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 kind of sick game was the universe playing with me?
I moved my eyes up and back to Robert Steinberg. Robert and I had sort of kept in touch over the years and spoke sometimes.
I sensed he was interested in much more than a casual friendship, but I had never felt that way about him. He was always meant to be in the friend zone. In fact, I met Robert first, but it was Max who stole my heart. Robert, being the gentleman he was, had been gracious enough to step aside.
But I always knew he wanted more.
So both Robert and Max were on the list. I swallowed hard at the prospect of interacting with Max in any way, but I pushed the nervousness aside and remembered the anger.
I had to stay angry.
Ignoring the slight tremble to my finger, I typed Max’s email address on my draft email. Taking a deep breath, I then, copy pasted all the other names on the list into the sender’s box.
As the cursor hovered over the ‘send’ button, I half considered deleting Max’s address, but then I stopped myself. He was nothing to me. If the children could benefit from him, why not. Anyway, he would probably be in no position to fund anything but himself, so there was almost no reason to believe he would respond.
Before I could give it any more thought, I clicked ‘send’.
I pursed my lips. Of course, he won’t respond. That would be the best thing for him to do – not respond.
3
MAX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpsUOOfb-vE
-Jailhouse Rock-
I took a deep gulp of air, opened my front door, and walked into my apartment. It was a surreal feeling.
I was – fucking free.
I could go into any damn room I pleased. I could open the refrigerator and eat anything I wanted. I could shower whenever I felt like it.
I was finally free after more than forty-eight months behind bars.
A smile curved my lips. This was no dream. I’d left my prison days behind me forever.
I looked around.
Everything looked the same as it had that morning the police turned up on my doorstep with a warrant for my arrest. I had left instructions for my weekly cleaning service that there was not to be one speck of dust to be found on my arrival and last week I had asked for my refrigerator to be deep cleaned and fully stocked with all my favorite foods.
I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Dom Perignon. I popped the cork and drank straight from the bottle. I unscrewed a jar of beluga caviar, dipped my finger into it, scooped some of the shiny beads, and placed them on my tongue.
Yes… oh, yes.
I took another gulp of cold bubbles, closed my eyes and savored the taste. It was hard to believe that four years had gone by. I thought it would never end, but here I was. Finally, finally free to pick up the reins of my life and continue… but it would not be business as usual.
Oh no.
For one, there was no more Stein-Bart. I would never have believed it four years ago, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn’t need Robert. I thrived without him. From behind bars, I had set up my own operation – BB Tech Solutions.
Nobody knew that the CEO of BB Tech’s office was in a ten-by-ten cell he shared with another man. Nobody cared enough to ask what BB stood for, or I would have had to tell them it was short for Behind Bars.
If Robert thought he had destroyed me, he thought wrong. I went into prison accused of stealing a few hundred thousand dollars. Now I was worth millions. All I needed was a computer and internet access and I had both in the prison library where I spent every moment I could. Rick, who had married my sister, Michelle, had proven trustworthy and a good man. He had taken care of all the legwork outside of prison, and I had made sure he was more than handsomely rewarded.
He was now a very, very rich man and about to get even richer.
I walked towards the gigantic windows that overlooked the park across the street. The scene was beautiful, but thinking of what Robert did to me, made the familiar rage course through my veins.
The old adage about being stabbed in the back by those closest to you had proved to be true. He had set me up beautifully. And I knew why. In all the years since we had been partners, I knew I was the brains behind our operation while he just wrote the checks in the beginning.
I was so involved in work I had not sensed his underlying resentment of me and I was too loyal to break out on my own. Hell, I would have carried him for the rest of my life if he had not shown his true colors.