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“Wait. You and Leo discussed my property?”
“Leo called to tell me about the property. Having access to that parcel of prime real estate would help Sutton Properties and boost his hopes of impressing my grandfather and the board of directors in his bid to take control of the company.”
This was crazy. Leo never said anything about talking to Malcolm, a takeover, or using her property to achieve his goal. At no time did Leo ever encourage her to develop the property. He even made her father back down from pushing her.
Cassie straightened in her seat. “Why would Leo want to take over Sutton Properties? He has his own company.”
Malcolm pulled out his phone. “I have proof. I’m sorry, Cassandra but you need to hear this.” He opened his phone and pushed a few buttons and handed it to her. “Listen for yourself.”
It was like holding Pandora’s box in her hand. If she listened to the message, and it was bad, she might lose Leo. If she didn’t listen to it, she would keep Leo, but not knowing the content of the message would sow seeds of doubt about him. She took the phone with a shaky hand, hit the ‘play’ button, and held it to her ear.
“I’m using Cassandra to get her property and show Gramps I’ll be able to run Sutton Properties. Eventually I’ll take over Argo Construction from her father. I’m a fucking genius.”
The message ended abruptly. His voice wasn’t casual; he sounded angry. She handed it back to Malcolm, skeptical of his motives.
“Well?” Malcolm pocketed his phone. “What do you think of Leo now?”
“That wasn’t a conversation. It was a snippet of a conversation. I never heard anything you said.”
“Leo’s using you.” Malcolm’s face reddened and his voice hardened. “You’re engaged now, so it’s safe for him to fuck around.”
She cringed at his crudeness.
“I apologize for my blunt language. I’m trying to be honest with you. This is Leo’s pattern. He’s never been satisfied with one woman.” He pursed his lips and studied her. “Maybe he’s talking to her right now.”
Her head reeled. This was impossible. Leo had just proposed to her. She took a gulp of water and lifted her eyes to him.
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “He’s done it before, and now he’s doing it to you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Whitney. He used to date her.”
“I know all about Whitney.”
“No, you don’t.”
Alarm threaded through her. She’d reacted the same way when a few friends told her about Owen and Daphne. She’d trusted too easily back then and refused to believe them. This time, even though she didn’t like Malcolm, she would stay and listen to what he had to say, and then make up her mind.
“Tell me.” Cassie hoped her apprehension didn’t show in her voice.
“Whitney was a shy girl when they met.” Malcolm gave her a smirk. “Just like you.”
She’d never felt so self-conscious wearing glasses.
“Leo took Whitney’s virginity with promises of marriage. Once she became dependent on him, he took off.”
She hated having to discuss Leo’s past with this horrible person. His prior relationship with Whitney had nothing to do with her and Leo. “It was a long time ago.”
A waitress passing by dropped a trayful of champagne flutes. The shattering glass rattled Cassie’s nerves, but she forced herself to focus her attention on Malcolm.
“This is important, Cassandra,” Malcolm said in a hushed voice. “Leo was abusive. He left the country in exchange for Whitney not pressing charges.”
She froze, taking this information in. There must be an explanation for Malcolm’s claims. When Leo told her this story, he never mentioned anything about legal charges.
“You think you’re different, but you’re not,” Malcolm said with a shake of his head. “You’re captivated by him as most women are. You think he’s in love with you, but he’s manipulated you to believe in him. He wants to take this company away from me, and you’re the best thing to come along to help him do it. The fact you’re a Papadakis is a bonus for him.”
Could Leo have manipulated her? On the other hand, Malcolm had everything to gain if she believed what he’d told her; it was another means of attacking Leo. Her head spun with all the possibilities.
