Page 69

“The difference between you and me, Bethany, is that I have faith in that man. I do not presume that he made a consequential decision that impacts far more than just him without taking all the variables into account. The man was a hedge fund manager in his previous career. Do you honestly believe that he doesn’t know what he’s doing?”
“Either that or he doesn’t care. I care about our company and its stakeholders. I will fight for what I believe in, and that includes the man I vowed to spend the rest of my life with.”
“Rather than trying to fight for someone who you never wanted or appreciated, you should just step aside and allow a woman who knows how to love, uplift, and empower him to do just that. You don’t want him, Beth. And you don’t care about that company other than how it benefits you. You just don’t want to see Casimir happy with anyone else. Use your control somewhere that it’s wanted and needed, not to manipulate people.”
“I’ve said what I said. Are you going to leave Casimir alone or not?” Bethany demanded.
I took one step closer to her. “Do what you have to do, Bethany. In the meantime, see your way out of my office, and don’t step foot in these doors again.”
She smirked. “You’d better enjoy this office while you still can.”
“And I’d suggest you enjoy these little games you’re playing while you still can because your house of cards is about to come tumbling down, Bethany.”
“I’ll give you twenty-four hours to come to your senses, and then you can kiss your little practice goodbye.”
When she walked out of my office I walked to the couch and dropped down on it. With my head bowed and in my hands, I whispered a silent prayer for strength, courage, and wisdom.
“Hey, baby. What was so urgent that I needed to meet you?” Casimir asked, breezing through the door later that evening. Hehad a large bouquet of peonies in a gorgeous vase that he handed to me.
“What are these for?” I asked, temporarily ignoring his question.
“I was just thinking about you today, and I wanted to bring you flowers. Is that a problem?” Casimir asked and set his briefcase down on the kitchen island in front of him.
I stood on the other side, chopping vegetables for a salad.
“No,” I muttered.
Casimir frowned and walked around the island. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck. “Baby, what’s going on?”
I froze and laid the knife down beside the vegetables. “I received a visitor today.”
“Who?” He moved from one side of my neck to the other.
“Bethany.”
Casimir immediately released me and spun me around to face him.
“What the fuck did she want?”
I sighed. “To warn me to stay away from you. She gave me an ultimatum. If I leave you alone, she will leave me alone. If I don’t, she’ll send a formal letter of complaint about my unethical behavior to the Georgia State Board.”
The furious clench of his jaw, the balled fists, and the stiff way he held his shoulders did nothing to erase the look of panic in his eyes.
“What did you tell her?” he asked.
“Does it really matter, Casimir? I’ve told you a thousand times how important my license is to me.”
“Do you love me?” he asked with desperation in his eyes and voice.
“Of course, I love you, Cas, but baby, I love me too.”
“Then we can work through this if you have faith in me.”
“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you, Cas. It’s that I know what’s at stake here, and you cannot control that woman. She has a vendetta against me, and she won’t stop until she gets her revenge. So, if this is what I need to do to protect myself, then I’m moving out.”
“What? Where are you going to go?”
“My friend’s house. It’s what I should have done from the start. I let my lust for you and desire to escape my grief and loneliness convince me to stay here when I knew that it was wrong.”