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I shake my head from side-to-side. "I didn’t want to speak to anyone about what happened. I was so humiliated by it." I glance past him to the window and the bright sunshine showering his desk. "I just wanted to crawl into a hole."
"What did he offer you?" His brow shoots up in anticipation.
"Shares. I own part of his company," I say regretfully. "He insisted I take them. I don't have any part of the day-to-day operations. Mark has my proxy."
He only nods his head slowly up and down. "You mean shares in his real estate company. What's the name of that again?"
"Intersect Investments."
He writes more before he looks at me. "How much do you own?"
"Ten percent." I feel like I'm being interviewed for a loan. The impersonal nature of our conversation is wearing.
"Mark owns the rest or are there other partners?" his business tone continues as he furiously takes notes.
"There was another partner. He was an older man. I only met him once. His name was Tom." I pause, searching my memory for his last name. "Tom something. He died though and I'm not sure what happened with his shares. Mark talked about buying his estate out but then things between us fell apart and I have no idea where that went."
He nods in silence before standing to toss the notepad onto his desk. "You're a very wealthy woman, Ivy." Finally a smile brightens his face again. "Or you're going to be."
I arch my eyebrow in question. "How so?"
"If you sell those shares to me, you'll be able to buy the apartment in Chelsea and live comfortably on the rest of the proceeds for a very long time."
"I don't know how much they're worth." I stand to pace the floor. "Mark never told me and I never asked. I've forgotten about them for the most part."
"I'll have my business advisors research it but I'd say off the cuff, your ten percent is worth more than ten million." The way the number rolls off his lips so nonchalantly is unsettling.
"Ten million? As in dollars?" I know my mouth is half agape and I don't care. I shake my head certain that I misheard that number.
"At least." He reaches to punch a number into his desk phone. "Probably more. I promise I'll offer you a more than fair price."
I stand in silence as I listen to him order someone named Gilbert to his office for a meeting immediately. I reach for my bag and fumble through it again searching for my phone.
"I have to go, Gilbert. Get here as soon as possible." The phone clicks back into its base as I thumb through my phone's address book.
"Ivy, what are you doing?" He's behind me now, peering over my shoulder.
"I need to tell Mark if I'm selling my shares, no?" I ask excitedly.
"Not yet, beautiful." He pushes my phone back into my purse. "Let me talk to Gilbert first and get a sense of what we're working with and we'll draw up some contracts. Then we can discuss telling Mark." He kisses me lightly on the forehead.
"You're giving me the chance at a new life," I whimper through building tea
rs. "How can I thank you for this?"
"I'll come up with a way or two." He smiles right before his lips slide over mine.
Chapter 17
"Thanks for the ride, Leonard." I call to him as he steps back into the car after dropping me in front of my apartment. I turn to look at it, joy running through me as I realize that soon I won't have to be here anymore. I'll be free of all the difficult memories of this place and of my former life with Mark.
"Ms. Marlow, there you are." Oliver rushes to greet me as I step into the lobby. "This arrived for you a short time ago." He hands me a rectangular box. There's no return address but the word FRAGILE is stamped in bold red letters across the front of it.
"Thanks, Oliver." I reach to rub his shoulder gently. "How's your wife today?"
"She's as wonderful as ever." His face beams.
"Perfect." I walk to the bank of elevators and press the call button. I push my purse back onto my shoulder as I fumble with the package. I'm curious about its contents hoping that it's a surprise from Jax. I hear the signal that the elevator has arrived and the door opens. I step forward without taking my eyes from the package and walk straight into someone.
