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“Victoria found some old paperwork from Marie's. Some letters from her father to Marie that were pretty nasty. Talking about the ownership of the property.”
“You think now that Marie is gone, he might show back up?” Connor asks, coming to the same conclusion I am.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I am going to put a team on him. Find him. Watch him.” I sit for a moment and think.
“Well, his financial situation didn’t look good…” Connor says.
“Desperate men do desperate things.” I tap out a text to the security team I use to tee up a meeting to talk about it tomorrow.
“Well, right now, we need to talk about our expansion plans. After what happened yesterday, I need to go through the quarterly numbers with you,” Connor says, pulling out his laptop. And just like that, my ache to seeVictoria deepens. So I text her quickly before we get into it.
I’ll be working all night. Sorry again for rushing out yesterday.
It’s okay. I have found another album of photos so I am busy looking through family history.
Any more cute pigtails?
No, but will this do?
I look at the text as an image comes through. It is of her bare shoulders and part of her chest. She has nothing on but her white lace bra. It is not at all revealing, but my cock stirs already.
You’re killing me.
Death by orgasm?
Sign me up. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Don’t work too hard.
Huffing, I look up and see Connor grinning at me. I roll my eyes and pocket my cell, still thinking about her. It feels nice to be wanted. And her independence is something that appeals to me. Her smile, her smarts. The way her body curves and the way her face transforms when she comes. I am starting to catch serious feelings for this woman. And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.
24
VICTORIA
My body feels tight as I readjust myself on the floor. I have been here all day. After Tanner had to run out for an emergency at the distillery yesterday, I found another few boxes and have been spending my time going through them all.
Finding that letter from my father took me a little by surprise. Then finding more of them, along with legal letters, made it all a reality. I knew my father wasn’t the best father or husband in the world, but these letters to his own sister are threatening, borderline harassment, and most certainly not something you would ever want to receive from a family member. It is clear he wanted this property, but not to live in like Marie. Maybe to sell, try and make money from, and I can see the dates of these letters and the details involved. Some of them are dated well after he had already left Mom and me, so it wasn’t for him to provide his family a better life. I have no idea what to think of them, other than they continue to paint him in the same dark light my mother has all these years.
Mom mentioned we only came here a few times when I was younger, but there are a lot of photos of us. It is clear that Marie loved having us here. There are photos with her and me mostly, but also ones of her and Mom laughing outside. The ones of my father are few and far between, though, and I can tell that they never got along, even back then. I make a mental note to chat with Mom about it again. Maybe she will have some more information.
I pull out another large envelope, this one looking professional and with Jerry’s legal firm stamp on it, the same one he used with my letter. It is the formal outcome of a court case between Marie and my father. One that is dated about ten years ago. Dad sued her for the property, citing family ownership, but as I read, I can see that Marie won that battle, my father getting nothing but legal bills by the looks of things. I throw the paperwork back in the box. This whole family history is becoming very negative. I set aside an old recipe book to look through later before my eyes fall on a photo.
“Oh my…” I say in awe as I lift it from the box and stare. It is Marie and Tanner. He is much younger, but there is no doubt it is him. The two of them are standing together outside. He must be in his early twenties, and it is a great shot of the two of them. They look happy but very stoic and reserved, and I smile as I take it all in. It warms my heart to know that they knew each other and helped each other out over the years. I put the photo in a small pile of others that I have, keen to make a large photo wall that runs up the length of the stairs.
My cell rings, and I grab it, needing a distraction frommy family drama, but Josh’s name lights up the screen. This is call number ten today, and I have been ignoring him, but with a sigh, I bite the bullet and finally answer.
“What do you want?” I ask, preferring to skip the niceties. He doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t deserve anything. I can’t even believe I was with this guy.
“Victoria? Oh shit, you answered,” he says, sounding surprised. I hear background noise, like he is in a car and I am on speakerphone. I roll my eyes even though he can’t see me. I have no idea why I even accepted his stupid proposal and why I ever thought being with him was a good idea. Sure, he swept me off my feet at the start, but I ignored all the red flags and warning bells. In hindsight, I think it was because dating in New York was such a competitive sport, I was relieved to not do it a moment longer. Now after meeting Tanner and experiencing the butterflies and natural chemistry and developing feelings I have with him, I can’t believe what I almost missed out on.
“Stop calling me, Josh,” I tell him in the coldest voice I can muster.
“Victoria. No. We need to talk,” he rushes out, almost desperately.
“We don’t. We have nothing to talk about.”
“But I miss you. I love you,” he says, and I frown. Love? I swallow down the realization that I never loved him. I can’t believe I almost married a man I didn’t even love. The thought of what my life would have been like makes my stomach sink.
