by Amy Marie
I half-laughed, half-choked as Gene outed Jeff as a member of the club he’d just rebuked. Jeff’s face turned red.
“As of early this morning, I also assumed the role of interim Chairman for Faris Capital. I apologize for being late. Getting through the quagmire of paperwork can be quite long and exhausting."
"That's...that's impossible," Jeff spluttered.
"I assure you it's entirely possible. Gentlemen and Mena, I'm sure you find this all very confusing. My staff is hard at work preparing copies of all the paperwork for you to see for yourself. Allow me to summarize in the meantime.
“I was recently approached by Sal Knight because he was interested in purchasing a company, Alma’s Mine, that I owned. He was looking to diversify his personal assets, unrelated to Faris Capital. I’d known Sal’s mother, Alma, years ago. I had a real fondness for her ever since she befriended me at The Children’s Home, where I’d lived several years of my childhood.
Several murmurings arose again at this startling revelation. My mouth dropped as I looked at Oli. “Did you know about that?”
He shook his head. “First I’ve heard of it, too.”
“Alma’s Mine once belonged to her family. It had been taken over through corruption and the then-current government turning a blind eye. I claimed it and named it in honor of her. Out of respect for Alma, I decided to sell it to Salvator Knight. I’d like to think she would approve.”
“Yes, yes. This is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with us?” As much as I hated Jeff, I’d been wondering the same thing.
Gene smiled at Jeff as if he was tolerating a fussy child. “But it has everything to do with you, young man. It’s your business. You’re the new CEO of Alma’s Mines.”
Jeff smirked. “Well, that’s a nice benefit I wasn’t aware of.”
My legs gave out. Gene and Oli were here to let Jeff know he’d scored a better deal than even he realized?
I felt a squeeze on my shoulder. "It's okay, Mena. It's all going to be okay," Oli whispered.
“However,” Gene went on as everyone looked at him in amazement, “as the CEO of another company, it creates a conflict of interest with you working here at Faris Capital given that you cannot give equal attention or favor to both companies, especially if they were to ever do business together. Therefore, according to the bylaws you mentioned previously, you cannot work for Faris Capital if you have a majority interest in another company. And since you signed the paperwork with Sal Knight just a short while ago to take over Alma’s Mine…” Gene spread his hands as if the rest didn’t need to be explained.
I had the extraordinary urge to laugh as the obvious became clear to me. Instead, I held my head in my hands to hide my tears of relief.
Apparently, it wasn’t as clear to Jeff. "That's ridiculous,” he shouted. “I just signed paperwork that Sal signed over his assets to me. I was there. I signed the paper. He sold me one hundred percent of his shares."
"Yes, he did, Mr. Farr. But not of Faris Capital. Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of a mineral mine. I do believe they even mine diamonds there." Gene glanced down at his cufflinks that sparkled with the gemstone he was talking about. “Ah, I do like diamonds. I might miss that old mine.”
Oli snickered, and I sensed there was a secret joke between them. I didn’t care, so long as what Gene said was true.
"What? This is a joke, right?”
“Ah, here’s all of the contracts and bylaws now,” Gene said as Kira walked in holding a bunch of papers that had been neatly put into binders. Jeff snatched one, and his face turned a rather sickly shade of grey.
Gene picked up a binder as the rest of us all reached for one and started to pour through it. “You'll see that it's all legal. Signed by both Jeff Farr and Salvator Knight. If you had questions, young man, you should have asked. I assume you looked over all the details before you signed, but then, you were in a hurry.”
Jeff flipped through the papers. “These aren’t the documents I had prepared.”
“Oh? How could that be? You should really be more careful about what you sign. It’s the first order of good business.”
"I... I did. This isn't what we agreed to." He pointed a finger at Oli. "You. Somehow you were responsible."
Oli blinked. "Me? I'm just a dumb homeless dude, remember? I wasn't even there."
The room was in an uproar. I’d never heard of such a mess.
“This isn’t legal,” he cried. “I’ll have my lawyers all over your ass for this.”
“Yes, yes,” Gene said, waving his hand like he was swatting a fly. “You probably should contact them. You might need them when the new CEO of FarCap sues you for extortion of the former CEO as well as authorizing the illegal use of minors as employees. But that will be up to Ms. Knight.”
That caught my attention. “Wh…what did you say?”
Oli smiled at me. “Your father signed succession papers and named you as CEO. He didn’t sell his shares, but he is stepping down. Congratulations, princess.”
My first moments as CEO and I just stood there and blinked. Was I in some kind of a dream? “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Just go run your business, sweetheart. You deserve it.” He bent to kiss my cheek and then quietly left the room.
Chapter 20
Oli
I’d hated to leave Mena, but I’d done what I’d come for. She would have a lot to work through, but Gene had promised he’d help her navigate the mess. He had a way of taking difficult things and making them simple. I knew he’d throw his resources behind her. It would take some time, but all would be as it should be at FarCap.
When I got home, Jack and Jilly were waiting for me in the living room. It was a teacher workday at their school, so I’d had to leave them while I went to the Faris building. Unfortunately, after everything was blown to hell last weekend, I’d had to spend most of my time planning what to do with Gene. It had been time well spent, but it had also meant not being home with them.
“Hey, guys. I thought you’d be playing video games or watching TV. Are you sick?” I’d been so focused on Mena, had I missed something? I felt their foreheads even though I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.
“We need to talk,” Jack said.
Well, if that didn’t just sound ominous combined with the crossed arms and scowls. “Okaaay. What’s up?”
I sat on the coffee table in front of them and leaned my arms on my knees, giving them my undivided attention.
“You’re never here, for one thing.” Jack declared. “We’ve waited all this time to be together, and you’re never even here.”
“You haven’t done a new magic trick for me in forever,” Jilly said, her voice subdued.
“But I’ve been working hard so we can be together permanently and have nice things. Isn’t that what you want?” I was confused.
“We want you, Oli. We don’t care about all this stuff. I mean, it’s nice, but it’s not fun if you’re not here. It’s no different than the Home, just nicer stuff. We see Mena all the time. Maybe we should just go live with her.” I couldn’t tell if Jack was more hurt or angry. Not that it mattered. I’d let them down.
“I’m sorry, guys. I guess I’m not very good at this fostering thing.”
Jilly jumped up and threw her arms around me. “You’re perfect, Oli. We just miss you. We want to do stuff with you. And Mena. All of us. Together forever, right?”
“Yeah,” Jack said, standing in front of me. “It doesn’t matter if it’s just watching TV or playing a game or helping with our homework. You don’t need to always try to buy us stuff or take us somewhere.”
I coughed, trying to clear the frog in my throat. All my life, I thought I hadn’t been good enough, trying to fill the space of what I thought I lacked with things and places, only to be told by these two that I was enough, at least for them, and that’s all that mattered. Well, almost all.
I wrapped my arms around them and hugged them tight
ly. Theirs held me in return, while Abby pranced in circles around us, pausing to lick us wherever she could reach. It was the best feeling ever.
Finally, I pulled back. “What about Mena? She’s important to me, too, if I can get her to forgive me.”
“We like her,” Jilly declared. “A lot.”
“Yeah. She’s nice. And pretty.” Was that a blush on Jack’s face? Did he have a crush on my girlfriend? “We don’t mind when she spends time with us.”
“Why is she mad at you?” Jilly asked, tilting her head.
“Because I wasn’t honest with her about some things.”
“Well, duh. Tell her the truth and ask her to forgive you,” Jilly rolled her eyes and plopped her hands on her hips like it was that easy. Then again, wasn’t it? Why did adults always try to make things so complicated?
“You know what?” I tapped her on the nose. “I think you might be right.”
“And then we can all live happily ever after together,” Jilly squealed, clapping her hands.
I laughed, feeling a joy I hadn’t ever felt before. “First, I have to get her to talk to me.”
“Let us try. She’ll listen to me,” she said.
“You know what, Jillybean? I might take you up on that. What else do you think I should do?”
And for the next hour, I found myself once again caught up in plotting, but this time, I hoped we’d all come out winners.
Chapter 21
Mena
I’d spent the entire rest of the day sorting out the upheaval that had happened in the morning. Gene stuck around for much of the rest of the day, helping me navigate the mounds of paperwork that flooded my desk with investigations that he’d done independently of FarCap. It was enough to know Jeff was guilty of all kinds of corruption.
One thing I needed no help deciding and acting on was calling security to remove Jeff from the building. I originally wanted to have him arrested, but Gene gently pointed out I’d have to have the evidence gathered from other sources, as those Gene had acquired might not be exactly admissible in court. In time, I’d get what I needed. At least we knew where to look.
In the meantime, I fussed about how it seemed like he still got a good deal by gaining a diamond mine.
“Don’t worry yourself about that,” Gene said. “I might miss the pretty little gems that come from there, but they aren’t worth the headache of dealing with the people who run the mine. I have my freedom from them, and Jeff, well, let’s just say he might rather spend time in prison, then dealing with what those people are capable of if you piss them off. Let’s just say they make Al Capone look like the friendly boy next door if you get what I mean.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, I think I do.” It made me wonder even more about what Gene didn’t say, given he’d owned that company for years. If he wanted out, I suspected Jeff was going to find himself in over his head before he knew he was even in the water.
“What a day,” I said, kicking off my shoes and stretching my legs under my desk when we decided to quit for the day. “Thank you for all of your help this morning. I couldn’t believe it when you and Oli walked in. I’d just about given up.”
“Oh, you’re welcome, darling. I do enjoy being part of a coup de grâce.” He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair. “If I may be so bold, there’s an observation I’ve made over the years that I’d like to share with you.”
“Of course.”
“I’ve learned a little about gemstones in the time I owned Alma’s. I think some of it relates to people. You see, it’s almost impossible to discern a gemstone’s worth with just a glance. Every stone has its unique personalities, and even though some seem rougher on the outside, sometimes they turn out to be the most valuable. Not everyone is able to see that, but it only takes one right person to make it shine.”
It was a beautiful thought. He didn’t have to hit me over the head. Of course, he meant Oli and me. But I thought Gene was wrong. Oli didn’t need me to shine; he was wonderful just as he was. I still didn’t know his full story, but if any of what Jeff said was true, Oli had really pulled himself up from a difficult situation. And if he made a few mistakes along the way, how was that different from any of the rest of us? And when it really mattered, he’d been there for me. I’d yet to figure out his role in what happened this morning, other than for Gene to be involved, but I knew he hadn’t left me alone, even when I asked him for space.
Gene’s knees cracked as he and stretched. “It’s been a long few days. I believe I’ll head home. Your family company is in excellent hands.”
I walked him to my door. On impulse, I stretched up and kissed his cheek. If I wasn’t mistaken, I think he blushed slightly. “Thank you, Gene. Can I ask you one last question?”
“Of course, my dear.”
“How did those mining papers end up being signed instead of Jeff’s?”
Gene shrugged. “It’s impossible to say. It goes to show you should always pay close attention to details.”
He opened my office door and left.
My desk was covered with papers, and the phone calls and messages that Kira was fielding non-stop for me were piling up. But I needed Oli. Gene’s words were loud and clear in my head.
I reached for my phone to see if he’d returned my call from earlier this morning. That’s when I gasped. On my wrist was a delicate bangle bracelet embedded with diamonds. It had to be worth thousands, and it hadn’t been there until Gene said goodbye.
That sneaky devil, I thought fondly. I smiled as I rubbed the beautiful piece of jewelry. It seemed Oli’s magic was rubbing off on others.
Minutes later, there was a knock on my door. Knowing Kira wouldn’t let just anyone bother me at this point, I called, “Come in.”
Papa peered around my door as if he was uncertain of his welcome.
I ran to him. He came the rest of the way into the room and swept me into his arms. “I’m sorry, Jasmena. I let that fool get into my head. There was never any question who should be my replacement. It was always meant to be you. Please forgive an old man.”
“I love you, Papa. I’m confused about a lot of things, but never about that.”
We settled into the chairs on the visitor’s side of my desk, the outgoing and the incoming CEOs. I decided to start. “I don’t understand why you’re stepping down from all of your positions here.”
“It’s the right thing to do. I might not be directly responsible for what happened overseas, but ultimately, I still have to accept it happened under my watch. The public has lost faith in me. It’s time. I asked Gene if he would fill my shoes as the Chairman to help you guide this company through the transition and into the direction you envision. I know it’s a good one. A strong one. Gene has no desire to take over this company. He’ll be a strong ally to have.”
“He’s already been,” I said softly.
“And if you ever need me, little flower, all you have to do is ask.”
“Thank you, Papa. I would never shut you out. I value your opinion.” I bit my lip, and my foot started tapping at a pace that would make a hummingbird envious.
“What is it, Mena?”
“Well, I was just wondering, why did you decide you wanted another company?”
Papa laughed. “You know, that young man of yours is quite persuasive.”
My mouth gaped. “Oli convinced you?”
“When he came to me blabbering about this idea to make sure we didn’t lose FarCap, I almost had him escorted out and sent for a psychiatric evaluation. But knowing he was important to you, even though you didn’t tell me about him until just before the dinner,”—he paused to give me the paternal stink eye that all dads have— “I listened to him. He convinced me we needed to be proactive and fast. I spent hours and hours with him and Gene DeLampe working on a plan. If it wasn’t for the circumstances, it would have been a great time. The Cave is really an amazing place. I’m a new member there now,” he said, adding that last part proudly.
I sucked in a breath. “This was all Oli’s idea?” I shook my head. “But how could he have known…”
“You’ll have to ask him, Mena. But I don’t think there’s anything that man wouldn’t do for you.”
“I’m starting to fully realize that.” Not for the first time today, I felt speechless.
“Speaking of, it’s getting late. You should think about heading home. I’m going to The Cave. They have a wonderful chef there, did you know that?”
I laughed. “No, Papa. I didn’t. Maybe someday I’ll be able to find out.”
He hugged me again. “I love you.”
“You, too, Papa.” Just as he reached the door, I said, “Do you know how those papers were switched on Jeff? I don’t care that it wasn’t all that ethical given how he was trying to ruin us. It was sneaky but brilliant.”
“Me? You know I’m not that devious.” He winked at me and left.
“Hmm.” My father wasn’t one to be unnecessarily playful, so that wink was out of character. But it did remind me of someone. Thinking of Oli, I wanted to recheck my phone to see if he’d reached out yet. This time my eyes automatically sought the pretty bracelet Gene had given me. It was one of my favorite pieces already. Only…it was gone. I looked all over the floor and the area where my dad and I had just been sitting.
My phone pinged on my desk. Anxious that it was from Oli, I nearly knocked over a bottle of water to grab it.
Dad: check your pocket
Huh? I didn’t have any pockets. I looked at the sweater I’d thrown over my chair. I grabbed it and searched. Sure enough, inside the left pocket was the diamond bracelet.
More sleight of hand. More of Oli’s touch.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. Tears burned in my eyes as I realized what these men—Gene, Papa, and Oli—had done. We all knew that the exchange of papers wasn’t ethical, even if the outcome had been just. By each of them pulling a trick on me, it had dispersed the finger of guilt. Not only would I be able to honestly tell an investigator I didn’t know who, if anyone, had switched out legal documents, it also made it possible to not have doubts about Oli’s honesty to me. If he told me he didn’t do it, I’d be able to believe him without question.