Chapter 60 The Offer
Anushka's P.O.V.
Jordan asked Gavin to go to my storage unit first thing in the morning to look for the hidden flash drive. I described Stewart's desk so he would know which one to look in. I called building security and told them that Phillip's building access needed to be suspended. They agreed to call the police if he showed up. I also called the police to tell them Phillip was the one who broke into my apartment.
Courtney gave me my last dose of antibiotics and removed my IV. She and Jordan helped me walk from the bedroom to the kitchen table for breakfast. I'm getting a lot stronger, and the pain is more of a nuisance than anything.
"Courtney, can we talk to you for a minute?" I ask.
"Sure," she answers nervously, glancing at Bobby.
"You mentioned that cooking was your passion. We wanted to make you an offer. Would you be willing to work full-time as our cook? We would also like you to cater our business meetings, parties, and any other events we have. Jordan will put you on his payroll as an employee, so you will have all the benefits that his employees have, including medical, retirement, and many others. We will pay you double what you're making at the hospital." When I'm done, she stares at me with her mouth open.
"Are you okay?" Dakota asks her. Courtney blinks a few times and then nods.
"Yes, I just don't know what to say. I'm not a professional cook. Are you sure you want me?" She looks like she's going to cry. Dakota gets up from the table to hug her.
"You make yummy food," Dakota tells her. Courtney laughs and wipes away the tears running down her cheeks.
"So, will you accept our offer?" I ask her.
"Yes, I'd love to accept!" she replies excitedly. Bobby pulls her into his arms and kisses her. Courtney's face turns bright red, and we all laugh while Tyler and Sarah clap their hands.
"Whoo hoo! That means we get to have yummy food all the time," Dakota says. I look at her and pretend to be hurt.
"You don't like my cooking?" I ask, raising my eyebrow at her the same way she has been doing to everyone else.
"It's okay, but Courtney makes more stuff," she explains.
"I agree. That's why we want her to cook for us." I smile as she and Bobby begin clearing the table.
"Bobby, I've already talked to Gavin, but I wanted to talk to you, too. Anushka and I discussed having full-time security even once this is over because we've both realized how vulnerable we are. Would you be willing to work for us full-time? I would also have you on my payroll with all the benefits," Jordan tells him. He looks as stunned as Courtney was a few minutes ago.
"Yes, I accept. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I might have taken more time to think about it. However, now my priorities have changed. I would be more comfortable working for you while being able to spend time with my family." He looks at Courtney, then at her kids. Why can't there be more men like him, Jordan, and Gavin? They all have some of the biggest hearts I have ever seen.
"Are you going to be our daddy?" Tyler asks Bobby softly. He squats down beside Sarah and him.
"Do you want me to be your daddy?" he asks them. Sarah wraps her little arms around him.
"Bobby, Daddy." She says in her sweet voice.
"If you're our new daddy, will you live with us?" Tyler asks.
"We'll talk about all of that later. Let's get cleaned up. Bill will be here soon," Courtney says, trying to change the subject. I take it that this isn't something she and Bobby have discussed. Before anyone can say more, the front door opens, and Gavin walks in.
"Did you have any luck?" I ask him hopefully. He pulls a flash drive from his pocket.
"It was in a secret compartment in one of the drawers. I searched the entire desk to make sure this was the only thing there." He hands it to me, and I don't know what's on it, but I know it has to be important.
"I'll get my laptop," Jordan says, leaving the room.
"Do you want us to go to the other room?" Courtney asks.
"No, stay here," I reply, smiling at her. Jordan returns and turns on his laptop. I take a deep breath and insert the flash drive. I expect there to be a password, but then I remember that Stewart wasn't that smart.
There are multiple files, so I start with the first one. When I click on it, I see lab results showing that Stewart isn't my biological father. I close that one and move on to the next. It's a folder filled with news articles about the Kondrati family. I know they've committed a lot of illegal activities, so I don't need to read about them. Once I confirm that's all that's in the file, I move on to the next one.
This one is about the company and all the information about me taking it over. I quickly move to the next, which has Phillip's DNA and proof that he's Stewart's son. When I see the heading for the next one, I hesitate before clicking on it. It says Gloria.
When I open it, I see multiple files inside. I open the first one, and tears run down my cheeks. It's a picture of my mom smiling. I realize that's the picture we used for her funeral. When I scroll further, I see her death certificate and then something I don't understand.
"I don't know what this means," I tell Jordan. He reads over it and looks at Courtney.
"Can you see if you understand this?" he asks her. She walks over to us and looks over my shoulder. She gasps and then scrolls back to the death certificate.
"Anushka, how did your mom die?" Courtney asks.
"I don't know. I was thirteen when she died. One day, I came home from school, and Stewart said she was gone. She had been sick for a while, and I assumed it was because of how he treated her. I thought she just couldn't take it anymore." I feel sick all of a sudden when Courtney takes my hand.
"I'm sorry, but that's not what happened. Her death certificate says she had multiple organ failure. The information below her death certificate is how to make a poison that would cause someone to have a slow death. Your mom was murdered."