Chapter 108
Chapter 108
The ride back home was silent at first before Rashel decided that she was ready to break the news of Dorian’s activities to Jethro. She had learned that it was better to let him know what she was up to than keep it silent and let it become a problem between them much later.
“I have some dirt we could use to send Dorian away.” She said it quickly before she could change her mind. Rashel watched Jethro’s face light up and knew she had made the right decision.
“Are you serious? Who hinted to you? What did you find?” The excitement in his voice was amusing, so much so that Rashel chuckled softly.
“So, when Dorian began his games, I thought of ways to get him that didn’t require us attacking him directly, and it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, he might have some dirt on him that we could explore to our advantage, so I sent Milla to dig.”
“And what did Milla find?”
“Dorian is involved in Black Market dealings; here’s where it gets interesting. Dorian has been trading Scepter’s tech to the outlaws. I have evidence to prove it; no matter how much he tries to deny it, this one will nail him.”
“This is absolutely amazing. The best thing I’ve heard in a really long time, even.”
Rashel smiled back at Jethro, grateful that she had made him happy.
“You said the same thing when I agreed to marry you. I’m scared you’re a lying man.” Rashel teased and laughed.
“If I were, then I’m sure you would have found out a long time ago. You’re good at digging up things about people.” Jethro teased.
“The event planner called; she asked what kind of flowers I wanted for the decorations.”
“I want lavender, but I don’t know. What do you want?”
“Anything you want.”
Rashel rolled her eyes before speaking again.
“Anyway, I was thinking, since we’re doing something big, why don’t we just do it by the lake?”
“Seems like someone has settled into this idea of a big wedding,” Jethro teased.
“Well. If you can’t beat them…” Rashel chuckled.
Rashel was going over some reports when she got distracted by a knock on her door. She didn’t call for anyone, nor was she expecting anyone, and Jethro rarely knocked, so she wondered who it could be.
“Come on in.” She called. Dorian stepped in moments later, with an irritated look on his face, and Rashel sighed deeply, hoping that he didn’t come to stir up any trouble, because she just didn’t have the patience to handle or ignore his excesses at the moment.
“Is there a problem, Dorian?” Rashel asked as calmly as she could.
“Other than the obvious? None for now, except if you decide to add to our already existing ones.”
Rashel only stared at him silently, trying to calm her nerves before giving any reply.
“That’s alright, I hear you loud and clear, Dorian. So, what are you doing here?”
“If you really want what is best for Scepter, like you claim to, convince Jethro to step down and let me take over as CEO.”
“You saw the votes, Dorian. They were in favor of Jethro. I can’t do something like that.”
“It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the board decamp. Especially when they see that I’m winning.”
“If it doesn’t work, I can always go to the council and lay my complaints. You two aren’t married yet, so I don’t see why you’re a member of the board. Also, our lives and shares have been—”
“Put at risk because of me? Bullshit! Veronica was going to sell you all out, along with those bloody shares, to Viola and her gang sooner or later; I came in here and saved every one of you. You should be grateful to me for sticking out my neck for you all.” Rashel hissed.
“Nobody asked you to. If you didn’t come in here with all the enemies that you gathered, we wouldn’t need saving.” Dorian spat.
“I see. Go to the council then, and tell them whatever you want to. I dare you.” Rashel had finally lost whatever hold she had on her patience, and she was about to show Dorian a different kind of crazy.
“You think I’m bluffing, but I’m going to teach you a lesson, and by the time I’m done with you, you won’t find another Alpha to leech on.”
“Say one more nonsense, and the council will get receipts of your black-market activities. Speak, I dare you.” Rashel hissed.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Even though he tried to mask it, Rashel watched as the confidence on Dorian’s face faded away. When he walked in earlier, he had that smug look on his face, like a man who knew he was winning a battle, but now he even seemed a little terrified.
“I didn’t expect you to own up to it, of course. That’s why I have some evidence here with me.” She pulled out a brown envelope from her desk drawer and flung it across the table so that it landed on the other side of the table, just in front of Dorian.
He eyed it for a moment before cautiously picking it up as if it might attack him. For a long moment, neither of them spoke as Dorian scanned the papers he took out of the envelope. He took a deep breath before looking up to meet Rashel’s gaze.
“How did you get these?” Dorian asked rather calmly.
“How do you think I got them, Dorian?” Rashel allowed herself a smug smile for being able to humble Dorian this way; she deserved it.
“Listen, I don’t know how you got these or where you got them from, but I don’t know what’s going on there.”
“Even with the evidence in your hands, you still try to lie? You must have a pretty good lawyer. Try telling that to the council after they’ve seen this.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Oh, I would, Dorian, I would. If you don’t want to let me be, then I won’t let you be either. Open your mouth, and I’ll play my own cards. I will not just report you for trading in the black market, the punishment for which you know is either death or a long sentence. I will also report you for trading Scepter’s resources with the outlaws. That’s an added sentence that could lead to the end of your miserable life. Don’t test me, Dorian.”
Dorian gave her a look to kill, and she returned his stare with the same venom. Rashel wasn’t afraid of this man, especially now that she had a powerful weapon in her hands. She waited, anticipating an attack from him, but none came forth. Instead, Dorian threw the envelope and its contents into the bin and stormed out of her office without another word.
The moment the door banged shut behind him, Rashel knew that she was going to get a break from Dorian and his madness. Even if his followers decided to motivate him to begin another coup, he would think twice about it before even considering it.
Still, she knew that Dorian was going to try and find a way around it, but by then, she and Jethro would be legally married, and he wouldn’t even have a case against her anymore. Anything he decided to do after then would be met with firmness, and if he wanted a fight, she would personally send Jethro to give him one. She had become weary of the constant fight for her place everywhere that she went. First, it was Viola who came and threw her out of Fortis, and now, Dorian was questioning the authority that Jethro had given her, and they couldn’t really fight the way they should because he was right in a way. He was practically telling her that she had no place in Scepter, and this was true.
She thought about moving the wedding date back, but that would seem desperate. She was worried, afraid even, anything but desperate. She wasn’t marrying Jethro just to secure a place; she was getting married to him because she loved him, because he was a father to her child, and because he had offered her a place in his empire that she was willing to take.
As for Dorian and the likes of him, she would come for them one after the other once she had settled in as Luna. By then, she would have acquired all necessary rights from the council to take whatever action was necessary to purge Scepter of the traitors.
As she thought about Dorian’s treachery, thoughts of Viola crossed her mind. The woman had been too quiet lately, and she wanted to believe that the council’s ruling had finally opened Viola’s eyes to the fact that no matter what she did, she couldn’t win Rashel. But Rashel had learned from past experiences that whenever she was this calm, something bad was brewing.