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“Actually, the money you stole wasn’t all business money. Part of it was my personal stash I keep in my safe. You not only took some of the petty cash, which is a felony, by the way, but you also took cash from me. Also illegal.”
For the first time since she arrived, I see her appear a little nervous. “So? What are you going to do? Have me arrested?” she asks, laughing with a bit too much force.
“Actually, yes.”
Her eyes widen and the smile falls from her painted lips. “Excuse me? You can’t do that.”
“I most certainly can. It’s no different than if any other employee or customer steals. You’re not above the law.”
She narrows her eyes at me and sits up straight in her chair. “This is a joke, right?”
“I would never joke about this,” I tell her, relaxing even more as she starts to really squirm. “You’re fired, and TD is on his way.”
He’s not—yet.
“You can’t do this!” she bellows, jumping up and starting to really panic. “I own this business. It’s not stealing when it’s your own money, Logan.”
“I beg to differ, Shay. You’re part owner, but that doesn’t give you the right to take money.” Deciding to lay all my cards on the table, I add, “Unless…”
Her blue eyes brighten as she poses in front of me. “Unless what?”
“Unless you sign these.” I pull the updated contract out of my top drawer and slide it toward her.
“What’s this?”
“A contract to sell me your half of the business.”
“What? No!” she demands, pushing the papers back toward me.
“Fine,” I reply, gathering up the contract and making a big deal out of restacking them together. “I understand you’d rather take your chances with the court system, but I assure you, I’m in no mood to suggest community service. Hey, wasn’t orange one of the colors you said washes out your complexion?”
She huffs and crosses her arms, stomping her feet. “This is an outrage.”
“What’s an outrage is you stealing from the business and from me. You took money that doesn’t belong to you, Shay, and for what? A new vehicle?”
“Because Rick says I deserve the best of everything!” she bellows, her eyes wide and frantic.
“Well, I hope Rick comes to visit you in prison.”
She flops down into the chair and bursts into tears. Big, fake ones. Ones that used to wield power over me, but since, mean nothing. “You can’t do this,” she wails, her perfect makeup remaining in place as she cries.
“I can, and I will. The only way out of this is to sign the papers.”
“That’s extortion.”
“No, it’s good business. I’ll pay you for your half of the business, and in return won’t release the security videos to TD.” Fighting a smile, I add, “I wonder how easy it would be to leak them on the internet?”
She gasps and cries harder.
I sit up straight, lean forward, and fold my hands together. “Listen, Shay, you don’t want the business. You want the status that comes with it and to make sure I’m not happy. Well, you’ve had me by the balls for years, sweetheart. No more. I’ll pay you for your half of the business right now. My attorney has the contract ready to go, and the bank is prepared to cut the check. You could have it by mid-afternoon. All you have to do is sign your name and walk away.”
She sniffles again and reaches for the papers. She scans them over. “Wait, this is less than the last offer!”
“That was a one-time deal, Shay. You declined. Then, you stole from me. I’ll pay you exactly fifty percent of what this business is valued at today and not a cent more. It’s either that or you take your chances with TD. And you know how he’s always felt about you,” I add, letting myself smile for the first time.
As if realizing she’s truly fucked, she groans and wipes frantically at her eyes. “He’s always hated me.”
“With good reason, but that’s a conversation for another time. Make your choice, Shay. You can walk out of here right now with a bunch of money. You keep the house and anything else you were awarded during the divorce. The only clause is you can’t come after me for any sort of support in the future.”
