new, significantly smalle

tions. Tasted like

his position for as lo

ompson En

old man Richard didn't

ips, my ow

yself into exactly

for

ho couldn't tell a balance

ght you might need ...this, "James Pat

a bottle o

ing," I said, dipping

d in and shut the door behind him. He poured two glasses without waiting for my permission. Then he extended on

d half the drink in one sw

Richard lost his mind and gave

now," James said as he settled

dangerous than I expected, "

CEO. You're the President of Operations. T

nd so hard that it smashed an

ped from t

long have yo

plied after a little pause, "

have you ever known

never seen you this mad, either. Alexa

hing. Where she grew up, where she went to school, and all the places she's worked. I want to get the per

to investigate your

e understand how a retail worker convinced my uncle to destroy his own family legacy. We're missing some

"And if you

I snapped. I moved to the window. My new office now faced the parking lot, unlike Lily's office which ha

xand

l report at the

n solitude, thinking abou

in her eyes.

inute I walked in

before – at the hotel, d

ire thing b

text message from

on Lily Rose. S

es scanned through the documen

Mother: Elena Rose, de

isappeared. Bounced between six different hom

Degree in Fine Arts from Miami Dade. Cur

ficant assets. No obvious co

she appeared to be: an ordinary woman who'

bout the situati

king for the thing that would ma

t," James said as he pushed open my door and stepped

, not in the l

ithin hours of each other." James said as he went through the booking records.

you saying

that hotel. The same hotel where you were sta

evidence, all of it tracing back to T

engineered

was his

eighteen years, Richard has been anonymously funding various programs: foster care advocacy, art education scho

need to sa

mplications I didn't want to consider. Rich

on, her career, her li

d for us to meet. To

,

us," I said alou

g you f

ly, pacing the

s flood

der, co

rst time. It was bigger than my bedroom, bigger than my entire

gestured to the view behind him

i," I

y years of building something from nothing. And so

o I ea

"By being better than everyone else. Smarter. Harder working.

s,

ll s

ove it to him. I'd tried to become wor

he'd given it

asn't good enou

rited by blood but ear

mind. He hadn't been rejecting

n I'd threatened? Collaborate with so

oice pulled me back. "

o clipped to the first page. It was clearly taken for

ed young

me in the boardroom. Not the passionate w

investigat

ames turn

t." I set the file down, my jaw ti

w. "Since when do you

chard might have be

financial records. I want to know exa

indow, watching employees come an

as probably struggling through her firs

as, wanting