by Alina Jacobs
"Don't even think about it," he warned the dog.
Scrolling through his phone, Wes ignored the hundreds of emails he had been sent overnight.
He flipped over to the internet and felt sick when he scrolled through the posts lambasting Wes and praising Hank for his selflessness. There were other stories, though, detailing what a horrible father Hank was. Wes let the phone fall on the bed.
These people played hardball, didn't they? He was angry at Hank, but did he really want to ruin him?
After a moment of hesitation, he sent a message to Brayden, giving him a heads-up about the name change and the direction the Holbrooks were trying to spin the story.
Brayden wrote back while Wes dressed.
We will have them spin it as the Holbrooks stealing a Veteran's children.
Though he felt bad about what he was doing to Liz, Wes didn't feel bad about stirring up shit for the Holbrooks.
Over the next few days, the lawyers drew up the adoption paperwork and filed it. Liz left for another work trip. Wes still hadn't been able to talk to her about the growth plan for Walsh Systech.
The day after she left, Wes was sitting in Walter's office, talking with Grant, when Kate came storming in.
"I can't believe they already found out about the adoption filing!" she yelled. "They were sitting there, waiting for the lawyers. The paperwork has already been leaked onto the internet." Grant took the tablet from her before she threw it at a wall.
"Someone is leaking information to Harrington Thurlow," Grant said with a frown.
"Don't look at me," Kate said.
Wes smiled to himself and turned back to reviewing designs.
Wes didn't have anything planned that evening. He was hoping to be able to call Liz. He wanted to hear her voice.
On the way back to his apartment, Rhonda texted him that she would meet him there. He didn't want to see her, but she was waiting outside of his door when he arrived.
"We need to strategize," she said in greeting. "I think there's more dirt we can dig up and feed to the media."
Wes opened the door, and he could feel Rhonda looking at him expectantly.
"There is one thing," Wes said as they went inside. "Grant and Kate seem to be on the rocks. Might not be a story all by itself but might be gasoline on the blaze."
"Oh, you are good," Rhonda said. "I thought something was up with those two, but whenever I pressed Kate, she would act all pretty and classy and say how much she loved her man." Rhonda let her fingers dance on the back of his hand.
Wes jerked away. Maybe he should have kept the door open.
Rhonda crossed her legs and said, "Brayden is having people on the internet to promote stories about Hank and the Holbrooks on the popular forums. They're all going rabid over it." She showed him on her tablet.
Wes skimmed the posts. No one on the forums seemed happy about Wes and Dana changing their names and being formally adopted.
While Wes read, Rhonda roamed around his apartment, touching his things.
"You seem very into Liz," she said. "Brayden says the Svenssons approve."
"They want to use my relationship with her to put Holbrook money into growing my company."
Rhonda gave an exaggerated sigh. "Money. How dull. We're in it for the revenge. Don't forget to keep your eye on the prize. We aren't here to make friends or put another few billion in the Svensson's' pockets. They don't care about revenge, for all they complain about their feud. Their one objective is to increase their profit percentages. They'll gladly sell all of us out if it means more money and power for them."
"Noted," Wes said. "Is that all?" He wanted Rhonda out of his space.
"Why don't you go spend some time with your family?" she suggested, leveling her gaze at him. "We need more ammunition, especially if this Grant and Kate story is going to stick. I'm sure you can play the poor hurt long-lost Holbrook and find me something good."
Wes didn't want to. He watched as Rhonda slunk up to him and ran her hand down his chest to his crotch then slipped it into his pocket and pulled out his phone. She swiped it then typed a text message to Walter.
"Oh, look at that," she said when a reply immediately came through. "He wants to see you. Make me proud."
After she left, Wes received another text from Walter with the address.
Kal was tip-tapping, and Wes knew he needed to go out. He gritted his teeth, leashed the dog, then went to visit his family.
He was apprehensive as he knocked on the door. He hadn't actually spent time around his biological family without Liz there as a buffer, not since the night he had shown up unannounced at the Holbrook estate.
Grant opened the door, grinning broadly.
"Welcome!" he said, ushering Wes inside the opulent condo.
Kal bounded in, wagging his tail at Gus, Grant's corgi. A little white dog glared suspiciously out from around Carter's legs.
"I'm so glad to see you," Walter said. Wes thought for one horrifying moment that Walter was going to try to hug him. But the moment passed, and he and Walter shook hands.
"You should see our sick condo," Carter said, pulling Wes farther into the home. Wes hadn't spent a lot of time with his cousin. He seemed nice, if a little ADD.
"This is my bar," Carter said, pointing to an elaborate built-in piece of furniture with an exhausting variety of alcohol. "That's my herb garden, and oh, dude, come see my fish."
"Your fish?" Wes followed Carter into another space, expecting to see a goldfish or a beta fish. Instead, in the large tank was a massive grouper. "Wow," Wes said, his breath fogging up the glass as he gazed at the impressive fish. "I think… I think I need that."
"Uncle Walter can buy you a condo right below this one, and you can have a fish too. They can be fish bros," Carter said. Wes couldn't help but smile.
"Carter and Allie are polar opposites. Aren't they?" Jack chuckled.
"You warmed up to her," his wife Nancy said. "Considering that you didn't like her when you first met her."
"And I learned from my mistake," Jack said.
"Yeah, you didn't give Wes nearly as difficult of a time as you gave me," said Grant.
"I know," Jack said. "But it's easy to like Wes! He's a self-made man; he had a full ride to Harvard. He has a great dog. He has a positive attitude, and he's respectful. He's the perfect gentleman."
Wes felt a little ashamed. These people were being so welcoming, and he was planning on screwing them over. They would never forgive him once they figured out what was going on.
Think of your employees, he told himself, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them, Allie was studying him. Wes felt like she knew something was up.
"We hardly have been able to see you," Nancy said. "And it's been months." She put out trays of snacks on the antique buffet. Allie started making drinks as Nancy sat down next to Wes.
"I'm so sorry about what's happening with your father," Nancy said, laying a hand on his knee. "We're here for you. I know father-son relationships can be difficult. Carter had issues with Jack last year, and Grant and Walter, of course, had their disputes."
"Yes," said Jack. "We had difficulties, and I fully admit it was my fault, but I certainly never sued him and started dragging him through the media. That's just uncalled for. Hank clearly never cared about you, Wes. It's obvious."
"But we're here for you, bro," said Grant, throwing an arm around Wes's shoulders. Wes could tell his half brother had been drinking.
"I don't think he wants to be your brother, Grant," Carter said, jumping onto the couch next to Wes. "He's probably still pissed at you."
"Aw, no hard feelings?" Grant asked. "It wasn't personal." Except of course it was, Wes thought, and his revenge plan was personal too. He had to grow close to them to make the ultimate betrayal hurt that much more.
"It's fine," Wes said. "I have a sister but no brother, so I suppose you'll do nicely."
"We need to make an effort to spend more time with you," Nancy said.
"You could bring Liz," Grant said.
"You should ask Dana to come to the fundraiser too," said Kate.
"She's been busy," Wes said. "Her company, Romance Creative, has some holiday show they're filming."
"At least have her come to the big family gathering," Nancy said. "Harris, your grandfather, will be there."
"I'll try," Wes promised.
"Good," Walter said. "It's a great idea. Rhonda suggested it. Didn't she?"
"Yep," Mark said with a grin. "She sure is great."
The rest of the evening was nice. Wes almost felt comfortable, like he belonged. He couldn't relax completely, however, because he knew that even as he talked to them, Rhonda was spinning the story in the media about Kate and Grant's rocky relationship.
After he said goodbye to the Holbrooks, he received a call from Rhonda.
Her voice was husky over the phone, and it grated in his ear. "The story goes live tomorrow morning. It's a slow news day, so there will be a lot of press. I can't wait to see their faces."
47
Liz
Liz returned the next day. She immediately went to the office from the airport. There were so many good companies she had to vet after the conference, and she needed to snap them up before anyone else did.
On that thought, she sent Mark a list of the people who were let go from Walsh Systech. "Maybe you can hire some of these people," she said to Mark in a follow-up call.
"If they're not engineers, I'm not sure if I can. I'll try but no promises."
Liz did make time to meet with Rhonda for coffee. They still had a baby shower to plan. Even though Liz still thought something was off with Rhonda, no one else was helping with the shower.
After discussing the plans for the party, Rhonda said, "So I heard that you have contacts working on the Hank Walsh situation."
"Yes," Liz said. She could tell Rhonda wanted her to keep talking, but Liz didn't want to divulge any more information.
Back at the office, she saw Kate storming down the hallway. Kate barely acknowledged Liz as she practically ran into Walter's office.
Liz hurried in after her and heard Kate yell, "What the hell? What is this story?"
Walter and Grant were staring at Kate, eyes narrowed. Liz eased the tablet out of Kate's grasp.
The headlines screamed, Grant and Kate Holbrook Over?
"There are a lot of details here," Liz said.
"I know," Kate hissed, her hands clenched into fists. "Someone is leaking information. Someone close to us."
"Does your contact have any idea who the leaker is?" Grant asked.
"Not yet," Liz said, shaking her head.
"It might be an employee or the cleaning lady," Walter said. "You guys aren't subtle."
"It could be anyone," Grant said. "Kate, I'm so sorry. This is terrible."
"It's my father. This is what he does," Kate said sadly.
"I'll try to find more information," Liz promised.
She texted Liam Svensson again that night when she returned to her apartment. She was just sending the text message as she opened the door for Wes.
"Are you texting your boyfriend?" Wes asked, pulling her against him and kissing her.
"I'm glad you're here," Liz said.
Wes smiled softly at her. "I missed you, and I didn't want to stay at my apartment anymore. So Kal and I packed up and came over."
The dog head-butted Liz, and she petted his furry head.
"Are you scrapbooking?" Wes asked, his arms still wrapped around her.
Liz could never tire of that. "Nope. Unpacking. I don't need to scrapbook now that I have the real thing in my apartment."
"Unfortunately, you're going to have to do something for the next hour," he said. "I have to be on another conference call." He made tea and sat on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Liz ordered takeout, and she sat next to him, pressing as much of herself against him as she could. She fed him little bites of food while he talked into the headset.
"All done?" she asked after he ended the call. She pulled the headset off his head and kissed his cheek. Wes gave her a lopsided smile, then he picked up the bowl of food and took huge bites of the rest of his dinner.
"I don't know who is leaking this stuff," Liz said, scrolling through her phone. "The tabloids are going crazy about Grant and Kate."
Wes's face went dark. "Kate could do better than him," Wes said. "He's crazy. I saw the news reports about what he did—those people he killed."
Liz was shocked. She couldn't believe Wes. "He saved lives!" Liz protested.
Wes grunted. "He's still crazy. They shouldn't have put him in charge of Holbrook. It's nepotism at its worst. He's not even qualified."
"He's your brother!" Liz sputtered.
"Not by choice," Wes said then looked at her, his face serious. "Are you actually that close to the Holbrooks?"
"I can't believe you're asking me that," Liz said. "Yes, they're my friends."
"Even though they didn't help you with the baby shower?" he countered. "Do you agree with all of the Holbrook's' business practices? Do you agree with what they're doing to my father?"
"Your father is suing you," Liz snapped.
"Have you read the stories? They're painting him as some sort of abusive monster."
"He was a drunk, and he threatened you. Those were your own words. The stories sound pretty accurate to me," she said.
Wes turned away from her.
"Where is this coming from?" Liz asked after a moment of trying to calm her emotions. "Allie told me you went and had dinner with the Holbrooks while I was gone." Liz reached out to carefully rub Wes's shoulder. "The Holbrooks care about you, you know."
Wes's mouth was a flat line. "If you had to choose between me and them, who would you choose?"
"What the—what kind of question is that?" Liz asked.
"Never mind," Wes said. "Ignore me."
As Liz lay in bed with him that night, she wondered about the outburst. Was Allie right about Wes? She looked at Wes. His head was tucked under her chin. She stroked his hair. Maybe he was just tired. He's under a lot of stress right now, she told herself. He didn't mean it.
48
Wes
The next morning, Wes cooked Liz breakfast. "This is an apology for yesterday," he said.
"Oh, you don't have to—"
He kissed her. "I was tired and stressed out. I missed you when you were gone. It made me a little crazy."
He was rewarded with a glowing smile. Good. He was worried he had blown his story. Liz was clearly firmly on team Holbrook. It was going to be all or nothing with the revenge scheme.
"I'll see you at the office later today," he said. "I have a meeting with Svensson Investment this morning."
The Svenssons didn't looked pleased to see him when he walked into the large conference room.
"Why do I suddenly feel like you're going to have me kidnapped, shot, and thrown into the Hudson River?" Wes joked.
"Sit down, Wes," said one of the brothers. It wasn't Greg, because he was sitting at the head of the table. Maybe it was Carl.
"It's been weeks, and we don't have results."
Right. He needed a growth plan for the company.
"I'm working on it. I had a call last night—"
"Last night you should have been doing your best to make the person who has control over your company's future very satisfied," Greg said.
"Look at him! He didn't even fuck her last night. I bet you watched old movies and made her breakfast," one of the other Svensson brothers sneered. Wes didn't know which one he was. He could barely tell them apart.
"Q-four reports are coming out soon. Holbrook Enterprises is looking pretty good," Greg said. "And guess whose' doesn't look good—Walsh Systech. You need to have an actual plan backed b
y the Holbrooks. One of us will be accompanying Brayden at the next meeting later this week at Holbrook. I expect to see results from you by then."
"Noted," Wes said. "I'll put a presentation together and see if I can't convince Liz to—"
"Excuse me," Greg Svensson said. "You are a billionaire. You don't beg. Tell that girl what's going to happen, then make her do it."
"Don't talk about her like that," Wes said in a low voice.
Carl curled his lip. "Whatever. My brothers and I want results. We didn't invest in you and your company to let you be yanked around by that dumb blonde."
"She's not dumb," Wes hissed.
"No, you're right. She's not." Greg said. "She's getting fucked every night by the most expensive piece of dick north of Thirty-Third Street, and she doesn't have to pay a dime. You need to do your job as CEO, or we will replace you."
"It's my company," Wes stated.
Greg Svensson smiled meanly. "It's publicly traded. And together out investment firm and the Holbrooks own the majority of the shares. The NASDAQ is littered with the corpses of founder CEOs who didn't make the shareholders money. So, go be a good CEO and extract a plan for growth and profit for the next year so we aren't slaughtered in the stock market."
Wes was fuming when he returned back to the Holbrook Enterprises tower. He felt like he was completely losing control of the situation.
Liz was in her office when he walked in. He took off his jacket and undid his tie.
"What are you doing?" Liz asked. She was turning slightly back and forth in her chair. Her legs were crossed.
Wes checked the time. It was the lunch hour. He locked the door. Hopefully, no one would hear. Then he smiled at her. It felt sharp in his mouth.
Lis stood up as Wes walked over to her, and he pressed her back against the desk, letting a hand push under her skirt. She moaned, and he made a pleased noise.