He Accused Me of Stealing, But I Heard the Truth novel · Chapter 20 of 24

Chapter 20: No Paper in My Hand

The board called an emergency session for nine the next morning.

It met in the Carrington Group's main conference room, with the press waiting in the lobby.

Laurence took me.

He did not ask if I wanted to come.

He asked if I would like to, and then he waited, which was new.

I wore the grey dress.

The room had a table forty feet long and fourteen faces down both sides of it.

At the head sat the board chair, a heavy man with white hair, and next to him sat Imogen in her cream suit with a folder, looking sorry.

The painter was there too, at the foot, beside his lawyer.

He had changed his jacket.

This one had no paint on it.

"Laurence," the chair said. "Let's be frank. In a week you open the housing wing. In five days a court rules on a custody petition. In seventy-two hours, if the Foundation's notice is correct, you have no home."

"The notice is wrong," said Laurence. "The residence is in my name. Ben pulled the deed last night."

"Be that as it may."

"It is not as it may. It is wrong."

The chair held up a hand.

"The board has a duty to the donors. There are documents on file that say Ms. Mahoney received a four hundred thousand dollar release payment and signed away every claim. There is a leaked medical record. There is a man who says he is the child's father."

"I am her father," said Laurence.

"The painter has a petition."

← Chapter 19 · All chapters · Chapter 21 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend