Twenty

As soon as I had closed the doors on the police officers and read the paper, I looked at a confused and scared Ava.

"What is going on?" she asks, her voice strained. I don't say anything, instead just hand her the paper. She hesitantly grabs it and reads it, her eyes widening with every word.

"This can't be real," she whispers, her bottom lip trembling. "Can she really do this?"

"I don't know, we're going to have to find out this weekend." The court date is set for Saturday, 3 days away. More than enough time to put an even bigger plan into action.

I give Ava a quick kiss, looking deep in her eyes so she believes every word I'm about to say.

"Everything is going to be fine, I promise you. I won't let you take her away from me again." I grasp her chin and give her another kiss, this time harder and more passionate, so she feels my determination to stay at her side.

No matter what it takes.

Ava returns to the bedroom to get ready for the day, while I look for Charles and Lucas, to share the good news with them. I find them both in the kitchen, already eating breakfast, looking over some of the documents for the court case.

Without saying a word, I slap the court paper on the table in between them. They both look up at me in shock and confusion, but look back down at the paper when I still don't say anything.

Charles is the first to respond.

"What the bloody hell is this?" He cries. "Is she for real? She can't do this!"

Lucas frowns and clears his throat. "She can, and she is."

"What does that mean?" Charles turns his anger on him.

"Relax, I just mean that she is able to bring you to court over these charges, but it doesn't mean that she can send you to jail for it, especially with what we have against her."

The tension eases out of the room slowly.

"Keep talking," I say and take a seat at the table. I feel like he is onto something.

Lucas shuffles in his seat. "Well, we'll have to run it by Mr. Newton, but I believe with these new charges at light against you, we can easily use the arranged marriage she tried to force you and Amber into, to explain why you got caught up into the company's fraud, and whatever else she has against you."

He's right. I knew he was onto something, because he just gave me the most brilliant idea, that is for sure going to win this case, and give me a get out of jail free card.

"I know that look, you have something," Charles says, peering at me.

I flash him a huge grin.

"I have just the thing to use against mother."

***

Charles and I leave to go to my office, while Lucas stays at the house to try and dig up any other information, and form together a plan to bring to Mr. Newton tomorrow morning.

"So, what is it we're looking for at your office?" he asks, as we pull up to the front of my building.

"A contract, that mother made before I decided to sign willingly."

Charles stops as we enter the elevator and gives me a wide-eyed look.

"There is a lot to explain, come on."

As we ride the elevator, I explain to him everything that happened between the fake, forged contract up until I came up with my own plan with Amber, and decided to sign another contract willingly.

I kept the other contract, just for keepsake, not thinking I would ever need it, and that my plan was going to go well from the beginning.

"How is this contact going to help?" he asks when we reach my office. Thankfully, Sandra isn't there, actually taking my advice to go on a vacation while the office is closed. Even though the floor my office is on is untouched, the entire building was closed down as a pre-caution.

"It's going to help, because I also have the other contract I signed, with a slightly different signature. That means, she can't use either against me, and I can show the fake contract, along with another contract I signed with a previous client, and show the difference between the signatures."

I stop and grin when I touch the thin paper in the back of my desk drawer. "If worse comes to worse, I can take out the second contract, and show them that mother tried to forge my signature, and when she realized it wasn't going to work, she threatened me into signing another one, therefore forcing me to do whatever bidding she is claiming I did."

Charles looks at me with a slightly proud smile on his face. Though he says nothing, and I know he won't, I can tell he is.

We grab the contract and rush out the door, making sure to lock it up tight before leaving. I'm reading over the contract, making sure my mother didn't tamper with it in anyway. I'm so distracted, I don't see the well-dressed man waiting outside the front doors for us.

"Who is this guy?" Charles mutters, eyeing the man's fancy attire. A little too fancy to just be strolling the streets of New York in the middle of the morning.

"Ashton Bradford, I presume?" the man asks, removing his sunglasses and revealing deadly striking green eyes. It's hard to look directly in them.

"Yes, that would be me," I say and secretly fold the paper, tucking it into my back pocket. I step in front of Charles and eye the man suspiciously. "Who would you be?"

The man steps forward, but doesn't offer me a hand.

"My name is Theodore Griffin, but please, call me Theo, since we were almost very close. One would say, we were almost family."

The last name clicks in my brain.

This is Amber's father.

I had never learned his name, or even saw his face. He is just as intimidating as I imagined.

"What can I do for you?" I ask.

He chuckles. "Oh, there is a lot you can do for me, but we can start with something simple. Like, how I received word the other day, that someone is trying to buy out you father's company from under my feet."

The news strikes me hard, but takes a moment to process.

"W-what?" I turn and look at Charles for an answer, but he just shrugs, looking as confused as me.

"Well, I expected a different response than that. So, I assume you aren't the person trying to buy it out?" Theo asks, lifting an eyebrow at me.

I shake my head. "No, honestly, we have nothing to do with that. This is news to me, and not something I had thought of doing. I thought my mother would have expressed to you, the reason we are both so willing to let you take the company, is because I want nothing to do with it."

Theo hums lightly to himself, stroking his slightly thick light blonde beard. "Yes, I can truly see that now. She had mentioned before that you weren't interested in following in your father's footsteps, like she had hoped. I wasn't sure if it was just a story she was feeding me, making you seem like the bad guy so she could get the money."

"I don't put that past her either," Charles says. Theo finally turns his eye on him, giving him a suspicious look as well, before returning his attention to me.

"I am aware of the little war going on between the two of you. I'm also here to tell you, that I will have no part in it. You can expect no trouble from me, nor a testimony on your behalf. All I was interested in, was knowing if you were behind the anonymous buy out," Theo says, making a move to turn back to his vehicle.

"Wait," I say and step closer to him. "Do you have any idea who it might be, or why they're doing it?"

"At first, I believed it was you out of revenge, but now that I know it isn't you, I don't think this is a revenge scheme, or anything personal."

"Why do you say that?" Charles asks.

"Well, because whoever it is, they're going through all the proper procedures, like I did. If it was someone, like you, who is buying out the company from under me for personal reasons or gain, I believe they would play a slightly dirtier game," he says.

"So, you think this is just someone else who is interested in the company? Who else would want it, now that all the secrets my father had hidden, are out in the open? Everyone knows what a sham of a company it was," I say, unable to wrap my head around the whole situation.

"Do you know anyone else who would be interested in it? I have the slightest clue, but I don't have any close or personal ties to the company, and the family that runs it," he says, and gives Charles and I a pointed look.

"You couldn't possibly mean our mother? She doesn't have the money for that," I say.

Theo nods. "Your right, but is she really the only other person who is tied to this company, and your family?" he asks and tips his head towards me. "Think about it, and let me know if you figure anything out. Until then, you won't be hearing from me. Good day, gentlemen."

With that, he climbs in the awaiting car, and takes off.

Charles and I stand on the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes, brooding over the new information we just received. So much has happened over the past few weeks, I was hoping nothing else was going to be added to the pile, at least nothing more negative.

I'm not sure how to feel about someone else running the company. I barely know Theo, only having met him a few moments ago, but I knew his intentions and they seemed pure.

I have no idea who this person is, let alone what their intentions are with my father's company, and my family name.

It also makes me wonder, just how much of this my mother is aware of.

In three days, the big reveal will take place, for more than just her sins it seems.