Page 157 of The Elusive Billionaire

I don’t believe he thought we’d be where we are today, but I do think he had every intention of helping his three boys find their home here. Savvy, like me, needed a family to call home.

Ace was a sneaky shit, and his reach extends far beyond the grave.

“We have teams in place for Madi and Elle. Clover’s team is having trouble with someone named Chief, who appears to be under the impression that he’s running the operation.”

My chuckle has him lifting his head from his computer screen. “Word of advice, work with Chief, not against him, and things will go a lot smoother.”

Roman’s expression remains impassive. He’s got one hell of a poker face. “I appreciate the feedback, but I can’t have anyone interfering. Not when she’s already had a threat made against her.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. “Your call. But good luck getting rid of him.”

Roman pecks away at his computer with his pointer fingers. “We have a new team leader coming in for Clover’s team. He’s finishing up another job but…” There’s a catch, a slight hitch in his tone that wasn’t there before. “He’s our cousin. He won’t have any trouble handling an old man. He’s our chief strategist—this company was actually his brainchild.”

“Chief will meet Chief,” I chuckle. “I’d pay good money to be a fly on that wall.”

“Yes.” Roman clears his throat. “We should talk about that?—”

A knock at the door has me dropping the coin in my pocket, then looking up.

Quinn stands at the threshold, and the temperature in the room drops by twenty degrees.

Everyone here knows she might be the traitor—the person actively trying to hurt my family.

By her rigid posture and watery eyes, I’d say even she is aware of what will happen next.

“Yes, Quinn?”

Carla’s voice from HR rings in my mind about lawsuits and firing anyone too quickly, so I keep my tone even, dead.

“Mr. Reyes, I know you believe it’s possible that I’ve turned on you.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting her to come right out with it. Roman sits up straighter next to me with renewed interest.

She crosses the room, removes a single piece of paper from her file folder, and places it on the conference room table between us. “This is my resignation letter.”

Convenient.

“I’ve worked for you since you were in college. I’ve worked nights, weekends, and most holidays. I’ve never complained, and I’ve always been on your side.”

“You’ve been an exemplary employee,” I agree.

“When Braxton ran off and left you to run Omni-Reyes after Ace died, I was by your side. When Braxton dragged you here, even though you hated it, I was by your side. I took on the job as your confidant, your adviser, and your friend when no one else would.” Her voice is like steel, but her gaze is watery, and I’m still not convinced she’s who we’re looking for.

“I spoke up about Ms. Monroe because I believed we had built a level of professionalism where my opinion was valued. Iwas mistaken. However, I will not have my integrity called into question this way.”

“No one has made any accusations?—”

“Don’t insult my intelligence. In lieu of my two weeks’ notice, I offer you this.” She slides an entire folder across the table to me. “I hired Ms. Richardson because she’s the best at what she does and has been for nearly a decade. Her references were excellent—her track record speaks for itself.”

I open the folder while she’s speaking, and my leg starts bouncing as I slide it over to Roman.

“I based my opinions of Ms. Monroe on information Ms. Richardson had given me. But then I witnessed the golf tournament.”

Roman flips over grainy photos of my PR guru sitting in a parked car with Riley, their heads together in what appears to be a heated argument.

“Those were taken two days ago in the parking lot. You’d given me a migraine, Mr. Reyes, and I was lying down in my car during my lunch break. I’ll provide a doctor’s note should you need one.”

“You took these photos?” Roman asks.