Page 262 of His Flash Mate
I smiled and nodded slightly in acknowledgment as I had last week.Then I focused on the crowd, smiling and thanking the people who congratulated me as I passed them.
Konni, too impatient to wait next to his parents, met me halfway and took my hand.The clapping grew louder when he kissed my knuckles and led me onto the stage.
Balak handed Kaya the microphone.The room quieted.
“We are overjoyed to welcome Sophia and her mother into the Steele family and have prepared a special gift for them.
“For those of you who might not know, Sophia and Abbye Elmantas have been facing hardships for years, unexpected job losses and, more recently, false accusations of industrial spying, a car accident that almost took Abbye’s life, a house fire that took their home, and a kidnapping.”
Dad had paled slightly at the mention of the data leak.Charlotte’s expression was completely closed off, though, as a low murmur briefly rose from the other guests.
“After hearing what they’ve endured, Balak and I, along with his parents, set out to clear the rocks from their road, so to speak,” Kaya continued.“Abbye.Sophia.This is our gift to you.”
She partially angled herself toward the projection screen behind us.An image of payments from the shell company next to deposit records appeared.
The murmur was a bit louder this time and the people closest to my dad and stepmother noticeably stepped back.
“The accounts to the right belong to the arsonist,” Kaya said, “and the driver who hit Abbye Elmantas.They received payments from a Hildcrask subsidiary days before the incidents.This is the authorizing signature.”
Charlotte’s name was boldly displayed.
She looked surprisingly composed as a murmur of condemnation ripped through the room.
“But we found that’s not all you did,” Mom said, picking up where Kaya had left off.“You also contacted every previous employer I had, bribing and blackmailing as needed until I was let go.At first, I thought it was for TAS shares, but it continued even after I sold every last one back to Denis.Why?”
Charlotte never looked at Mom as she answered, “Exes are not meant to be seen or heard.Yet, you continually tried to reappear.I was simply helping you stay hidden.”
A woman standing near Mom made a disbelieving sound.
Charlotte’s cheek twitched.
“Hidden?”I asked.“Is that why you kidnapped me and sent me to Hestian?To hide me, too?”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Charlotte said.
Lianna’s voice came over the intercom.“Charlotte Elmantas suggested I send Sophia to Hestian if I wasn’t willing to remove her permanently.”
Several guests gasped.
Dad, who’d been looking confused, paled and stepped back from Charlotte.
“That was your real goal, wasn’t it?”I asked.“To erase us as if we’d never existed, which would be hard to do if I married into the Steele family.That’s why you hired someone else to remove me today like Lianna and Hestian failed to do.Once I’m gone and Mom has no connection to the Steeles, dealing with her would be easy again.Too bad your plan didn’t work.”
The doors at the back of the room opened, and security led in my would-be attacker.
Charlotte’s composure started to slip.
“I believe you’re acquainted,” I said.
“I’ve never seen this man in my life,” she said.
The guard held up a phone and played a recording.
“Three million in advance to kill Sophia Elmantas on Saturday and another million once it’s done.Understood?”
“Anyone’s voice can be faked,” she said sharply.“You’ll be hearing from Hildcrask Holdings’ lawyer for defamation.”
“Actually, we’ve already heard from him,” I said.“He delivered the authorizing signature along with the Hildcrask family necklace I’m wearing.It’s an apology on behalf of Frances Hildcrask for not catching the abuse of power before we did.The evidence she provided, along with what we have from Lianna and this man, has been sent to the police, who should be here in a moment.”
