Chapter 22 22
Maisie's Pov
After breakfast with Xavier and Roman, I returned to work and briefed the team about the meeting. As expected, Emma gasped and called Xavier every name under the same and Clyde wished he'd been there to punch his lights out.
The meeting ended briefly and I decided to take a quick nap. A few seconds later, a loud pounding woke me from my sleep.
I groaned, my body resisting movement even as my heart involuntarily skipped a beat at the sheer panic in Emma’s voice.
“Maisie!” More pounding.
“One moment!” I forced myself out of my couch and threw on my jacket before I opened the door, taking in Emma's wide eyes and nervous expression.
I had informed her I didn't want to be disturbed so she wouldn’t be here so early unless it was an emergency.
“What is it?”
“It’s…” Emma hesitated. “Maisie, turn on The Grand Mail.”
The Grand Mail was a celebrity news and entertainment media company that included the country’s most-read magazine and one of its most-watched television stations. Some people considered it trashy but it had a huge audience.
Emma followed me to the little conference room, where I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
“…reports Alpha Xavier is involved in an embezzlement scandal as well as other financial crimes. With his company already losing investors and its reputation dwindling by the second, we believe Dominion Industries will sink to the brink of ruin in less than twenty-four hours.” The Grand Mail host’s voice trembled with excitement. “We received an anonymous report last night about the young CEO’s illicit activities when…”
Embezzlement scandal? Only a few people were well aware of Xavier's financial crimes and by few, I mean me, Clyde, Emma and Roman.
I watched in disbelief as candid pictures of Xavier flashed on-screen with the host’s voiceover commentary. Most of them were pictures of him visiting the bank while some were pictures of him on the phone with Heaven-knows-who. Whoever took these pictures had been tailing Xavier for months the same way we were. How the hell had they captured those pictures? If… I froze, then turned to Emma.
“Tell me it's not you.” I asked, my voice trying to remain calm but my rage wasn't. It was wild and ready to break free and find whoever ruined our plans. “Tell me it’s not you.”
“No. It's not me and Clyde but…” she tried to deflect but I already knew whom she was talking about.
“We can just call him and —”
“EMMA!” I snapped. Her eyes widened at my thundering voice. “Start the car. Now!”
Roman had some nerve.
Anger simmered in my stomach as I got out of the car, unlocked my apartment and opened the door with more force than necessary.
Exposing Xavier's fraudulent activities wasn't supposed to come until later. Doing it now wouldn't change a thing either. In fact, I should be happy that his reputation is taking a nosedive but why did Roman do that without telling me that. We're partners.
Partners…
My mind lingered on the word. It even went as fast as drifting to the way he touched my cheek or looked at me.
Frankly, I didn’t know why I’d reacted so strongly to him. I’d heard worse things about him and his reputation as the Rogue Alpha didn't make him seem like a good person either but there was something about the way he did it that crawled under my skin.
Frustration mixed with my anger as I set my bag on a nearby table and forced my lungs to expand past the pressure. Confrontation always set me on edge even when I wasn’t in the wrong but right now, I was ready for it. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind.
Who the hell did he think he was? And who gave him the bloody right to pull so many dormant emotions out of me?
Was it his looks? His wealth? Neither of those things had mattered to me before. I’d met too many rich, good-looking jerks to be suckered in by their false charm. Hell, I'd even been married to one.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the apartment and told me everything. And for no reason, regret kicked at my heart. I suddenly regretted yelling at him in the first place.
Cole, Emma and Clyde joined us, insisting on getting better info on the next move.
“When do we strike?” Cole said, a trace of mischief tinged his smile.
“In a few hours. Xavier will wake up soon. He'll be desperate enough to contact Clyde to save the company but then he'll want to know who exposed his crime. That's when we'll use Gavin as the guinea pig and appear as the saviour.” Roman explained.
“C’est la vie. This plan sounds amazing.” Emma smiled.
“I know.” Roman smiled and this time, he looked at me.
My heart ricocheted at the sudden stare and I cleared my throat.
“Keep your eyes peeled and your ears on alert. We move in on my word.” I rose to my feet.
“Yes, ma'am.” The twins nodded while Cole gave me a thumbs up.
After they left, Roman remained.
I arched my brow. “What are you still doing here?”
“What does it look like I'm doing?” He sank on the couch and stretched his arms.
“You're in my house.” I scoffed, crossing one arm over my chest.
“You mean our house,” he rose to his feet. “I did tell you Xavier followed you home. I'm here for your safety.”
I wanted to mention hiring a bodyguard before I bit my tongue. It would only make things look suspicious. Damn it to hell.
“I understand there's a spare room across the hall,” he said, then he smirked when he caught me staring. “Don't worry, love. I won't peep at you.”
I scoffed again and watched him walk into the corridor with a little wave.
“The rest of my stuff will come in tonight.” he called out.
Ugh! This guy's driving me nuts.