“Wow, Mom, I got to say, that reaction surprised me,” he said. A slight smile appeared on his face to hear his mother say these things. He had always assumed that the sudden wealth she had obtained in her later years had changed her in more ways than just her taste. She loved spending money and living in excess, so Nathaniel had always assumed she had left her days of living in the slums of Troy behind –including her taste in what is appropriate for her son. She had been saying for weeks that Eliza came from a good family –and by good she meant rich and powerful –so to hear her say she was perfectly fine with someone like Lillian was throwing him for a loop. And, truthfully, it made him very happy to hear her say that all she wanted was for him to find someone who made him feel whole –regardless of her current state of being.
“Oh, don’t tell me that you have been worried about what I would think?” she asked.
“Maybe a little,” he admitted.
“So, tell me about Lillian. I mean, I know that I knew her when she was a kid, but what is she like now?” his mother asked.
“She’s great, Mom,” Nathaniel said. “Not that it matters now. She’s really mad at me.”
“Oh, God, is it Eliza?” she asked.
Nathaniel leaned back in his chair and leaned outward to double check the elevators. It wasn’t Lillian. “You certainly hit the nail on the head with that one,” he said. “Lillian saw me taking Eliza out to her car, and Eliza told Lillian that she was my fiancée.”
“Oh,” his mother said softly. “That’s…. different.”
“Yeah,” he said, snorting slightly at her response. “I’m pretty sure I dodged a bullet with that one.”
“I’d say. My bad, Nathaniel,” his mother laughed. “So have you tried talking to Lillian?’
“Yeah, and it didn’t go well,” he said. “I don’t know what to say to her. She’s really mad.”
“Try this,” his mother said. “Admit you were wrong. Tell her the truth, and tell her how you really feel about her. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” he said. “Listen, I haven’t had lunch, and I’m staring at my plate right now.”
“All right, I’ll let you go,” she said. “But you better call me back and let me know how things went with Lillian, understood?”
“Understood,” he said. “Love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.”
Chapter 7
Nathaniel decided to heed his mother’s advice. After giving Lillian plenty of time to cool off, he headed up to her hotel room. This time, he did not enter with the card key. Instead, he knocked and waited patiently for her to answer. The door flung open, and Lillian was standing in the doorway with one hand on her hip. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt she had gotten from the hotel’s gift shop –and that was all apart from some underwear. Nathaniel’s face turned red. “What?” she snarled.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said and turned around, entering the hotel room. She plopped herself down on the couch. Nathaniel took the seat next to her, and she scooted away.
“I’m sorry,” he began, half expecting her to start yelling at him again without giving him an opportunity to speak. She didn’t; she was ready to listen. “I really am sorry, Lillian. I was wrong. Eliza and I had just met right before I came out Troy; my mother was trying to set us up. We have talked a few times on the phone, and I had planned to see her again when I returned to California, but that was the extent of our relationship. Then all of a sudden she just shows up in Troy telling you that she’s my fiancée. I hardly know her at all. She was just being a bitch and showing herself. Yes, I slept with her, and I’m sorry for that too because I really care about you, Lillian. In fact, I love you. I don’t want this to be just some fling. I want to be with you. And I’m so sorry I hurt you.”
She nodded along as he spoke. When he was finished she hesitated for a while before giving him a response. “I appreciate you being honest with me,” she said. “Maybe I overreacted?”
“No, you didn’t. I was a jerk,” Nathaniel said. “Eliza and I are through. I’m not going to see her again. She showed her true colors. You, though, I hope to keep seeing.”
“I suppose you’re not the worst guy I’ve ever been with,” she said, her voice becoming somewhat playful. “You did save me from a pimp, so… I guess I can let this one slide, right? Besides, it’s not like you and I were exclusive or anything.”
Nathaniel grabbed her hand, “I’d like to be.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah, really,” he responded.
“I’d like that too,” she said. “You sure you’d be okay with dating a homeless vet?”
“I’m just fine with that,” he said. “I love you.” He leaned in and gave her several kisses, enjoying her soft lips and savoring the moment. “Do you forgive me?” he asked.
“I guess I do,” she said and touched his neck, tracing her fingertips along his skin. “Just no more random girls, deal?”
“Deal,” he said. He ran his hands up her bare legs. “You wore this just to tease me, didn’t you?” he asked.
She laughed. “Maybe,” she said and crossed one of her legs over his knee.
Nathaniel’s phone started going off; he took it out of his pocket and tossed it. He pushed her onto her back and reached his hands up her shirt, excited to find that she was braless. “Yum,” he said and kissed her again, playing with her breasts as he kissed her over and over again.
She spread her legs and reached for the rim of his shirt, pulling it up over his head. He tossed it aside, and his phone started ringing again. “You might want to get that,” Lillian said.
“Whatever it is can wait,” he said and pulled her underwear down. He played with her with his fingers for a moment, and she began to groan.
His phone started ringing again. She pulled away from him. “Someone clearly needs you.”
“Fine,” he said and climbed off of her to go grab his phone. It was ringing yet again, and he could see that it was his business partner, Adam. “What’s up?” Nathaniel asked as he answered the phone.
“Son of a bitch!” Adam shrieked into the phone.
“What the hell? What’s going on?”
“What’s going on? You fucking transferred five million dollars to a private account, that’s what!” he shouted.
“Five million dollars?” Nathaniel questioned. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that money keeps going missing from our accounts-”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Nathaniel said. “But I have Tony handling that.”
“That’s the damn problem!” Adam shouted. “The owner of the account the five million went to is your damn assistant! And your dumbass approved the transfer!”
“What?”
“Think, Nathaniel –have you signed anything lately without reading it?” he asked. “Anything Tony gave you?”
“Shit!” Nathaniel shouted. “Yeah, a lot of crap! I thought it was just a bunch of paperwork for the damn shelter! I didn’t think… oh, God, I didn’t think!”
“That kid screwed us!” Adam hollered. “There’s not a damn thing we can do about it when you signed off of on!”
“Fuck!” Nathaniel shouted. “Let me call you back.” He hung up the phone.
“What’s going on?” Lillian asked, standing up and throwing on her underwear. She began searching for a pair of pants to throw on as well.
“Tony stole five million dollars from the company,” Nathaniel said; his phone went off. Adam had sent him an email with the documental evidence. “Unbelievable!”
“Five million dollars?” Lillian’s eyes went wide. “How big of a loss is that?”
“That’s pretty bad. We’re a multi-billion dollar company, but five million dollars is still five million dollars. The little weasel! Several thousands of dollars kept going missing, and I didn’t think to check him. He kept coming up with random
reasons why our money was going missing, and I believed him! Now he tries to take five million! Oh, hell no!” Nathaniel stormed towards the door, grabbing his shirt on the way out and throwing it over his head. Lillian ran after him, close on his heels.
Nathaniel’s phone started ringing, and he answered. It was Adam again. “Listen, man, I’ve called the police out in Troy. They’re on their way to the hotel. Try to nab the little bastard in case he tries to make a run for it.”
“Believe me,” Nathaniel snarled. “I’m on it.”
Nathaniel and Lillian headed up to the nineteenth floor where Tony was currently staying and enjoying a day of rest. Lillian stood nearby as Nathaniel banged on the door of Tony’s hotel room. He could hear movement on the other side as his temper escalated with each passing second.
Chapter 8
Nathaniel banged viciously on the hotel door; Lillian stood behind him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as her nerves and anticipation grew. “What are you going to do?” Lillian questioned.
Nathaniel was not quite sure what he was going to do, but he knew that he was angry. The door opened, and the moment Nathaniel saw Tony he burst into the room, shoving him back and almost knocking him over. Lillian entered the room behind them, and the door closed behind her.
“You little twerp!” Nathaniel roared. “You really think you can get away with this? You really think it’s that easy?”
“What? What?” Tony shrieked, attempting to get his shirt out of Nathaniel’s tightly balled up fists. “What are you talking about?”
“Five million dollars!” Nathaniel shouted. “You tricked me into signing over five million dollars to you!”
“Whoa, what are you talking about?” Tony questioned, taking a step back, but Nathaniel did not loosen his grip.
“I’m talking about the five million dollars that got transferred into your bank account!” Nathaniel roared.
“You’re full of shit!” Tony finally yanked his shirt free. He pulled out his phone. “I don’t have that kind of money.” He pulled up his bank account on his phone, and his eyes widened. “I –I didn’t do this!”
“The paperwork you had me sign for the shelter was really an approval form for a transfer. After all I’ve done for you? You were just a loser intern when I hired you. You were nothing! And you try to screw me?” Nathaniel waved a finger in Tony’s face.
“I didn’t try to screw you! I’ll transfer it back. I don’t know how this happened,” Tony said.
“You’re out of your damn mind if you think that is how this is going to work. You really think playing dumb is going to get you out of this? Adam already called the police. They’re on the way,” Nathaniel said.
“The police? Whoa, hold on, the police? That’s not necessary!” Tony shrieked. “You’re crazy! You really think I am dumb enough to try to steal five million dollars from the company?”
“Let’s see… thirty thousand dollars and ten thousand dollars went missing… I think you started small and then got greedy and too confident!” Nathaniel took another step towards Tony, and the kid backed away quickly as he attempted to read through his bank account on his phone.
“I’ll fix this!” Tony swore. “I haven’t stolen any money… I don’t know how this happened, I swear!”
“Bullshit!” Nathaniel shouted.
“Nate, calm down,” Lillian warned. “We need to try to figure out exactly what happened.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Nathaniel grumbled. “He had me sign some paperwork knowing I wouldn’t read through it because I thought it was just some forms for the shelter! What did you think, Tony? Were you going to quit your job and run with the money?”
“You’re an idiot!” Tony shouted. “After everything I’ve done for you, you really think... You really think I’d do that to you?”
“That’s what it looks like! And don’t call me an idiot, you little weasel!” Nathaniel gave Tony a slight shove.
Tony threw his phone down on the ground. “Fuck off! I have bent over backwards for you time and time again, and you are jumping to conclusions about me! This is what I get for everything I’ve done for you? I’m your damn servant!” Tony shoved Nathaniel back.
“So is this job too good for you, is that it?” Nathaniel slapped Tony’s hand away.
“Don’t touch me!” Tony shouted. “Damn it, Nathaniel! Fuck this job! Fuck it!” He started to leave, but Nathaniel grabbed Tony by the arm.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he warned. “You’re waiting until the police get here!”
Tony attempted to pull away quickly and violently. He ran into Lillian, and she tumbled back. She caught herself on the door, and Nathaniel’s temper erupted. He yanked Tony back by his hair and gripped him tight; he punched Tony twice in the face and threw Tony on the ground. “Lillian, are you all right?” Nathaniel asked, and she nodded as she straightened out her clothes.
Tony groaned and rolled onto his back. “You son of a-”
“Shut up!” Nathaniel shouted down at him and stepped on his hand to keep him from trying to get up. “And stay down. I can’t wait to see you in cuffs, you ungrateful twerp!”
“Fuck you,” Tony said as he attempted to pull Nathaniel’s shoe off of his hand.
There was a knock on the door. “Police!”
“Good!” Nathaniel shouted back as Lillian let two officers into the hotel room.
Tony began rapidly defending himself, but the police had already been filled in and had a warrant in hand. Tony was placed in handcuffs after being yanked up to his feet. “You’re full of shit, Nathaniel!” Tony shouted at him.
“You’re fired, Tony,” Nathaniel hissed as the police escorted Tony off of the premises.
Nathaniel crossed his arms and stormed out of the hotel room; he was stopped by one of the officers who wanted to ask him a few questions. Nathaniel did his best to answer, and he promised he would have his business partner send all evidence to the local station. He could hear Tony having a shouting match with the other officer as he was being escorted onto the other elevator. “You’re going to regret this, Nathaniel!” Tony shouted down the hall as the officer pushed him into the elevator.
“Sure,” Nathaniel grumbled and thanked the other officer.
Lillian slowly exited the hotel room. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Not really,” Nathaniel said. He shook his head. “I can’t believe Tony would do something like this to me. I mean, if he was in trouble and needed money, hell, I probably would have given it to him! But to honestly think that he could get away with embezzling five million dollars outright is insane! He’s smarter than that, but I guess he just got greedy.”
“Do you really believe that, Nathaniel?” Lillian questioned.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we need to get to the bottom of this. Something screwy is going on at Lynch Industries, and I’m going to find out what.”
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