Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 59659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59659 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 298(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
"Go ahead," I said.
He scrambled out of bed and disappeared into the hallway. I'd been so excited talking about the possible plans for the future of the store I hadn't been focused on eating, so I took the chance to enjoy more of the mushroom, onion, and cheese omelet and potatoes he'd served alongside bacon and fruit. I was contemplating trying to find some paper and a pencil to sketch out some of the ideas I had when Victor came back into the room. He looked shellshocked.
Worried, I put down the strawberry I was eating and gave him a questioning look.
"Is everything all right?" I asked.
He nodded. The stunned look on his face faded, and a wide grin replaced it.
"That was actually two calls," he said. "The first one was from the bank."
"Yeah?"
"The loan has been secured. We are officially ready to get these ideas off the ground and bring the store back as soon as possible," he said.
I nearly jumped up and down on the bed in celebration, but I contained myself. Mainly because the breakfast tray was still on top of me, and I didn't want to fling the food and the orange juice all over the room. Instead, I clapped my hands.
"That's amazing! I'm so excited. Do we know when things are going to go through? When can we really get started?" I asked.
"All those details are going to get worked out in the next couple of days. I'll keep you posted on it. But that's not all," Victor said.
"Oh, right. You said there was another call. What's going on?" I asked. "Who was it?'
He took a few steps closer to the bed. There was something in his eyes and behind his smile now that was different than it had been when he was talking about the loan. It was still happiness, but now there was surprise, satisfaction, and disbelief mixed in.
"It was my lawyer," he said. "He's been doing some digging and found out my ex has been embezzling from my old company."
My mouth dropped open. Now I fully understood that disbelief.
"What? Are you serious?" I asked.
He nodded. "Apparently it was pretty extensive, and she'd gotten really deep. Of course, when she was called out for it, she tried to pin the blame on me. But the records are clear when examined by the right person. There's no way to get around it. It was her all along."
He let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a laugh, shaking his head.
"I can't believe it. Well, actually, I can believe it. She seemed like she was right on the edge. She was definitely hiding something. I think she knew she was in too deep and there was no way she was going to be able to keep it hidden forever. She was going to go down hard soon and was hoping somehow, I could be her last resort to save herself," he said.
"That's crazy. But I'm so glad you know now," I said. "That must make you feel so much better. I mean, probably not the fact that she was embezzling from your company and essentially stole from you." I gave a relenting shrug.
Victor laughed. "No, but I am glad everything got cleared up and now it can finally get straightened out the way it should be."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"She’s been arrested. It's the beginning of a rough road for her. As for me, the ownership of my old company is available again. She can't exactly run it from behind bars, and no one knows that company like I do, so the partners want me back," he said.
I was a bit stunned but tried not to show it. This, of course, was everything he'd been wanting. It had obviously broken his heart that he didn't have his company anymore, and it was worse to think about his ex running it, especially when the problems within it became more evident. Now he had the opportunity to right those wrongs and get things back to the way they had been for him. But I would be lying if I said it didn't make my chest ache to think about him leaving town and going back to that life.
"You have to do it," I said, knowing it was the right thing to tell him. "That company is rightfully yours anyway, and you deserve to be happy doing what you love."
Victor took the breakfast tray away from my lap and set it aside so he could move close to me on the bed. He held my hand and looked directly into my eyes.
"Melanie, I don't know the first thing about the grocery business," he said. I let out a short laugh. That wasn't exactly the declaration I was anticipating, but it was at least honest. "But there is something I do know. I don't want to be anywhere other than right here right now."