“Daniel,” Juliette exclaims, turning in my direction as she hears the door open. “I’m so sorry. Last night, I couldn’t sleep at all, thinking about what I’ve done.” She pauses and straightens her spine. “Never mind, the way I feel isn’t your problem. I’m here to try and fix what I did.”
“I appreciate that.” I’m not lying. Without Juliette, I’d have nothing to offer the board in my defense. But is Juliette’s testimony enough? Or does Stone have something more for me? “Stone? Have you found anything?”
He grins. “I struck gold. There’s a problem when you ally yourself with paparazzi sleazeballs, Hartman. These guys would sell their grandmothers out for a story. I waved some cash in front of them, and it wasn’t too hard to get them talking. Cyrus has been paying for reporters to stalk you and he’s been dropping some serious dough so that the editors of the tabloids will run your mug in their paper.”
Stone Bradley sounds confident in his claims, but accusations aren’t going to be enough for today’s meeting. “I need proof.”
He hands me a folder. “And I have it. Printouts of emails from your uncle to the editor of the Post. Communication between the photographers and Cyrus. Bank transfers. And much more.”
“He used a traceable email address?” I’m aghast. “How dumb is he?”
“Cocky, maybe,” Stone shrugs. Juliette’s listening to our conversation with keen interest. “Perhaps he thought he’d be above suspicion.”
He would have had cause to think that. I’d always muttered curses about the tabloids, but I’d never wondered why they followed me around. I was too busy running my family company to pay attention to that. Cyrus almost got away with it. Until he involved Bailey.
I flip through the contents, my relief growing as I read each damning bit of evidence. “This is good stuff, Stone.”
“I told you I’d take care of it,” he replies.
Stone’s earned his arrogance. He had twenty-four hours to track all of this down, and he’s come through in spades. “My bill will be in the mail,” he adds.
I laugh. “No doubt.” I stick out my hand and shake his. “Thank you for your help, Bradley. I really appreciate it.”
“No worries,” he says. He pulls a business card out of his wallet and hands it to Juliette with a wink. “Call me, Juliette. Let’s do lunch.”
When he departs, Juliette looks at me with a confused look on his face. “Did he just ask me on a date?”
I chuckle. “His timing could use some work. Then again, maybe he just believes in seizing every opportunity.”
She rolls her eyes, though she does tuck away the card in her bag. “What time is the board meeting?” she asks.
I glance at my watch. “Fifteen minutes,” I tell her. “You want a bagel?”
“No thanks,” she says. “I’m so nervous I’ll throw up if I eat.”
We wait in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Had she not involved Bailey, I would feel sorry for Juliette. Cyrus fed her a bunch of lies and half-truths, and she fell for it. But she did involve Bailey, and there’s no forgiving that, not by me.
Once upon a time, I would have said that Juliette and I were friends. Not anymore.
* * *
I walk into the boardroom on my own. Juliette’s waiting in my office, and Sophie will bring her in at the right time. First, I need to assess the lay of the land.
My mother’s sitting at the long conference table, as are the rest of the board members. Cyrus is present too, barely concealing his smugness under a somber look. I ignore him for the present, and give my mother a questioning glance.
She rises to her feet and inclines her head toward the coffee. I follow her and pour myself a cup. “I would have come to your office,” she says in a low voice. “But I wanted to get a sense of what you are going to face.”
“And?”
“This could go either way,” she whispers. “I think Cyrus has something up his sleeve.”
“I know what it is,” I reply. “Ryan Communications voted last night to reject our deal.” That piece of news was in my email this morning, but I hadn’t shared it with either Sebastian or Bailey. The two of them are worried enough for me. I didn’t want to make it worse.