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“And will you ever visit?”

“You know what, Min? You can stay at Dad’s place. Well,myplace now.”

“But you just said—”

“Forget that. People will assume the kid is Dad’s. And it’s not like anyone will have the right to check because you won’t have to give DNA now. Dad told me about the vasectomy, but I doubt he told anyone else. And his doctor is bound by HIPPA, so he can’t reveal it without getting his ass sued off. And the same for the lawyers,” he added, thinking of how he had revealed that fact to Lindsey Cole. “When the time comes you list Dad on the birth certificate as the father, okay?”

“Okay, but I don’t get you, Rhett. You can be a real shit. Dump your dad off the balcony one minute and then worrying about your disabled sister the next.”

“That’s what makes a complex man, Min.” He kissed her on the cheek. “And I’m glad I could give you something my old man couldn’t. But if it’s a boy, for God’s sake, don’t name him Rhett Jr.”

He walked out, leaving Mindy sitting there and absently rubbing her swollen belly and thinking that Rhett had subtly outmaneuvered her.

But a quarter of a billion bucks was certainly worth it, she concluded.

CHAPTER

63

AFEW WEEKS LATER, ALL TRANSACTIONScompleted, and all documents signed, sealed, and delivered, and Mindy Temple $250 million richer, Rhett marched into the offices of Sybaritic Investments with a dweeby, irrelevant looking sixty-year-old man named Hugh Prentiss, who had become chairman of the board of Sybaritic at Barton’s death. Dressed in a tailored two-piece gray suit with a blue polka-dot tie and matching pocket kerchief, Rhett looked on top of the world. For his part, Prentiss appeared like he was being forced off a cliff.

They knocked on the office door of Elaine Fixx, the CEO, and were told to enter.

She glanced up at them in surprise. “Rhett, Hugh? What are you two doing here? You’re not on my calendar.”

“Well, that doesn’t really matter, does it?” said Rhett. “Not now.”

“I’m not sure what—”

Rhett turned to Prentiss, “Hugh, deliver her the 411.”

Prentiss, without meeting Fixx’s eye, said, “Um, it appears that Mr. Temple is once again the CEO of this company.”

“There’s no ‘appears’ about it, Hugh,” snapped Rhett.

Fixx stood. “I don’t understand. I was named in Barton’s will as the CEO.”

“Yes, but, there were, um, complications that, I mean today, well, it seems that—” stammered Prentiss.

Rhett interjected, “Jesus, just shut up, Hugh. Here’s the deal, Elaine. I own sixteen percent of the voting shares in this company.”

“Right. Not nearly enough to remove me as—”

“And I have been named guardian of my sister Angelina’s trust, and I also have her power of attorney. Her trust owns fifty-one percent of the shares of Sybaritic Investments, meaning that I controlsixty-seven percentof the voting stock, a supermajority. That means that I can name me as your replacement, and I have.” He turned to Prentiss. “And by the way, you’re fired, dumbass. Get out. I already canned the rest of the board this morning, but I saved you for last because I wanted to tell it to your ugly face.”

Prentiss blanched. “But—”

“Leave now or security will give you the heave-ho.”

Prentiss hurried from the room, leaving Rhett and Fixx staring at each other.

Fixx said, “You got control of your disabled sister’s trust and you’re using it to take back control of the company? That is beyond… brilliant, Rhett.”

He appraised her in a new light. “That response might have just saved your ass, Elaine. But I need to know one thing first.”

“What?”

“Did you sleep with my father?”