Stolen:The Billionaire Deception(31)

I took his hand in mine. "You miss her a lot, don't you?"



"Every day," Seth said. "You are so much like her, you know? No matter   what life throws at you, you just bend and twist and reshape yourself   and move-on. She was like that, strong and confident. My father should   have appreciated her, but he didn't."



"I'm sure she knew that you did. That had to be pretty special to her."



"Yeah, I'm sure she knew how much I adored her. Since the day she died until I met you, I've never felt that loved."



I picked up the hand I was holding and put it over my heart. "It beats just for you now," I told him.



He leaned in and kissed my lips. I wrapped my hands behind his neck and   pulled him in closer. As I did we were both set off balance and before   we knew it, we were thrown head first into the pool. The water was   heated and it felt like a comfortable bath. We barely took a breath   before we continued our kiss. It was the first time I had ever made love   in a swimming pool.         

     



 









CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE









ADELE





I don't remember when I've ever been such a mixture of joy and anxiety   before. I was joyous for two main reasons. First and foremost because of   hours of fun in the heated pool, Seth had taken me upstairs to his  room  and I had spent the night in his loving arms, and second: we were   finally taking what could very well be the final step to gaining  control  of my company. Ten and a half years finally coming to fruition.  It was  all I had wanted and everything I'd dreamed of and now that it  was  within my grasp it felt surreal to me.



Seth and I walked hand and hand into James Hunter's living room at the   estate. He was sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, reading his   morning paper. When we walked in, he looked up and smirked. I vowed that   would be the last time he looked at either one of us that way again.   Seth must have been thinking the same thing because he smiled radiantly   and said, "Good morning, Father. Adele and I have great news."



He glanced at me and I could see the confidence there in his eyes. He   wasn't afraid of this man any longer. James put the paper down and took a   sip of his coffee. Looking me over with disgust he asked Seth, "So,   you've decided a liar is the best you can do for a girlfriend I see."



"No Father. I've found out that it's the best I could do in the father   department. As far as girlfriends go, I'm going to stick with this one.   She's a top of the line model."



Seth was squeezing my hand tight as James jumped to his feet and said,   "How dare you come into my house and talk to me that way. Who do you   think you are?"



"I know who I am," Seth said, smoothly. "I am a smart, capable man who   doesn't need you or your name or your money. I have what I need right   here, and as soon as you give her back what is rightfully hers, she will   have all that she needs too."



James snorted. "Get off my property," he said. "Or I'll have you both thrown off."



"Sure, Dad." It was Seth's turn for a smirk. He reached in the bag slung   over my shoulder and pulled out the documents we had put together. One   stack was the evidence we had against him and the other were the  papers  Phillip had Paul draw up. They reverted ownership of Hunter  Corp. back  to Morgan Corps. original heir. It included all of the  corporate assets  as well as the townhouse which Phillip found out was  paid off with money  he'd gotten from my estate.



"What is that?" James asked his son, irritably.



"Read them, Dad. We'll wait." He handed them to James and we sat down as   he read through them. I will never forget the look on his face the   moment he realized it was over. He wasn't going to go down that easily,   however. It's a good thing Seth and I both knew that before we'd come   over.



"So what? You've got a bunch of stupid old documents. If and I mean "IF"   there was a crime committed or any wrong-doing …  it would be way past   the statute by now."



"You know what, Dad? We thought of that. But you know what else we   thought of? We both have noticed how much you love to be in the   limelight. Your name, your estate, your money and your prestige, it all   means so much to you. So in exchange for you doing the right thing  here,  Adele has graciously decided that she will settle for having back  her  assets without dragging you through the mud you so rightfully  deserve to  be pulled through."



"What the hell does that mean?" he said. I could tell he was putting it   together in his head and he was getting really nervous. I let Seth go   on, for now. He pulled the notebook out of our bag and turned it on.   Then he pulled up a segment that had appeared earlier that morning on   "Good Morning Manhattan." It was a former attorney who had retired from   what he called "The Game" of high finance and corporate espionage. He   talked about some of the shady deals he had witnessed and some of the   unethical things he himself had been involved in. He said he was in   recovery now from the substances that "led him down that evil path" and   he was working with high school and college aged youth, teaching them   how to stay on the right path. He had just that morning been offered a   book deal. A six figure deal if he was willing to "name names." He told   the interviewer he was still on the fence about it. He thought those   people should "get their reckoning," but he hadn't decided yet if he   would be the one to give it to them. As James watched the show, the   color drained out of his face. He recognized Paul and he also recognized   how his entire way of life could be gone in an instant.         

     



 



He looked up at his son and said, "What do I have to do?"



Seth smiled and said, "I think you need to address that question to   Adele. She very sweetly holds your life in her hands, as did you hers at   one time."



James looked at me and I saw him swallow his revulsion before he said, "What do you want?"



"I want to see the records from the very day you took over the company. I   want whatever was there the day you moved in, including the  paperclips.  I want the cash that was in the accounts and I want the  townhouse to  replace the one you took from me. It's all in that  paperwork you have in  front of you. All you have to do is sign."



"You are a … "



"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you, James. You see, my   revenge on you will be that this will forever be hanging over you. If I   get wind of you even thinking about stealing from anyone ever again, I   expose you. If you mistreat your son or disparage me again in any way …guess what? I expose you." I handed him the ink pen I'd brought with me   and said, "The places for you to sign and initial are clearly marked."



He snatched the pen and signed and initialed the paperwork. I handed him   his copy and said, "Paul will notarize these signatures today in case   you were thinking of going back on this in any way. I'd like it if you   could send someone by the office to pick up your things before the  trash  is picked up on Friday. Otherwise it will be the problem of city   sanitation."



I took Seth's hand and we stood up. We started to walk out together and I   heard James say, "You're just like your mother …  worthless."



Seth's muscles tensed and he let go of my hand as he turned slowly   around to face his father. I watched him clear the space between then in   two steps and suddenly he was inches from his father's face.



"Last condition of this arrangement, old man. You never say my mother's   name in my presence. You were not fit to wipe her heels on. She was the   absolute best thing that ever happened to you and you were too daft to   know it. I am proud to be her son. I'm proud enough of that to make up   for getting stuck with you as a father."



He turned then and we left James Hunter standing there. He would still   be a wealthy man. He would have his wealth and his privilege …  but he   didn't have his son and he wouldn't ever be able to walk into another   boardroom and feel that power he loved so much. We left him broken and   alone the way he had left me when I was a little girl.



Once we were outside we both stopped and sucked in a few breaths of the   fresh air. "God that felt good!" Seth said. He was riding a high that   only came from standing up for yourself and for those that you love.