Page 85 of Miss Treated

Sophia wouldn’t go down without swinging. “Someone is framing me, and your auditor was stupid enough to fall for it.”

“Then explain the checks made out to SA Associates. Checks you signed. Checks which ended up in your accounts,” Gerard shouted.

Ava spoke, “Wait, SA Associates. Isn’t that the name of Dad’s first company? Oh, God—”

Ava’s statement confirmed what I already assumed was true.

But despite losing the battle, Sophia wasn’t done causing collateral damage. She focused her wrath on me. “You’ve torn this family apart. I hope you’re happy.”

She turned on her heel and left with her daughter running after her.

“This is what you hired Kelsey for? Suspected fraud?” Dominic threw the question toward his father.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes.”

“And you couldn’t have shared this entire thing with me?”

“No, it wasn’t your job.”

“Wasn’t my job? I’m supposedly the COO of the company. It wasn’t my job to know you suspected fraud of the director of accounting?”

“You would’ve been too emotional about it since it was your aunt.”

Dominic looked toward me. “The aunt who you asked me about? Did I give you enough information for your investigation?”

My stomach dropped. I whispered, “It wasn’t like that.”

“Right. It wasn’t like either one of you trusted me enough to tell me the truth. Then to add insult to injury, you had me—what? Do busy work? The meetings with payroll and HR, the follow-ups on samples, all of it was bullshit, wasn’t it?”

God, I wanted to puke. “I couldn’t tell you—”

“No, because why tell the guy who no one respects, who no one thinks could go the distance? Better to have him chasing other things to keep him out of the way. You know, I halfway expected it from him.” He pointed to his father. “But I thought we were a team. I thought you believed in me.”

Forget puking, I was about to pass out.

“I’m leaving,” Anna announced, as if breaking out of her shock.

Dominic’s jaw clenched as he watched her walk away. “I’m going with her. After all, I’m of no value in any other capacity to either of you.”

It was all I could do to avoid completely breaking down when he left.

Gerard cleared his voice. “It wasn’t my intention to hash this out here. I apologize, Kelsey.”

“You should save your apologies for the people who’ll be in your life come tomorrow.”

I certainly wouldn’t be one of them.

Chapter Forty-Five

Dominic

I was hurt. Hurt by my father. He hadn’t trusted enough in me or my professionalism to share vital company information about an employee committing fraud. But more than that, I was hurt by Kelsey. She’d kept it all from me. Nothing like finding out your father and girlfriend were in on a secret together. Nothing like learning neither one of them thought you had the capability of handling it.

I caught up with my mother outside. “I’ll give you a ride. Where do you want to go?”

She cursed, looking back to the house. “I need to inform the guests I’m leaving. I’ll tell them I’m not feeling well.”

“I’ll wait in the car.”