Chapter 46 Forty-Six

Chapter 46 Forty-Six
Sydney
“I don’t know.” I swallowed, my voice low because others were still milling around.
Why the hell was he flirting with me? His eyes darkened slightly.
“Well, I think I would…”
I swallowed again and his smile widened. He was flirting with me. Openly. I should stop this and step back but I couldn’t. I looked away, hating the heat rushing to my face when I saw Kara hurrying out.
Something hateful settled in my chest. She was probably going to console her boyfriend. The miserable two probably thought they would make progress in their plans today.
Fools.
“Sydney,”
I turned around at the sound of the voice. It was Dad walking towards us. He looked good. He was wearing his signature black suits and there was such pride in his eyes.
My chest tightened. In my first life, Eric had murdered my father and I never quite recovered. It was a blessing to see him here. A second chance and a reminder that I needed to stop Eric as soon as possible.
“I’ll give you guys your moment,” Bryce whispered, before walking ahead, shaking my Dad and walking out.
“Dad” I smiled at him.
He spread his arms wide. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Grinning, I walked towards him and let him hug me. For just a moment, everything felt calm once more.
“I’m so proud of you,” he murmured into my hair, squeezing me against his chest. “That was great Sydney. Well done.”
My throat tightened. I pulled back smiling at him. “I learned from you and thank you for being on my side.”
“There was no other side to be on.” He laughed. “Eric definitely knew what he was doing.”
He had no idea. He had no idea how much Eric was capable of. Not that could tell him any of that anyway.
“How’s the divorce going?” He held his hands on his waist.
Oh shit. I looked away. “It’s complicated Dad.”
“I’m not sure why.” He frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. “Is it Westin? Did he change his mind? If that’s the case, I can talk to him and…”
“Dad,” I called, reaching for his hand. “Don’t worry. I’m handling it. Eric is making a bit of a fuss but I’ll handle it. Please just let me handle this.”
“Can you?” He raised an eyebrow and I nodded. “Fine then. I just want you to be done with that snake once and for all.”
I let out a sigh of relief, my lips twitching. I knew he had been investigating and I’d seen the folders among his records. It’s why I hired a P.I.
“Thank you,” I whispered, squeezing his hand.
“I’ll do anything for you, Sydney.” He smiled. “I’m just really glad you thought of Ian. He’s one of the few people I’d trust completely with the West Coast division.”
“I would love to see him and congratulate him properly. Maybe we can schedule dinner tomorrow?”
He nodded. “I’ll do that.” He checked his watch. “I should probably call him and let him know the board approved his appointment. I’ve also got some other calls to make.” He smiled at me. “You be careful okay?”
I smiled “I will be.”
The boardroom was mostly empty now and he walked me to the elevator. He leaned in to kiss my cheek, before making me swear to be present for the dinner tomorrow.
I headed to the garage, got into my car, and started the drive home. It was a weirdly short drive. I’d been too busy wondering if Eric was home to think about the trip.
I parked in the garage and walked towards the porch my heart beating in my chest. Using my key, I unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Yup.
He was waiting in the living room. He had loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves and was pacing for some reason. I shut the door behind me and he turned to face me.
“Now, what the fuck was that?”
I let out a sigh, my hands tightening around my bag handle. Here we go. “What was what?”
“Don’t you fucking play stupid with me Sydney!” He pointed at me, his voice rising. “You humiliated me in front of the entire board!”
I dropped my bag on the center table, shaking my head slightly. “Oh, that? I’m sorry. I thought I was protecting you from making a disastrous hire.” I looked at him, unbuttoning my jacket. “I would have hoped to get at least a thank you but you’re welcome anyways”
“Protecting?” He balked. “Are you out of your fucking mind? You made me look incompetent in front of the fucking board!”
I raised an eyebrow, shrugging off my jacket. “Made you look incompetent? Eric you were trying to install a man the SEC had investigated for embezzlement and you didn’t share that detail with the board. I’m sorry but you’re the one making yourself look incompetent.”
Something flashed in his eyes and he went very still. “What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Just. Say?”
If he was expecting me to cower and go hide, he was in for a big surprise. “I said, you knew about his investigations and didn’t tell the board about it.”
“How the fuck did you even know about that?” He snapped, walking towards me. “How did you get that?”
I snorted, suddenly remembering Bryce. “Does it matter?”
“Yes! It fucking does!” He yelled. “Unless…” his voice dropped again, his hands clenching into fists. “Unless you’ve been snooping, Sydney. You’ve been going behind my back and spying on me..”
I snorted. “Eric please.”
He lifted his eyes, hate filling those blue orbs. “And you didn’t even have the fucking decency to tell me.”
“To tell you?” I balked, leaning back. “Like you told me about Marcus? You knew what happened at the Hamptons Eric! It was in the news! And you couldn’t tell me this was the man you were choosing for a senior position at my father’s company?”
His eyes flashed. “It’s not just your father’s company.”
“What?”