Blair woke up feeling unusually energetic. Yesterday’s confrontation with Jessica had left her with a sense of closure she hadn’t realized she needed. If anything, she had been more of a problem for Roman than her. Blair just hated bitches, and Jessica had been a huge one.
The look on Jessica’s face when she realized she’d been outmaneuvered was something Blair would treasure for a long time
to come.
Roman was already up, sitting at the edge of the bed, reading something on his tablet. God, he was sexy and all hers. He looked up when he felt her stirring.
“Good morning, warrior princess,” he said with a smirk. “Sleep well?”
“Like a rock.” Blair stretched, enjoying the pleasant soreness in her muscles…a sweet reminder of how thoroughly Roman had “shown his pride” in her actions the night before. “What time is it?”
“Just after seven.” Roman set his tablet aside. “We should head in early today. The board meeting’s been moved up to nine.”
Blair sat up, suddenly alert. “Did something happen?”
“Peters identified our thief.” Roman’s expression was grim. “It’s worse than we thought, so I moved the meeting forward.”
“Who is it?” Blair asked, slipping out of bed naked before reaching for her robe.
Roman watched her. “Dan.”
Blair froze. “Dan? Are you sure, Dan?” He wasn’t smart enough for this.
Roman nodded. “Sutton found the trail. He’s been siphoning funds through a series of shell accounts for months. Small amounts gradually increasing. The total is over two hundred thousand dollars.”
“I can’t believe it,” Blair said, though somehow she wasn’t entirely surprised. “Actually, no, I can believe it. He always did live beyond his means, and Laura doesn’t come cheap.”
“There’s more,” Roman said, his tone darkening. “He didn’t act alone.”
Blair’s stomach dropped. “Who?” She had known… Dan could be charming and talk the talk, but he just wasn’t smart enough to pull something like this off.
“No. Someone inside the finance department. A woman named Caroline Mitchell. She’s been helping him hide the transactions.”
“Caroline?” Blair knew her a quiet woman in her thirties who’d been with the company for years. “Why would she help Dan?”
Roman’s expression was hard. “From what we can tell, they’ve been having an affair.”
Blair let out a disbelieving laugh. “Are you serious? Dan was cheating on Laura and me… unbelievable. I’m surprised that he had the energy to even work.” Then Blair snorted. No, she wasn’t Dan was nothing compared to Roman in bed.
“Apparently so. Peters has evidence–emails, hotel receipts. It’s been going on for months.”
Blair shook her head, processing this new information. “Does Laura know?” Blair felt dirty… people like Dan they never stopped. If they got away with it once, they did it again.
“Not yet. But she will after today’s meeting. This isn’t something we can keep quiet. Dan and Caroline will be charged for their crimes.”
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16:22 Wed, 18 Jun
Chapter 87
Blair fell silent, thinking about Laura. As much as her cousin had hurt her, Blair wasn’t sure she deserved this public humiliation. Then again, maybe it was karma. Blair did feel for their unborn baby.
“Let me get dressed,” she said finally. “We have a lot to deal with today.”
Praying for her boring life to start.
The Kingston Industries boardroom was unusually tense when Blair and Roman arrived. The executive team was already assembled, along with Peters and Ashley, Roman’s lawyer. Blair could see the surprise on some faces when she took a seat next to Roman rather than her usual position slightly behind him.
“Good morning,” Roman began, his voice commanding immediate attention. “Thank you all for adjusting your schedules. We have an urgent matter to address.”
He nodded to Peters, who distributed folders to everyone present.
“For the past three months, we’ve been investigating discrepancies in our financial reports,” Roman continued. “What we discovered was a systematic embezzlement scheme that has cost this company over two hundred thousand dollars.”
Murmurs rippled through the room. Roman waited for them to subside before continuing.
“The evidence is conclusive. Two employees have been working together to steal from Kingston Industries: Dan Morris from Sales and Caroline Mitchell from Finance.”
Several gasps followed this announcement. Blair kept her expression neutral, though her heart was racing. Dan and Caroline had been summoned to a separate meeting that would start in thirty minutes. A meeting where they would be confronted with the evidence and fired, then escorted from the building while the police were notified.
Peters had already handed over all the police needed to make their arrests.
“This isn’t just a termination issue,” Roman said gravely. “This is criminal activity. We will be pressing charges. Ashley has prepared all the necessary documentation.”
“Do we really need this type of publicity?” One of the board members asked.
Roman eyes the man before looking around the table. “We need to show that Kingtons isn’t a company to mess with. We don’t sweep our messy under the carpet.”
The meeting continued as Roman outlined the investigation’s findings, the security measures being implemented to prevent future incidents, and the legal ramifications. Throughout it all, Blair remained composed, though she felt the weight of everyone’s eyes on her. They all knew Dan had been her fiancé not long ago.
When the meeting concluded, Roman asked her to stay behind as the others filed out.
“You okay?” he asked once they were alone. Pulling her close and kissing her.
“Fine, just shellshocked really. When you told me it was Dan, it just so… out–there.” Blair assured him. “What happens next?”
“Next, we confront Dan and Caroline. Then we move forward.” Roman checked his watch. “They should be waiting in the small conference room by now.”
Blair took a deep breath. “I want to be there.” They had to be worried. Calling just the two of them for a meeting.
Roman studied her face. “Are you sure? You don’t have to be.”
“Yes, I do.” Blair’s voice was firm. “I need to see this through. Had I still been with Dan, this would have affected me… Now it involves my cousin.”
Roman nodded, respecting her decision. Together, they walked to the conference room where Peters was waiting outside
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16:23 Wed, 18 Jun
Chapter 87
with two security guards.
“They’re in there,” Peters confirmed. “Caroline’s nervous. Dan doesn’t seem to realize what’s happening yet. Fucking idiot.”
“Let’s get this over with Roman said, opening the door.
Dan and Caroline sat on opposite sides of the conference table. Caroline looked pale and was fidgeting with her hands. Dan, by contrast, appeared annoyed but not particularly concerned.
“What’s this about?” he demanded as Roman and Blair entered. “I had to reschedule a client meeting for this.”
“Dan,” Roman said coldly, taking a seat at the head of the table. “Caroline. Thank you for joining us.”
Dan’s eyes narrowed when he saw Blair. “What’s she doing here?”
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