AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good. I need you to search out custodial services, please. Find reliable companies with the utmost integrity.”
I thought of the other innocent members of Malus Custodial Management. They couldn’t all be involved. It wasn’t fair for everyone to be punished in all of this. We’d have to offer a position for those who wanted to stay.
“You got it.”
“Tell whoever this woman is that I’ll be right there.”
I hung up and shook Ethan’s, Maddox’s, and Duncan’s hands. I pulled Ella in for a quick kiss.
“I’ll be right back,” I told her and the others.
For a moment I worried about leaving her alone, but really, what was going to happen? Duncan and Maddox could handle anything that might come her way in my absence.
Clary’s office was a few paces down from mine.
My pulse flurried like a whirlwind. I took a moment to straighten my tie and pull in a breath that did nothing to ease my nervousness.
I’d rather be with Ella, but I still had a job to do. Fortifying myself,I opened the door.
Clary’s office was a fraction of the size of mine. A woman with dark hair sat in one of the leather seats in the center.
She wore jeans and a lavender shirt, which was visible through the unzipped front of a black coat. She gripped a small purse with one hand while worry pinched her pretty face.
For a moment, I thought it was the culprit of this whole mess—Priscilla Malus.
But this woman’s features were the slightest bit different. She had a wider brow and jawline, with fuller lips, which were turned down in worry.
I realized where I’d seen her before—she’d been in the hallway that day when I’d bumped into Ella.
“Mr. Danielson,” she said, standing clumsily and catching her balance.
“Hello, Miss…”
“Malus. My name is Charlotte Malus. Stina Malus is my mother.”
Her admission put me on my guard. Maybe I should have had Ethan, Maddox, or Duncan come with me.
What was she doing here?
“Hello, Charlotte. What can I do for you?”
Charlotte wrung her purse in front of her. She swallowed twice before speaking.
“I came because I couldn’t keep silent any longer. It’s not fair to Ella, and it’s not fair to you.”
Her words were rushed and clipped. This was obviously tough for her.
I attempted to put her at ease. “Please, sit down. Can I get you a drink? A bottle of water?”
“No, thanks. I just—I need to get this out.”
“Okay.”
I moved toward her and gestured for her to sit down again. She did so, and I took the chair opposite from her.
“It’s all right, Charlotte. I’ll hear whatever you have to tell me.”
I didn’t realize how badly she was trembling until she attempted to sit still. Maybe I should have let her stand after all.
