Fascination: (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #9): A Friends to Lovers Romance

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Fascination: (Billionaire Venture Capitalist #9): A Friends to Lovers Romance Page 24

by Ainsley St Claire


  All of the air escapes from my lungs. How can that be? “Have you cleared her for poisoning me?”

  “No, and we think she’s involved in something else as well, so she won’t be released any time soon,” Cora shares.

  I sit back hard in my seat. “If she’s sitting in holding refusing to talk to anybody, isn’t she entitled to an attorney and due process?”

  “Not always,” Cora replies. “We feel we’re close to wrapping this up, and she hasn’t requested an attorney yet.”

  “Close? That’s huge.”

  “In my experience, people in these cases tend to negotiate it out, so we don’t actually go to court. Otherwise we have seventy days to charge her.”

  “Seventy days is a long time. Why so specific?”

  “The law says that if we don’t have enough to charge her at that point, we need to release her.”

  I’m dumbfounded by this news. They know she’s guilty of something. How did I miss it? Or did I? “Do you think she’d meet with me?”

  “No, she’s refusing all visitors and hasn’t reached out to anyone at this point.”

  “She hasn’t? Not even her friend Amanda?”

  “She just quietly sits in her cell. When she gets tired of sitting, she stands and stretches.”

  “Can Mason see her even if she doesn’t want to see him?” CeCe asks.

  “No, I’m afraid not,” Cora says firmly.

  “What about our safety?”

  “We do believe Adam is watching you and your friends. We’re working with Jim and his team to make sure there’s protection on all of the partners and their significant others all day, every day. Of the thirty-two hackers we’ve arrested, it took us a while to get the first one to turn—she was young and somewhat new but from the information she gave us, we’ve slowly but surely had success in turning eighteen of them.”

  “That sounds promising,” I reply.

  “It has been. They haven’t just attacked you and your clients. They’ve been hacking municipalities across the country and taking information hostage, and they’ve also been hacking into individuals who’ve committed various ethical infractions and have blackmailed them.”

  “What are they doing with all their money?”

  “We haven’t traced it all. This Robin Hood Party is incredibly disjointed, but they make sure no one knows more than what they do.”

  Chapter twenty-seven

  Mason

  We’re escorted from the building to our car. CeCe reaches for my hand, and I feel a sense that this may finally be wrapping up. I know it’s occupied my thoughts for years. It may not have been all I thought about, but everything we did as a company was a defensive move against this mess. It’s now second nature to be vigilant. As much as I’d prefer to not have to do that, most likely we need to continue. This Robin Hood Party will have someone behind them waiting to do the same thing again.

  “Should we update the team?” CeCe says softly, interrupting the black hole my mind is dying to jump into.

  I squeeze her hand. “I think so. Should we invite them over to my place?”

  “That sounds like a great idea.”

  “Oh, wait, what about Angela?”

  “She and Misty have gone to my mother’s and will stay there for a while.”

  “Okay, good. I’d hate for her to have no place to go and no work because of our mess.” I send a group text to the team. Anyone up for two nights in a row? Met with the FBI and we got some news.

  Cynthia: Are you okay? I saw the news.

  Me: Yes, we’re just fine. We can tell you all about it if you can make it.

  Cameron: Where and when?

  Dillon: I think Emerson is already on her way. Count us in.

  Me: We’re on our way back from the federal building and should be at my house shortly.

  My text messages ping back and forth as everyone replies they can make it.

  CeCe is on the phone, and I hear “Twelve large vegetable and twelve large combinations, six large mixed greens, and six Italian.” She rattles off my address and gives them her credit card number. I’m stunned. She looks over at me as she disconnects the call. “I’ve ordered pizza and salads from that spot close to your place.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. I have drinks, so we should be good.”

  As we pull up in front of my condo building, I see Christopher and Bella waiting in a car outside. By the time we walk into my place, better than half the partners have joined us. I’m being hit with multiple questions at a time when CeCe says, “Come on in. We’ve lots to tell you, but you’ll want beverages, and food is on the way.”

  We walk everyone through what’s happened in the last twenty-four hours.

  “That’s amazing,” Quinn says.

  “Was it really only a flesh wound?” Hadlee, our resident doctor, asks.

  “I promise, just a flesh wound. I won’t be hopping on the treadmill for a few days, but I’m fine, and Jim’s doctor sewed me up. I don’t think I’ll scar.”

  “So you mean to tell me that they can’t confirm whether or not Annabelle is involved?” Emerson is incredulous.

  “No. Now let me hold that baby boy. He’s awfully cute.” CeCe reaches for Liam and bounces him up and down on her lap. “Unfortunately they can’t determine exactly what she’s guilty of, but they know it’s something.”

  “I know you’ve thought about this, but I’m curious if there’s any consideration that Annabelle might be behind what happened at Metro?”

  The group quiets down as everyone waits to hear what CeCe thinks. We’ve all had that question in the back of our minds, and with the amount of guilt I’ll have if that’s the case, I’ll have to spend my life making it up to her.

  “That’s my biggest fear of all. I think that’s why I’m most anxious to hear what they’re so sure she’s guilty of because in my mind, she could absolutely be behind what happened at both SHN and Metro.” CeCe sighs, then continues. “Honestly, I never really thought about it before the meeting with Cora, but you know she hated me. I worked hard to make sure Mason and I didn’t spend time alone together.”

  “Yes, and look at where it got us—in loveless relationships.” I snort. Wait, did I say that out loud?

  Everyone nods in apparent agreement.

  “But we know it was meant to be based on where we are today.” CeCe winks at me and blows me a kiss.

  “Let’s think about some of the similarities between the two companies,” Cameron starts. “Both have been terrorized by a mole and probably hackers.”

  “Yes, and they both posted false information,” William adds.

  “The only difference being it was against CeCe’s actual company, whereas it was SHN’s clients.”

  “Okay, what else is the same?” CeCe looks at everyone, but no one can come up with anything concrete. “Unfortunately, this kind of corporate espionage is probably more common than we think and they’re not related. It’s most likely just poorly timed from our perspective. This may be the new world.”

  We debate for a while longer, and then Trey stands up and announces, “I can tell my baby sister is exhausted. Let’s let them get some rest and pick this up on Sunday night at our parents’.”

  The group begins to disperse. As people leave, we hear a lot of “We’re glad you’re all right,” “Sure would be nice if this was over in the next seventy days,” and “I can’t wait for this to be behind us.”

  Shutting the door behind the last person, I turn to CeCe. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re so strong. I watched how you managed everyone here tonight. I didn’t think I could love you more, but I do. I know that with you, I can get through anything.”

  She walks toward me and puts her arms around me. “I think the exact same way about you.”

  Our lips meet softly, our tongues exploring. When we break apart, she whispers, “I’m exhausted.”

  “Let’s get you in bed.”
/>   I’m immersed in a prospectus from William for a new app that, if successful, could change the way we use money in the future. Paper money and coins would become obsolete, though I want to believe that would never happen—too many people want something physical to hold.

  My phone rings, bringing me out of my stupor. The caller ID says it’s coming from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It’s only been a few hours, but my guess is it’s Cora.

  “Mason Sullivan,” I say as I answer the phone.

  “Hello, Mason. It’s Cora.”

  “You’re the only one from the FBI who calls me anymore. You’re the only one who still loves me.” I mock pout.

  “That I do.” She laughs. “I thought you’d like to know what we knew yesterday but were unable to prove until after we met. I have some surprising news that’s comes from our interview with Tom Van der Wolfe.”

  “I’ve been curious about the man with three names.”

  “Were you that aware Adam and Annabelle are siblings?”

  I sit back in my chair, totally stunned by this revelation. This is completely out of left field. “I had no idea. Absolutely none.”

  “Did you ever meet any of her family?”

  “No. She said her father was abusive, but otherwise she never mentioned anything about them except that she grew up in Orange County. Does this mean she’s Eve?”

  “We don’t know yet. We need to sit down with her, but he let us know this bit of information. As I said yesterday, there are some instances where we feel confident that she wasn’t a part of the hacking, so we aren’t sure what the connection means quite yet. Tom doesn’t realize he let that tidbit out, so we’re playing it close to our vest, but I wanted to find out what you know.”

  “Apparently nothing. I don’t know what to say. I am completely and utterly shocked by this.”

  “I’ve been thinking about your volunteering to meet with Annabelle. I may take you up on that.”

  “Whatever you need. I’m not going to tell anybody this information yet. I need to talk to her first. Are you okay with that?”

  “Mason, you’re the keeper of the information. I’m fine with you withholding information from your colleagues. I’ll follow your direction regarding this because it’s your company, but I haven’t decided if you can talk to her.”

  “Thank you. It’s not solely my company, of course, and maybe I’m going to get in trouble by doing this, but I need to talk to Annabelle first before I tell everyone. Otherwise they’re going to storm down there with me wanting to rip her heart out.”

  “Come by at four this afternoon. I haven’t decided for sure if it’s a good idea for you to meet with her, but I’m thinking about it.”

  We hang up, and I turn to look out the window behind me. How could I have missed something so big? How is it possible that they’re related? They look nothing alike. I realize Trey and CeCe are fraternal twins, so they look somewhat alike. Dillon and his sister, Siobhan, don’t look exactly alike, but they still have enough similarities that you could pick them out as siblings.

  Adam is a former linebacker for Stanford. He’s a big guy. Annabelle is petite.

  Adam has dark brown hair. Annabelle is a blonde.

  Adam has pasty white skin. Annabelle has an olive tone.

  I just find it hard to believe that they’re siblings. Not to mention I’m one hundred percent positive that Annabelle doesn’t know the first thing about coding. She knows purses, designers, and who’s who on the Forbes list, but not the difference between a string of Java code and even basic HTML. There’s no way Annabelle can be Eve.

  So who is?

  William sticks his head into my office. “Hey, boss. Have you got a sec?”

  “Of course. Come on in. Your timing is perfect. I was just going through your latest proposal.”

  William sits down opposite me to walk me through the issues with the company, then attempts to tell me how it’s still a good investment.

  I just can’t concentrate at all.

  All I can think about is Annabelle and Adam being brother and sister. Holy fuck. How did I not see this?

  “Hello? Mason? Anybody home?”

  “I’m so sorry, William. I really am. I just got some really odd news and I’m… I’m still reeling a little bit, frankly. Forgive me, tell me again what you need?”

  “It looks like Newsprint wants to go public sooner, and they don’t need another round of funding. Is that going to be okay?”

  Newsprint? When did we get on the subject of Newsprint? They’re one of the companies in our portfolio that we invested angel and first round in. They have a tremendous idea of how to use artificial intelligence to scan for real news without any political or biased news. It would impact the stock market greatly, which is why it fell under William.

  “We have early shares, so whatever they want to do; it’s perfectly fine if they want to pop early. We’d land really well if they were successful in an early IPO. Get with Sarah, and she can work on a date for you and get everything taken care of. Let me know what I can do to help, but the idea of not giving them another round of funding and being able to cash out even sooner is amazing news.”

  “Great. I’ll keep you posted.” William stands to leave.

  “Can you shut the door on your way out, please?

  “No problem.”

  I need to tell someone, and while I’d like to call CeCe, I know she has a board meeting going on right now.

  I call Marci instead and am put right through to her. “Hey, Mason. What’s going on?”

  “Are you sitting down?”

  “Yes, what’s happened?”

  “I got a call from Cora Perry this morning with some surprising news.”

  She gasps. “Do tell.”

  I take a big breath. I can’t believe I’m going to say this out loud. “Annabelle Ryan is Adam Reeves’s sister.”

  “Shut the front door,” Marci says in obvious shock. “I am absolutely stunned.”

  “Me, too.”

  Marci goes into lawyer mode instead of just being my confidant. I take great pride in having such a shark for a lawyer. “There was no indication when you were living together that you knew they were related?”

  “None.”

  “Did you know she had a brother?”

  “Yes, I knew she had a brother and two older sisters, but they all lived down in Orange County. As far as I knew, she was very distant from them. They had a really rough childhood. Annabelle told me stories of being abused by her father and said she didn’t have much of a relationship with her family. I asked to meet them several times, and she always declined. I had no idea.”

  “Wow, that’s really stunning. So, what’s the plan?”

  “Well, I guess they haven’t told her they’ve uncovered this bit of information yet. I’ve asked to meet with her and see if I can get some information out of her. She isn’t talking to anyone, and they have seventy days to bring about a court case.”

  “When will they decide?”

  “I think soon. Cora seemed to like the idea but wouldn’t commit when I talked to her, though Cora wants me to come by at four this afternoon. I think she’s going to let me talk to Annabelle.”

  “Okay.”

  “How about you consider making a couple thousand dollars this afternoon and join me?”

  She chuckles. “Mason, I wouldn’t miss this for anything. Do you want to meet here first or at the federal building?”

  “See you in front of the Federal Building about three forty-five? That way we’re walking into the building together and through security and able to meet Cora upstairs.”

  “No problem.” Marci hesitates, then asks, “How are you doing with this information?”

  “I’m completely caught off guard and dumbfounded. In the short time I’ve known, I haven’t been able to think about anything else. This came completely out of left field.”

  We hang up and I try to work, but my mind returns to many of the conversations I
had with Annabelle.

  I remember her telling me she wasn’t close to her family.

  She and my mother didn’t get along, but I didn’t put too much stock in that given each of them wanted to be the center of my universe.

  She was born in Utah and moved to California when she was three, so she considered herself a native.

  Her parents couldn’t afford to send her to college, so she tried attending on her own, but she didn’t know what she wanted to do, so she dropped out.

  What did her father do? I can’t quite recall. Her mother was a homemaker.

  I remember asking her when we first started dating to introduce me to her family, but she pushed me off.

  Now I wonder how much of what she told me was true.

  Did she not tell me she was Adam’s sister because we didn’t get along or because she was up to no good?

  My cell phone pings, alerting me that Jim’s team has arrived to drive me over to the Federal Building. I pack up my things and head for the door.

  I’m going to get some answers out of her if it kills me.

  After meeting Marci and getting through security, I’m escorted to a small room. Cora sits opposite me. “I can only imagine how upset you are. I want you to think about this before I bring her in. Are you sure you want to have this conversation with her?”

  “Without a doubt,” I tell her. “I want to know why she did this.”

  “All right, then you can try talking to her. Have an open mind and figure out what she needs to tell you. Get her to talk to you, because all we know is that she and Adam are brother and sister. She’s not implicated herself in any way.”

  The pressure is on, but I can do this. “I understand.”

  Cora gets up and walks out, returning in a few minutes with Annabelle. I’m a bit stunned by her appearance. She’s in a gray and white striped prison uniform, and her hands and feet are shackled. Her typically well-coifed hair is pulled back haphazardly into a ponytail.

  Her usually sparkling gray-blue eyes are missing their sparkle; the circles under her eyes are dark, and her cheeks are concave. She doesn’t acknowledge me until they remove the shackles and handcuff her to a bar at the table. When she finally looks up at me, she doesn’t say anything, but I watch her pupils dilate and hear her breathing quicken in the small room.

 

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