
You hurt me, you threatened me and made me feel unsafe.
I suggest you sell the remainder of your shares to Carlson Commercial and get the fuck out of Florida, because it doesn’t end here. ”
“I’m not going to let you strong arm me, bitch.”
That’s it.
Kate can’t even move before I’m rounding the desk and grabbing the asshole by the collar and shoving him up against the wall.
“Don’t you ever speak to her like that,” I nearly scream in his face.
His face is beet red and it seems like he wants to put his hands on me, but I’m bigger and I have back up.
“Sell to Lincoln, take your wife and kid and never contact me again. Stay here and I’m going to sue you for every cent you’ve invested in this company. I don’t care if this civil lawsuit goes on for years. You stalked me, blackmailed, and threatened me.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing right now, threatening me?”
Kate shrugs her shoulders, and I don’t loosen my grip for a second.
“Yeah. I guess I am. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer,” she says, tilting her head toward the door. “Let him go, he isn’t worth it,” she says.
I want to smash my forehead against his, but do as she says, forcibly shoving him against the wall as we walk out of his office as a united front.
“That was hot as fuck. I’m hard,” Ben says and Kate laughs.
“Then let’s go back home and take care of that,” she says with a laugh.
We’re piled on my bed, Kate’s head on my chest as Ben spoons her from behind as her phone vibrates on the nightstand.
“Hello,” she says in a breathy voice, a slow smile taking over her face. “He did?” I can feel her heart racing against her chest as she nods and listens to the voice over the phone. “But it worked, didn’t it?”
Her weight is mostly on my chest as she agrees with the caller. “This is what I want. I just want to be done,” she says, “thanks again for everything.”
With a shake of her head, she plops down on the pillows, taking a deep breath.
“Who was that?” Ben says in a sleepy voice, and Kate lets out a small laugh.
“The lawyer. Will’s selling Lincoln the company. He…he doesn’t want a civil suit. He’s willing to come to an agreement to avoid going to court,” she says in a rush, her eyes nearly dazed.
I wasn’t so sure about her plan of storming his office and making a scene, but it seemed like it got her message across loud and clear.
“I still think you should take every single cent he has,” I say and she scoffs.
“Well, what do you want?” Ben asks, ever so pragmatic.
“I feel like I got the payback I wanted. Seeing the look on his face when he found out I sold the shares to Lincoln and that he couldn’t manipulate me was priceless.
” She blows out a puff of air, playing with the sheet.
“I think I just want to be free. I want to be comfortable in my home, in our relationship, and not worry about running into him again. I’m not tied to him anymore.
He doesn’t scare me. I’m free,” she says, her eyes glistening with tears. “I’m free,” she whispers again.
A nearly cathartic cry slips out of her and Ben and I look at each other in confusion before taking action. I cradle her in my arms, my brother rubbing her thighs as she lets it all out.
“I don’t want to deal with a civil suit. I just want to live my life with the two of you, and our four cats,” she jokes, wiping her face with the back of her wrists.
“I should have head butted him when I had the chance,” I joke and she pulls back and looks at me.
“No. I mean, it was hot when you grabbed his shirt. But I needed that moment so bad, to show him I’m not the weak woman he thought I was. I’m done worrying what anyone thinks about how I live my life.”