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“To Russ Coleton, my father wasn’t a human being. He was a number on a spreadsheet. A thousand good people getting cancer and unsuccessfully trying to sue was cheaper than what it would’ve cost to use a safer pesticide for a few decades. It was just one big calculation for maximum profit with no regard for anything else.” I shook my head, chest tight and hot. “Someone like that deserves to have everything taken from them. Everything.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jules said. She reached across the table and took my hand in hers. “I had no idea. I don’t even know what to say.”
“You’re not responsible for your father’s choices. You don’t have to apologize for him.”
“No,” she said. “But I can help you get back at him.”
“Does he have any idea what kind of daughter he raised?” I asked. I was somewhere between amusement and awe with her.
“No.” Jules picked up her sandwich again and took a big bite. “That’s the problem,” she said around her food. “But I think he’s going to find out.”
22
Juliette
It was a warm Sunday morning, and I was happily eating a bagel in the park. Adrian was out of town until tomorrow for his trip to interview with Krause. I felt lighter than air ever since I’d come clean to him. After our conversation over lunch a couple days ago, Adrian had been different, too.
It didn’t shock me. The guy was planning to destroy my father’s business and probably worried I would rat him out if he told me. But he had no idea what growing up in my family had been like. Being a Coleton felt more like being admitted against my will to an asylum full of insane people who had barred my windows. I never needed for material things, but when it came to emotional support and love, my life had been one giant vacuum of emptiness.
So, yeah, if the plan was to crash daddy dearest’s business, I was in. If anything, I thought it might actually be the only thing that could get my dad to take an honest look at himself. That was a long shot, though, and I wasn’t going to bet on it.
I didn’t even worry about my mother because I knew there was no level of destruction that would have her hurting for money. Even if father wound up in jail with his assets frozen, there was simply too much wealth for a few hundred million to not wind up in her hands.
Adrian’s sister, Jordan came and sat next to me. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry I’m late.”
Adrian had set up for me to meet with everybody on his team individually. He hadn’t said why, exactly, but I suspected he wanted them to get a chance to feel out how secure their futures were. I understood how many lines Adrian had crossed by bringing me in now, and I didn’t blame any of his friends for worrying about how I might ruin things.
“So,” Jordan said. “My brother tells me you’re Russ’ daughter? And you really don’t have a problem helping us do what we’re trying to do?”
“My father deserves what’s coming to him. I didn’t even know about what he did to your father, and I’m so sorry.”
She smiled, shaking her head. She tried to blow it off, but I could see the same deep sadness in her eyes that had been in Adrian’s. What my father had done to their family and probably thousands of others was unforgivable, and I could tell both of them were driven every day by it. “It’s just how things went,” she said. “But I know I’ll sleep better at night if Russ pays for it.”
“I promise, I’m not going to mess this up. I am a little worried about him noticing me if we start working at Coleton Central.”
“Yeah,” Jordan said. “About that.” She tucked a perfectly straight lock of hair behind her ear, then looked toward the trees like she was waiting for the right words to come. Adrian’s sister really was gorgeous. She had the same narrow but wide eyes he had. They were just as intense, but her softer features made her gaze slightly less intimidating. “I talked with the team, and we don’t think you should officially work for Adrian once we move to Coleton Central in New York.”
Her words came like a gut punch, but I smiled, hoping none of my disappointment showed. “I get it. If I was walking around with him there, it’d only be a matter of time until someone recognized me.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m sorry, Jules. But Adrian really fought for you to come. We outvoted him three to one. He’s still planning to pay you, and he wants you to come to New York, too. He just won’t be able to bring you to the office.”
