AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Steve? Julia?
Hanna stared in shock and horror at the couple revealed by the now-open door.No. Oh, no. No, please, no.
Steven Dawson’s smug smile greeted her. “Imagine meeting you here. Moved on to the next rich guy, did you, Miss Sparrow?”
* * *
In the timeit took to open a door, Gregory lost control of the evening before it even started.
Hanna’s expression was pure mortification. Her shoulders hunched forward, her neck shrunk into her torso, and she looked like she wanted to crawl off and die anywhere but here. Moments before, he had embraced a confident woman with her head held high. Now? He would never have known her for the force of nature who had swanned into his business party to demand respect.
Julia Dawson wore a similar expression, but colored with shame instead. Her gaze darted from the ground, to Hanna, and back to the ground again, as if staring too long at Hanna would do her eyes harm. Julia set her hand on her husband’s arm, a universal gesture to encourage politeness, but he brushed her off with a near-vicious grin.
“You’ve been had, Greg, my man.” Steve strode into the house as if he owned it, leaving his wife to trail after him
Gregory allowed it.I don’t understand. What the hell is happening?“I’m not sure what you’re saying, Steve. This is my girlfriend, Hanna.”
“I’ll bet. Let me guess. You hired her for one position or another. Secretary. Nanny. Companion for your grandmother. Are there drinks this way?” Steve gestured towards the nearest room.
“One door down. I’ve set things out in the parlor.” Gregory indicated the appropriate direction and wrapped an arm around Hanna’s shoulder to squeeze, a silent indication that he had her back.This has to be a misunderstanding.Yet the look on her face didn’t saymisunderstandingto him. Dread and tears stood in her eyes as she numbly followed him.
“Thanks. I definitely need a drink.” Steve wasted no time locating the decanter of scotch Gregory had put on the sideboard. “As I was saying. You hired her. Right? And she ingratiated herself into the family. Such a sweet girl. Indispensable. Went above and beyond for you, did everything you could hope for and more. Then you fell for her. How could you not? She’s pretty, perky, and the kind of girl you’d bring home to Mom.”
Anger simmered at Steve’s words. Gregory didn’t care for the tone, or the implications. Neither did he care for the grains of truth he heard in Steve’s words. “Mister Dawson, you’re in my home. Insulting my girlfriend isn’t the way for us to start tonight’s business. It’s rude.”
“She didn’t tell you, did she. About her last job. Maybe it’s rude, but so was she.”
“Steve, please,” Julia murmured.
Steve ignored her. “Hanna was our nanny. Came into our home. Our kids loved her. We couldn’t have asked for a better, more caring girl to take care of our family. We even brought her on vacation with us to Saint-Tropez. Do you know how she thanked us?”
Gregory could feel Hanna shaking next to him. When he looked at her, she shook her head, a tiny motion with a massive meaning.Why isn’t she saying anything? This can’t be true. Last night, she was deflecting the board of directors, defending Martin and me. Why isn’t she defending herself?
He cleared his throat. “Mister Dawson–”
“She came on to me. Made a move on me while we watched the ocean. Julia was tucking the kids in. Hanna said she wanted to walk on the beach, but she’d been gone a while. I thought I’d check on her. I’m pretty sure she lured me out there so she could get me alone. After all Julia and I have done for her.” Steve wrapped his arm around his wife to force her into a squeeze.
Julia stared at her hands and said nothing.
One attempt to save this. I’ve negotiated with worse. He’s about to unload all his grievances. That will provide me with information and ammunition against him. If I can’t steer us back on track, I’m throwing him out, and damn the consequences.As much as Gregory couldn’t stand his board of directors, he found he loathed Steve even more. No one should talk about Hanna that way, especially in her own home. And especially not in front of the man who loved her.
“Mister Dawson, I didn’t bring you and your wife here to insult Hanna. Neither did I bring you here to give me advice about my relationship or how I conduct my household,” Gregory said in his hardest tone. “Now. I’m going to suggest we stick to business. If you can’t do that, then we should discuss how much your father-in-law would like to sell his shares for.”
Steven directed his wife to a couch, where she sat on the edge of the cushion like a miserable, unhappy bird. He dropped onto the cushion next to her and leaned back, drink in his hand. “That’s where we have a problem, Greg. See, if you’re dating that woman next to you, even after everything I just said? Then I have to doubt your judgement. I don’t blame you for falling for her act. Shit, I might have, too. What I would blame you for is not correcting your mistake.”
“My. Mistake.” Anger had become a quiet, smoldering rage.The Hanna I know isn’t at all like the woman he’s talking about.
But the Hanna he knew had told him so much about her past, yet nothing about this man. She had also spoken up without fear when confronted with venomous gossip.Why didn’t you say anything? If you had just told me, I wouldn’t have invited him here. I would have protected you from this. We would have dealt with it together, found another way.
Yet he hadn’t given her all the information, either. He hadn’t even bothered to tell her Steve’s name. He’d just assumed she would pick it up, smile and play hostess without input from him.
He was mad at Steve. Mad at the situation. But most of all, he was mad at himself.
“Your mistake falling for her line of bullshit.” Steve gestured towards Hanna with his glass. “Look. Robert Lane doesn’t have these problems. You and I, we can do business as two men wronged by the same woman. Or I can call Robert back and tell him exactly what I’ve just told you. I imagine your board of directors would just love this story.”
There it was. The corner Steven Dawson intended to paint Gregory into. He realized it no longer mattered whether Dawson spoke the truth or not, because the facts had nothing to do with what he wanted.
Hanna was the price for his cooperation. Set her aside and gain the keys to the corporate kingdom. Hold onto her, and Gregory would lose his grandfather’s empire.
