Page 210 of Titus

He glanced away, then his eyes met mine. “I will properly thank you for this later,” he said. “But for now…” He paused. “God damn, woman. Seeing you isn’t helping.”

“Helping what?” I said, confused by his sudden change.

“I was doing a decent job of convincing myself that everything was fine. And now?” His eyes moved over me. “Now you’re here.”

I stood up, and he followed. “I understand,” I answered with a sympathetic smile. “I will see you soon.”

“Yes,” he answered resolutely.

As I left, I didn’t look back to watch him leave with that officer. I knew in my heart I would see him again soon, and then we could hold each other and forget that any of this had ever happened.

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

The aroma of coffee greeted me the moment I stepped out of my bedroom. At least someone in this house still had enough optimism to make a fresh pot. My sister definitely knew how to stay positive in fucked-up situations, which was one of the many things I loved about her.

As I clasped my earrings and headed to the kitchen, I noticed the television in the family room was still on.

Amelia, I chuckled to myself.

Not surprising at all.

Along with her relentless optimism, she had a habit of leaving on every light, television, and appliance in the state of California whenever she left a room.

I reached for my coffee mug beside the machine while half-listening to whatever was on the television.

“…New developments continue to emerge surrounding the arrest of billionaire hotel magnate Titus Hawk…”

I sighed. There was a reason I never turned on the news in my house, and that was before Titus was arrested. This was not what I needed before work.

I stepped into the living room, taking a sip of coffee, somewhat interested in the headlines now that they’d caught my attention.

The anchor appeared on screen next to a photo of Titus being escorted into the detention center by federal agents.

Jesus.

“The CEO remains in federal detention as investigators continue examining allegations tied to concealed corporate ownership structures and offshore entities reportedly dating back decades.”

My grip tightened around the mug as the anchor continued…

“Sources close to the investigation indicate prosecutors are exploring whether Hawk knowingly benefited from hidden business arrangements allegedly established by his late father, Herbert Hawk.”

Allegedly… reportedly… sources. In other words, nobody knew a goddamn thing. But hey… obviously it was a good fucking story, so why not keep the news cycle rolling with buzzwords?

The screen shifted to footage of Hawk Enterprise headquarters, then to photos of Titus, and then to footage of agents boarding his yacht.

“Disgusting,” I said to myself.

“The case has shocked investors and raised serious questions about whether one of the country’s previously most respected business leaders was aware of financial structures hidden within his own empire.”

Previously respected business leader, said in the past tense. It was pretty fucking amazing how quickly the media could convict someone.

Then another commentator appeared on screen.

“Even if Mr. Hawk didn’t create these entities himself, the larger question is whether someone in his position could realistically claim ignorance of them.”

I actually rolled my eyes at the reason he was arrested and at the fact that he was still in custody two weeks later, leaving news anchors with nothing to do but speculate and concoct conspiracy theories.

The commentator continued. “Critics argue that executives don’t merely overlook this kind of activity.”