They spent the next four hours reviewing every single document both he and Gareth had compiled. He intentionally didn’t mention Gareth’s part in any of this. But when it came down to what Maxwell had done to Lawson Steel years ago, the room fell silent.
When they started talking again, Seth asked, “Are you doing this for Dad, Lawson Steel, or yourself?”
“In the beginning I wanted to avenge what he’d taken from Dad. But then I discovered this wasn’t just about Dad or Lawson Steel. Maxwell had crushed companies that weren’t as resilient as ours. With each new development, I knew I had to stop him. Confronting him wasn’t the way to do it. I wanted justice. That’s when I decided to go to the Feds.”
“What are you waiting for?” Ethan asked.
“I wanted to talk to you all first. This doesn’t just affect me. If for some reason that asshole gets off, he’ll come for me, for us. We need to make sure this is what we all want to do.”
“Like we have a choice. It’s only a matter of time before he comes for us again,” Dylan said. “I’m not sitting back and waiting. You have my vote.”
“Mine as well,” Seth added.
Jordan and Gareth agreed, and that once again left Ethan. He looked around the room. “I’m not sure I want to be asked to any more meetings.” He pulled out a pen, signed the contract, and slid it over to Charles. “Congratulations, Charles. It’s official. You’re the permanent CEO.”
“Thank you,” he replied.
Ethan added, “You also have my approval to go after that bastard.”
“Gareth, you have a few connections at the Bureau. Do you think you can get this in the right hands?” One that Maxwell can’t touch.
“You’ve got it. It’ll be taken care of tonight.”
“Great.” It was done. All of it. Charles was mentally wiped out. “You guys want to call it a day and grab a bite to eat?” They nodded. “Great. I know this place outside of the city. It’s not fancy, but the food is fabulous.”
He’d never taken any of them to Mama’s. Until that day, he’d kept his two lives separate. But as with Rosslyn, it was becoming impossible. Charles and Charlie were merging. How much so was left to be seen.
On the way to eat, he sent a quick text to Rosslyn, HOW IS YOUR DAY?
She replied, BORING. THE BOSS DIDN’T SHOW.
That meant she was heading out on time; unfortunately he’d just promised his brothers a great meal.
PICK YOU UP AT SEVEN. That gave him plenty of time and she could take care of the darn cat.
SEE YOU THEN.
I hope everything goes as smoothly tonight.
Rosslyn had brought her laptop with her, but she didn’t know why. Searching for a place to live could be done on her smart phone. But she figured it’d be a lot easier sitting together. Now on the couch, she realized the computer wasn’t the issue, it was being so close to Charles.
But there was something different about him tonight. He seemed so much more at ease. “Did you have a good day at work?”
He smiled. “One of the best in a long time.”
“That’s great. It’s nice starting the week off right,” Rosslyn replied. “I just have no idea why Mr. Grayson didn’t come into the office. He was scheduled to. There were meetings scheduled all day, which I needed to move around.”
Charles cocked a brow. “He didn’t call you to let you know?”
“No. And from what I hear, he didn’t call anyone. It’s so strange. He’s not even picking up his cell phone.” Was it her imagination or did his lips curl slightly? She knew he wasn’t a fan of Uncle Max, but happy that he hadn’t been heard from was a bit too much. “You don’t seem too concerned.”
“Should I be?” Charles asked.
“I guess not. I’m not even sure why I am. For all I know he’s done this before. But no one really talks to me there. The only one who did got fired.” I miss you, Liz.
“If you’re worried, why don’t you call your friend? Maybe she knows something.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll do it tomorrow if he doesn’t show up again.” She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. “In the meantime, you promised me you’d help me look for a place. I tried while I was at work, but had no luck.”