Chapter 11
The divorce papers had just come out of the printer when my phone rang. It was Gabriel- Drake’s longtime nemesis.
His voice was smooth with a hint of playfulness:
“Ms. Thomas, would now be a good time to discuss our collaboration in more detail?”
I curled my lips into a smile and nodded slightly.
Drake, after the way you humiliated me, there’s no way I’ll be satisfied without making you pay.
When I arrived at the Wilder Group, Gabriel came down personally to greet me and
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walked me through the company, explaining the layout and departments along the way.
“Ms. Thomas,” he said, “since Mr. Sullivan clearly doesn’t value someone of your caliber, why not consider joining us instead?”
I chuckled. “Why do you always bring this up every time we meet?”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Because you’re the only one who’s ever managed to steal a partner from me.”
Our first encounter was five years ago. The Sullivan Group was desperate to land an exclusive deal with Blackridge Enterprises, but the Wilder Group had already made inroads.
Then I swooped in, convinced Blackridge to go with Sullivan instead, and snatched the
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deal right from under Gabriel’s nose.
But instead of being bitter, he’s kept offering me olive branches ever since.
“Honestly,” he said, “if it weren’t for you, the Sullivan Group wouldn’t have survived, let alone thrived, all these years. Once you’re gone, they’ll finally understand what it means to be headless. That’s the best way to destroy an enemy.”
I didn’t respond. I just pulled a document from my bag and handed it over.
“This is the data I pulled from the tech database yesterday. It proves Drake stole your proprietary technology. But tell me something–aren’t you worried I might turn around and destroy the evidence to help him?”
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“You’re not that kind of person,” he replied calmly. “And you’d never let Sullivan succeed through dirty tactics.”
I looked at him for a long moment. “You should be glad you called me yesterday. If it had been any later, I’d have already left the company and wouldn’t have had access to that database.”
וויו”
pass on your olive branch. But I have a feeling we’ll cross paths again.”
After all, Gabriel had just signed a
partnership deal with the Thomas Group last month.
I had barely added him on Facebook when I saw a new post from Penelope pop up feed:
in
my
“Feeling nauseous all the time lately. Thank
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God for the Moonlight Pearls Drake gave me.”
The picture showed the Moonlight Pearls my mom had prayed over all night at the church before she passed away–blessed by a priest, sacred, and irreplaceable.
My temples began to throb.
I never even wore them myself, always keeping them tucked away in a box for safekeeping. Drake knew exactly how much they meant to me.
How dare they keep pushing my limits?
I jumped to my feet, said a quick goodbye to Gabriel, and headed straight to the Sullivan residence.
As I passed Penelope’s room, I stopped
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short. Through the slightly cracked door came the unmistakable sounds of passion.
Even though it wasn’t my first time catching them like this, seeing it with my own eyes still felt like a punch to the chest.
I forced my numb fingers to lift my phone and hit record.
Drake was running the Moonlight Pearls along Penelope’s thigh, sliding up the hem of her silk nightgown.
“Drake, don’t… not like this”
“The pearls calm the nerves and are good for the baby. I’m just helping you relax.”
“But if Eloise finds out, she’ll be furious. I don’t want to ruin your reputation because of me.”
Chapter 12
