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I leave a note asking Marika to pack up her things. But on my way out, I scrunch up the note and throw it away.
Maybe one day, when I can stand being here without her actually there, the ghost of her will be enough.
My office door opens and Hannah steps in, her face about as stormy as mine has been.
"I'm not done throwing a tantrum, you might as well keep the door closed."
"Mr. Masters is here to see you," she says through gritted teeth. She might not say anything, but Hannah knows everything that's been going on.
She steps out as he comes in.
Being based in New York while Terry lives in London, I only see him in person three or four times a year. I guess the last time he was here; I was too busy trying to wrap my head around the three of them in my office to really look at him.
He looks old. His hair is completely white now; his face lined with wrinkles that look an inch deep, eyes devoid of color. I guess not having a heart makes you age badly.
"We need to talk," he says, still standing by the door.
"I don't think that we do. There's a board meeting next week. I can talk to you there. I mean, you called it to talk about my 'bad boy' behavior after all," I say, the bitterness clearly evident.
If I ever forgive him for his part of my possible firing, I'll still never forgive him for what he did to Clarissa. Just because she turned out to be the traitor her father is, doesn't mean I can't hate him for what he did.
"Matthias. You need to listen to me."
I lean back, piercing him with my look. I could just kick him out, but while he's here, I'm going to make it as hard for him as possible. "What makes you think that?"
The wrinkles deepen a little. "It's about Clarissa."
I sit forward in my chair. "Then I definitely don't have to listen to you. You raised her, giving her everything she ever wanted, and then, because of one mistake, you took away everything she had ever known. You're not only a bad father. You're a cruel person. And to tell her it's what Damien would've wanted is the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. If Damien had wanted to punish her, he would've done it himself. Good thing he's much more forgiving than I am." The more I talk about it, the more I get agitated. "A chairman of the board is supposed to put the company's best interests at heart. How does getting the Director arrested supposed to be in the company's best interests? When Gerry told you where I was, you should've talked him out of it."
Terry squirms, frowning before he drops a bombshell.
"He didn't call me.Icalledhim. Clarissa didn't call him. She calledme."
My mind blanks. I don't know if I actually heard him or my brain conjured it up. "Say that again."
"Clarissa didn't call Gerry to tell him where you were. She called me. For help. She thought I could help find a way to mitigate the effects of what you did.I'mthe one who called Gerry. And together, we decided to anonymously report you. She didn't call him. She was telling you the truth."
Confusion scatters all over my brain. "I don't believe you. You're lying."
"It's the truth. I can show you." He holds out his phone. I take it because my body feels unable to process anything just yet.
I look down at the phone. Clarissa's number, two weeks ago, at two a.m.
"This doesn't prove anything."
He shrugs, "That's because you're trying not to believe me. But it's the truth."
I stare at him. "Why didn't she say anything?!"
He takes the phone out of my hands and tucks it back into his pocket. "Maybe because she was protecting me, I don't know. But she's not speaking to me. And I don't think she ever will again."
I just stare at him, openmouthed. "Why, Terry? Why the fuck would you do this? I was going to handle it!"
His eyes cement in hate, jaw hardening. "Your family, you Baxter's"—he spits my family name out of his mouth like it's acid—"have ruined my daughter. My beautiful daughter, who could've achieved anything, done anything. But your brother turned her head and then abandoned her. Left her like she was trash by the side of the road."
I shake my head. "That's not what happened."
But he doesn't hear me. "And then you. Pulling her under with your reckless behavior! It was only a matter of time before you hurt her. She was doing so well here. She was taking responsibility for her own life for the first time and then you just screw it all up! I needed her to get her away from you as soon as possible, by any means possible. And if she hates me for the rest of her life, at least I knew what I needed to do for her." He sucks in a rough breath. "I didn't know the history with Gerry. He never told me. But... now. I can't have anything to do with him. With any of you."
