Boxed Set: Seduced For Revenge (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (11 page)

“
The reporter who was involved in the scandal fifteen years ago
,”
he said, looking at her curiously.

“
Oh, hi
m…
I guess it could
n’
t hurt. You may find something of relevance
.
”

“
Yeah, tha
t’
s what I thought
.
”

It could
n’
t hurt finding out more about Thomas, and, if he was the one to do it, no one would get suspicious because he was the CEO. Sh
e’
d thought of digging deeper into Thoma
s’
past but dropped the idea because she did
n’
t want to have to answer questions about why she was doing it.

Shortly after, Koltan was called away to the hospital. He would
n’
t say if Harmon had taken a case for the worse or not, but he looked worried as he left. After he was gone, she experienced the most difficult conflict sh
e’
d faced since beginning this journey.

She knew there was no fighting her feelings anymore and if she continued to be with him she would feel compelled to desist from her goal. Briefly, the thought occurred to her that perhaps it would be best to forget her revenge and be with Koltan because she may never get the change to fall in love again.

“
No, I ca
n’
t
!”
She picked up a book from the coffee table and hurled it across the room. It hit the painting of the twelve disciples, which Koltan had asked if it was a Rembrandt. The thing leaned precariously off its hanger, but did not fall. She ignored it and went back to figuring the best way to handle her present situation.

“
I have to end it. There is no other way
,”
she finally decided
.“
When he comes back
I’
ll have to tell him
.
”

The motivation she needed was the image of her father falling from his apartment building. This image never left her mind and she could still hear the screams of the neighbors as her hero looked as if he was skydiving, but without the parachute. She shook her head and pushed it out of her mind, knowing what she had to do.

Since the day was already far spent, she took the time to clean her apartment from top to bottom. Koltan had called in to let everyone know that they both would be out. It was
n’
t uncommon for them both to be out of the office, as sometimes they had meetings they had to attend together. Still, she did
n’
t like the idea of being away all day. She had a responsibility to her staff to be there.

When Koltan returned it was past six in the evening and he came bearing groceries and a bottle of wine. She could not understand him. His father was in the hospital and he was shopping for food and wine.

“
We have to talk
,”
she ignored the items in his hands and stood aside to let him into the apartment.

“
We can talk over dinner
,”
he replied, holding up the bag food and wine.

“
No, we have to talk now
,”
she wanted to get it over with before she lost her nerve.

He put the bag down on the kitchen counter along with the wine and turned to face her, saying
,“
This sounds serious
.
”

Victoria took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenly a faint feeling came over her, but she fought against it and opened her eyes again
.“
We have to end this
,”
she stated seriously.

His face registered disbelief before breaking into a smile
,“
What are you talking about? We just got started
.”
He moved towards her, but she sidestepped him.

“
No,
I’
m serious. We ca
n’
t do this anymore. I
t’
s over
,”
her tone stopped him in his tracks and the blood drained from his face.

He looked at her for a long and she met his gaze unwaveringly
.“
I see.
I’
ll go. Enjoy the wine
,”
were his last words before he walked out of the apartment.

On the bed were about a dozen ties of all colors and sizes. Koltan had no idea what to wear today. For the past few months h
e’
d taken care in what he looked like. There was someone he wanted to impress, but today he was confused. She wanted nothing to do with him and he had no interest in his clothes. As a matter of fact, he had no interest in going to the office, but there was a board meeting and he had to attend.

He opted to go with the black silk tie, black shirt and black suit. He looked like he was in mourning and it matched his sour mood perfectly. On his way out he stopped to say farewell to his father who was resting in his room. The man had returned from the hospital after intense treatments a two days ago.

It was exactly three days since Victoria broke up with him and the more he thought about it, the more he knew something was wrong. She was either troubled about something or she was hiding something from him. He thought about letting it rest, but the fact that she was avoiding him at work made him more suspicious.

As soon as he was in his office, Bob called
,“
Hey man,
I’
ve been trying to reach you for days
.
”

“
Sorry man,
I’
ve been extremely busy
,”
he told him.

“
You sound exhausted man, you need a vacation
,”
Bob remarked
.“
Anyway, yo
u’
re not going to believe this, the ma
n’
s wife died a few years later and his daughter just disappeared, into thin air
.
”

“
How can someone just disappear? She must be around somewhere. W
e’
ve got to find her
,”
Koltan replied, feeling a bit whipped
.“
Anyway pal, can you look into someone for me
?
”

“
Yes, who
?”
Bob asked with interest.

“
Her name i
s…
hold on
,”
he placed the receiver on his desk and went to lock the door. He did want anyone eavesdropping
.“
Victoria Brennan
.
”

“
Did you say Brennan
?”
Bob asked.

“
Yes, why
?
”

“
Give me half an hour, let me check something and call you back. I think I got something you may find interesting
.
”

Bob hung up the phone, leaving Koltan puzzled, yet anxious that perhaps h
e’
d made a mistake digging up info on the woman he loved. What if she was under the witness protection program? Or worse, a spy? He wondered. No, sh
e’
s no spy, he reassured himself.

He was called away to the board meeting shortly after and soon forgot about Bob. Finally the board approved the proposal h
e’
d presented to make the company an employee trading company. Before this move, directors and the CEO were allowed to purchase shares in the company. Now, all employees from the basement to the executive floor could own a piece of the company.

At least there was one thing he was happy about. Not being able to share the good news with Victoria was killing him, but sh
e’
d made it clear that their relationship was over. H
e’
d tried talking to her the following day after leaving the apartment but she was adamant. He was sure there was more to it than that. At one point he even thought his father might have threatened her, but he put the thought out of his mind. The old man had been the hospital the entire week, so there was no way he was responsible.

Bob called back late the afternoon when he was about to leave the office. Most of the staff had left and he was the only one on his floor. He was sure Victoria had left because he had a secret spy telling him her every move.

“
What did you find
?”
He asked Bob, getting to the point.

“
That name you mentioned, Victoria Brennan, is that right
?
”

“
Yes, you found something
?”
He asked impatiently.

Bob chuckled into the phone
,“
Yo
u’
re not gonna believe this. You know I said that Fische
r’
s daughter disappeared
?
”

“
Yes, what has that got to do with Victoria
?
”

“
She is Fische
r’
s daughter
!
”

Koltan did
n’
t believe he heard right
,‘
What? How is that possible
?
”

“
Listen, Kolt, she had her name changed when she was of legal age. So when she registered for college, she registered under her mothe
r’
s maiden name. Her name is legal, done by a lawyer and everything. I had to call a friend who works in the courts records department
.
”

“
What made you realize it was her
?’
Koltan had to ask. He was
n’
t sure what was going on but he could at least ask that.

“
When you told me her name this morning it was strange that the mothe
r’
s name was Brennan and the daughte
r’
s name was Victoria. I had the files right in front of me. I just needed to make sure
,”
Bob informed him
.“
By the way, how did you find her
?
”

“
I
t’
s a long story my friend.
I’
ll share it with you sometime
,”
he told Bob.

They said their farewells, with Koltan promising to meet up sometime for drinks and a chat. He told Bob h
e’
d have some money wired to him the following day to help out with some of his expenses. Bob insisted that he was fine, but Koltan would have none of that. They ended the conversation with Bob promising to dig deeper into the lives of Edwards and Victoria Fischer.

Koltan had no desire to share this intimate little detail. He felt like a fool. What was Victoria doing there? What was she up to? Was this her plan, to get into the company her father once owned? To do what? Why is she here? Did she feel that her father was wronged in some way, is that why sh
e’
d here?

There were too many unanswered questions filtering through his mind that his head felt like it would explode. He picked up his briefcase and left the office. This time, it was he who was trying to avoid her. What would he say to her the next time they met? Should ask her why she joined the company? Did their relationship mean anything to her?

He was behind the wheel of his car when it occurred to him that maybe there was something from the past that he knew nothing about. The archives flashed through is mind and he alighted the car, returning to the building and descended to the basement.

“
Mr. Koltan
?”
The male clerk was surprised to see his boss. He was the same clerk Victoria had met when she retrieved her files.

“
How are you today
?”
Koltan had no idea what the ma
n’
s name was but he gave a smile
,“
I just need to get some files
.”
He was in the room with the stacks of boxes when he asked
,“
How often does Miss Brennan come down here
?
”

“
She came a few times, sir, but I have
n’
t seen her in a couple of weeks
,”
the man replied.

“
Thanks
,”
Koltan replied.

There were dozens of boxes with hundreds of files dating back nearly two decades. He started with the most relevant for the year Edward Fischer lost the company, only some of the files were missing. All the files relating to the takeover and the two divisions that were involved were not there.

He closed back the boxes and walked out of the room
.“
How long have you been with this compan
y…,”
Koltan looked at the nametag and asked
,“
Jorge
?
”

“
Many years, sir, around eighteen
,”
the man answered.

“
Wh
o’
s been here longer
?
”

“
Well, let me see. Other than Mr. Grey and some board members, Maureen from Accounts has been here longer
,”
he informed Koltan.

He had no idea what he was looking for, let alone asking about these people. All he knew was that something was
n’
t right with Victoria and he aimed to find out. He had no idea what happened fifteen years ago, all he had to go on was what his father told him. He was just a boy then, so there was no reason for him to know.

According to Harmon, Edward Fischer made some bad decisions with the manufacture of some products and it caused him to lose credibility with the stakeholders. He was voted out and someone else made CEO. There was a unanimous no confidence vote and request for him to retire. H
e’
d sold all his shares in a bid to save that company before the shareholder meeting so there was nothing he could do but leave.

Was that the whole story? He needed to know before confronting Victoria. What if she was innocent and just wanted to work with the company her father built? He remembered on her arrived how disappointed she was that Harmon was not around. Why?

He had no idea when he left the Fischer Industries building or how he got home. His mind was in  a haze the entire time, thinking about the possibility that Victoria used him and that the only reason she was there was to get back what her father had.

* * * *

“
I need to know what the connection is, officer
,”
Koltan insisted.

“
We already closed the case. The man committed suicide
,”
the man in blue replied.

“
I do
n’
t need you to reopen the case, just let me read the ma
n’
s notebook
,”
he told the cop.

The officer, with thick brown hair and brown eyes, looked intently at him
.“I’
ll see what I can d
o…
wait here
,”
he got up from behind his desk
.“I’
m only doing this because of the note he left and the mention of your company in his notebook
.
”

A few minutes later, the policeman returned with the notebook and a copy of the note Thomas Brown had left behind. Koltan thanked the officer who warned him not to let the notebook out of his site. He left the police department more anxious than ever and curious to know what Thomas Brown had to do with Harmon Gray.

As soon as he was inside the car he opened the ma
n’
s diary. It was dated the exact year the Fischer Industries had the scandal. It seemed, according to the notes, Thomas was in financial trouble when he got a call about a potential story.