Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
What a shame for him that he completely misunderstood me. I was about to secure us both the deal of our lifetimes, but he thought I was going to betray him and set up my own establishment. To stop me he set me up on a made-up embezzlement charge.
As I sat in front of my lawyer, I understood how much I had misjudged Robert. I knew the only way was to play along and get a reduced sentence. This way I would have a brand new start with no messy battles over intellectual property rights. Of course, Robert took the bait of dissolving our partnership… and I was free of him.
My jaw clenched to match my fists at the thought of my once best friend now being my sworn enemy. All through school I had covered his ass. Yet for reasons only he knew, he had turned on me. They say the past was the past, but those that said that have not been screwed over by someone they trusted.
There were old scores to settle before I could close the chapter on the last four long years.
As was my wont, inevitably, after thinking about Robert’s betrayal, my thoughts would always turn to Savannah.
Savannah, the woman I once loved. Deeply.
She made me believe she would be there forever, but she deserted me when I needed her most. She did not call me. Not once. I looked for her, but she never came to court. She pretty much dropped off the face of the earth in the middle of my worst nightmare. Not once did she ask me: What happened, Max? Give me your version because I’m your woman and I’ll stand by you, no matter what.
Bitch!
I thought of her with Robert. The image burned my chest. I took another swig of the most expensive champagne money could buy, but it tasted foul.
I would move on from Savannah as well… after exacting my revenge.
I would have the last laugh.
I was not yet sure how, but it was a necessity. Robert’s betrayal enraged me, hers tore me to pieces. I had already more than recovered my financial stability while still in prison, but now I needed to heal my heart and soul. I couldn’t do that until Robert and Savannah got their just desserts.
Until then, fuck them both. I wasn’t about to let them spoil my first day of freedom.
I turned away from the window and looked around. The place was as quiet as a fucking graveyard. Putting some music on, I ordered dinner. The food was exactly what I needed. I’d almost forgotten the taste of good Chinese food.
Afterwards, I got into bed and watched two seasons of Succession late into the night, content to be in my own bed with a luxuriously thick mattress and lavender scented sheets. As my eyes drifted closed to the hum of the voices on the television in the background, I prayed for my future. For my future without her.
It seemed so bleak…
As my eyes opened, I lay still, and stared at the duck egg blue ceiling. Memories of the previous day flashed before me and I sat up. I looked around, allowing a tiny smile to cross my lips. It had not been a dream. It was real. I was free.
I rolled out of bed and placed my feet on the floor. My toes were lost in the plush mat by the bedside, but when I lifted them clear and I looked down they made me shake my head ruefully. These feet seriously needed some attention. And while I was at it, so did my hands, face, and hair.
I was no longer a convict, but a man with a plan. I could do with a day at a spa.
My secretary made the necessary booking and within an hour, I had given myself over to the skillful hands of a masseuse. I felt the first shoots of new energy grow in my body. I moved from station to station. By that afternoon, my muscles felt supple, my hands and feet felt like they hadn’t felt in years, and they had done something to my hair which made it look pretty good. I looked every inch the successful young executive. Sometimes I did not believe I was just twenty-seven going on twenty-eight. Prison makes you feel like you are a thousand years old. But now I was on to the next phase.
A glance at my watch told me I had twenty minutes to get downtown to my office. I had a meeting with Rick who had been holding the fort. Obviously, I had met most of my staff electronically, but now I would see them face-to-face. All twenty-six of them.
I got into the blacked-out Koenigsegg Jesko. As the beast of an engine roared into life, I smiled. Life was amazing. Even without her. Yes, even without her.