His Guilt Made Me A Billionaire novel · Chapter 2 of 24

Chapter 2: The Nine Votes

A director calls Cora a gold digger, Imogen wins her a board seat, and Cora freezes every starlet lease; Tanya texts a photo of Nate's building.

The director in the grey suit read Tanya's caption out loud, slowly, so everyone could enjoy it.

"Ask her what she got," he said. "I'd like to ask her that myself."

Beckett turned his chair to face him.

"Careful," Beckett said.

"Your assistant hands in her notice, and ten minutes later she owns a billion dollars of this company. That's what it looks like, Beckett. That's what it will look like to every shareholder we have."

"I resigned as your assistant ten minutes ago," I said. "You can stop calling me one."

The director gave me a smile with no teeth in it.

"Ms. Treacy. You're a clever girl. You wrote the NDAs. You know exactly what a lawsuit over a staged injury does to a share price."

"Then you know what a lawsuit over a real one does."

His smile went away.

Imogen unfolded her arms at the end of the table.

"I've sat through nine years of Beckett's mistakes at this table," she said. "Cora is the only person who ever sent me the invoice before the bill. You're welcome to vote against her seat. You'll lose six to three."

She had counted already.

I understood then that she had been planning this longer than I had.

The vote took four minutes.

Six to three.

I was a director of Lowry Holdings, with a cane, a limp and a bruise on my hip that still turned yellow in the mornings.

When the room cleared, Beckett stayed.

He stood by the window with his hands in his pockets.

His left cuff was buttoned wrong, and I did not tell him.

"You don't have to do anything with the shares," he said. "Go home, rest, keep the salary. I'll have Imogen's team handle Tanya's people. Everything stays as it was."

"Everything."

"The apartment you rent. The car service. The same hours, if you want them."

"Beckett. A man gives his assistant a bonus. He doesn't give her forty percent of himself and then ask her to stay where she was."

"I only mean you don't have to feel pressure."

"I have a list."

He turned around.

"A list of what?"

"Of every penthouse, every lease, every card and every driver your women have had for six years. I wrote every line of it. I know which ones are paid through the company."

His jaw moved.

"Cora. Those are personal."

"They're paid by a company I own forty percent of."

He opened his mouth, shut it, and a small, unwilling grin pulled at one side of his face.

"Six years," he said. "And you never once said no to me."

"I'm saying it now."

I took out my phone and sent one message to the leasing office, in my own name this time.

Effective immediately, all residential leases in the Lowry portfolio listed under Personal Accounts are frozen pending board review. No renewals, no new keys, no guests added to access lists.

I read it to him before I pressed send.

"They'll call you within the hour," he said.

"Good."

They called within four minutes.

I turned my phone face down and watched the first call light up the table, then the second.

Beckett looked at it, then at me, and picked up his coat from the back of his chair.

"I'll drive you home."

"I'll take a car."

"It's raining."

"Then I'll take a car with a roof."

He laughed, a short breath through his nose, and I felt it in my stomach where I did not want to feel anything.

I looked away from his mouth and did not look back.

I had made it to the elevator, my cane under my arm, when my phone buzzed once more.

It was a number I did not have saved, though I knew whose it was.

The text said: Marlowe Tower renews on Friday. Beckett promised me. Do the paperwork, Cora, like always.

Under it, another message arrived while I watched.

A photograph of my brother's building, taken from the street.

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