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“Sit down,” I instruct them.
Aspen perches next to Pike, who glances at her comfortingly. He still doesn’t know why I’ve asked him to come, either, but Caden remains standing, his arms folded defiantly.
“Contrary to what you believe, you’re not the boss here, Flint. What do you want?”
Without a word, I slide the credit report across the table for Caden to take as Julian’s smirk grows wider. I can do without the attorney’s smugness, particularly when he’s looking at Aspen like she’s a piece of meat. He warned me about Aspen, right from the start, and now Julian has the most “I told you so” look about him.
“You sit down, too,” I bark at him. Julian’s smile fades slightly, and he ambles toward one of the overstuffed office chairs, his back to the rest of the household.
Caden scans the paper, his expression disinterested at first.
“What is that?” Aspen breathes, straining to look.
“Your credit report,” I tell her flatly. “You have the lowest possible rating anyone can have. But that shouldn’t come as a shock to you, should it?” Her expression confirms my suspicions, and I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. “Are you a con artist or something?”
Aspen recoils. Pike sits forward like he’s been electrocuted. “What?” he growls.
“I’ve never seen a rating so low,” Julian pipes in, the jocularity in his tone irking me more. “And I’ve seen some crazy stuff in my days.”
“Julian, you’re not needed here. Wait in the hall until we’re done.”
His face falls entirely now, and he shakes his head. “No. I should be here to witness?—”
“You work for me,” I remind him coldly. “Go wait in the hall.”
Reluctantly, he rises, shaking his head, but he makes his way out of the study without incident.
“Is this true, Aspen?” Caden asks slowly, blinking as the page falls away from his face. “Is this really your credit report?”
Humiliation paints her cheeks scarlet, and she hangs her head. “I was going to tell you,” she whispers. “But there was never a good time…”
“You were going to tell us?!” I scoff. “This is unbelievable! You knew we’re trying to secure Lily’s future, and you didn’t think that this would affect it? We’ve listed you as someone we trust—someone who will be in her life consistently. You didn’t think it was important to tell us about your credit history? This might affect the adoption. How could you?”
“I… I know…” she mumbles. “I just?—”
“Let me see that!” Pike jumps to his feet and snatches the credit report out of Caden’s hands.
Tears fill Aspen’s eyes, and a twinge of pity twists my gut. She seems genuinely defeated, but a good grifter might be a talented actor, too. Oh, why hadn’t I thought to check her credit when we hired her? Why wasn’t a credit report in her background check?
No. I can’t feel sorry for her. She’s been withholding vital information. This will ruin everything.
“How?!” Pike demands dubiously, looking from the report to Aspen and back again. “These aren’t a few unpaid cell phone bills! This is deliberate fraud! There are seven maxed out credit cards here that weren’t paid for a year!”
“I’ve been trying to take care of it—” Aspen tries to say, but I’ve heard enough.
“Take care of it?” Pike echoes. “How? You’ll have to claim bankruptcy!”
Aspen stands unsteadily, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I don’t expect you to understand,” she whispers before fleeing the room.
I watch her go, my lips parting to call out for her.
“Okay, that was a little harsh, don’t you think?” Caden snaps at us.
We gape at him dubiously.
“Did you not hear what I just said?” Pike demands. “She didn’t make a mistake. She purposely defrauded companies.”
“You didn’t really give her a chance to say anything,” Caden insists as the door opens again.
