Chapter 4 4

Julian woke up to a headache, he was tangled in silk sheets that smelled of stale perfume and sweat.

"Ugh," he groaned, rolling over.

Annabelle was tracing circles on his chest with a manicured fingernail. "I bet she's crying her eyes out right now," she giggled. "Poor, sad Kailee."

Julian smirked, eyes still closed. "She's probably giving a speech to the empty chairs. Pathetic."

His phone on the nightstand buzzed, it didn't stop.

Julian reached out blindly, "Dammit!"

He grabbed the phone, ten missed calls from Mike.

He swiped to answer. "What the hell, Mike? I'm busy."

"Where are you?!" Mike was screaming, the background noise was chaos. "Check Twitter! Now!"

"Why? Did Kailee kill herself?" Julian laughed.

"She married Ervin! Your uncle Ervin!"

Julian's brain stopped working. The words didn't make sense.

"You're drunk," Julian said. "Ervin hates everyone, he doesn't date."

"Check the hashtag, you idiot!"

Julian dropped the phone on his face. He swore, sitting up, ignoring the throbbing in his head, he opened Twitter.

Trending 1: LynnHendricksShock

He tapped it.

The photo loaded.

Ervin Hendricks, looking like a dark god in a tuxedo, his hand possessively on Kailee's waist. Kailee looked... powerful. Not sad. Not broken.

Julian felt the blood drain from his face, his stomach turned over.

"No," he whispered. "That's my merger, that's my controlling interest."

If Ervin married, the succession line changed. Julian would be pushed down, he would be irrelevant.

Annabelle leaned over his shoulder, she gasped, "Is that... Ervin? With Kailee?" Her voice went shrill. "Why would he want her? She's so old!"

Julian shoved Annabelle away, she hit the headboard with a thud.

"Get dressed!" Julian yelled. He jumped out of bed, tripping over his own pants. "It's a scam! She's tricking him!"

"Julian, wait!" Annabelle cried.

"Shut up!" Julian was buttoning his shirt wrong, he missed a hole, but he didn't care. "I have to stop this. If he signs those papers, I'm out. The board will push me out completely!"

He grabbed his jacket, didn't tie his shoes.

He turned to Annabelle. "Stay here. Don't make this worse."

He ran out of the suite, slammed the button for the elevator. He punched the wall while he waited, pain shot up his knuckles, sharp and grounding.

The doors opened.

His phone buzzed again, a text from a board member: We are reviewing your position, don't come to the office tomorrow.

Julian slammed his fist into the metal wall of the elevator.

The doors opened on the ballroom floor, the music drifted in-classical, elegant.

Julian took a breath, ran toward the double doors.