Tristan shook his head as he read the second note.
“What’s that one say?” I asked as he stuffed it back inside the envelope.
“Just more about the Cordovex business. We better find Daryl.”
Suddenly, Tristan seemed uneasy. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but his expression had changed. Standing up, I took his hand in mine. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a lot to take in.”
“I don’t think you should judge your mother too harshly, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t think she knew about any of what your father or Taylor were doing, and I certainly can’t imagine she knew what Karl was doing.”
Tristan lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I don’t blame her. Of all the people involved in this, only she and your father were innocent. I guess some people would argue that she was responsible even in some small way since she benefited from what Stone Worldwide did…”
His words trailed off, but I quickly tried to ease his mind. “That’s bullshit. Your father was responsible for what happened with his company. From what you’ve told me, she wasn’t involved at all. None of the blame is hers, Tristan.”
“I know. I do. It’s just hard to find out that the woman you thought you knew had all these secrets.”
We walked hand-in-hand downstairs and found Daryl peeking behind pictures in the game room. He’d found nothing, but at hearing the news of what we found, his burly face twisted into a clownish grin.
“Good. At least now we know what we have. Any idea how all of that got up there?”
Tristan sat down on a barstool and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I imagine Rogers took it up there. He was responsible for all of that.”
“Well, thank you, Rogers. Now we need to decide what you should do next. You can’t get the authorities involved in the whole Cordovex-Cardiell thing until Karl’s out of power with Rider,” Daryl said.
“Then it’s time for Karl to be out of a job. Call Michelle and tell her to schedule a board meeting for three this afternoon.”
“Got it.”
I watched as the sadness at the mention of Rogers’ name slipped from Tristan’s face. Stepping close to him, I ran my hands through his hair and kissed his cheek. “Three gives you a little time. Any plans?”
Turning toward me, he winked. “A few things, but first this hair has to go. Time for the Tristan Stone Karl knows all too well to finally be back in full force.”
Chapter Fifteen
Tristan
After I’d run a few errands and gotten rid of the boy band angst hair, I was finally back to being myself again, and it was time to return to the building I hadn’t seen in over four months. The lobby looked the same with its white marble floors and dark wood walls, and as I passed through security I saw the guards’ eyes widen just a little as they recognized me. The oldest one, a man named Bill who’d worked for the company since before I was born, gave me a tiny smile, as if to let me know that he was glad to see me back where I belonged.
Not that I necessarily believed being back at the helm of Stone Worldwide was where I belonged. As I waited for the elevator doors to open to take me to the twenty-fifth floor and my office, I looked at the reflection of myself in the metal panels. The same old Tristan Stone I’d been every day of my time in that building looked back at me wearing my usual suit and tie, but I didn’t feel like that man anymore. My time in exile had given me a lot of time to think about my life, and the thought of spending the rest of my adult years in this building no longer seemed right. After the coke and the booze, I finally found out who I was in that old home my mother had loved, and it wasn’t the man in front of me now.
That didn’t mean I was ready to hand over the company to the likes of Karl, though.
I exited the elevator on the floor that housed my office suite and saw Michelle’s face light up as she realized her prodigal boss had finally returned. I could only hope that the reception I received from the Stone Worldwide Board of Directors was half as terrific.
Michelle stood from her desk, obviously excited and with a big smile said, “Mr. Stone! Your office is just as you left it. No one has stepped foot inside, not even security or maintenance. Just as you instructed.”
I stopped at her desk and responded to her welcome with a smile of my own. “Good afternoon, Michelle. Thank you for holding down the fort. I’m sure it wasn’t easy.”
“Mr. Dreger was an almost constant visitor, but I never let him in. He certainly was persistent, though.”
“Thank you for taking such care to make sure of that.” I turned to head into my office and noticed that there was something different about my assistant. My eyes traveled down her body to a slightly noticeable baby bump. Michelle was pregnant.