by Ali Parker
“The only Marx I’ve heard of is Andrew Marx,” she said. “You know who he is?”
“Uh-uh.” I scrolled through the documents on the computer, finding some pictures from a school play the year before and lots of files regarding the district’s behavior policies.
“Is that a no?” She went on, not waiting for an answer.“Andrew Marx is the CEO of Marx Investments. It’s the top investment firm in the US. Has been for years.”
“Oh. Cool.”
I couldn’t have cared less.
“But I doubt that’s his daughter at your school. He probably sends his kid to private schools.”
“Yeah. Could be a distant relative,” I mumbled, still perusing the computer’s files.
“Okay. I gotta go. Text me later.”
“Kay. Bye.”
We hung up, and I concluded there was nothing that useful on the computer. Nibbling on my lip, I pulled Raven’s picture out again. Something about it just wouldn’t leave me alone.
It was that intense gaze. That had to be it. Raven Marx looked like a fighter, the kind of girl who would only act up if she had a good reason. Really, that needed rephrasing. She seemed like the kind of girl who would only act up if she had a bad reason—if something was really wrong in her life.
I needed to find that reason out.
4
Andrew
Dead silence filled the boardroom.
I let the door fall closed behind me as I stood there, finding all eyes where they were supposed to be. On me.
“Well?” I barked.
Kyle cleared his throat, and the four other employees sitting around the table all looked anxiously at him. “Mr. Marx, it appears there is an issue with an account. Houghton Graham. There is, uh, twenty thousand dollars missing from the account.”
He pressed his lips together hard, probably waiting for me to yell.
“Then find it,” I simply answered. “No need to call a meeting. You.” I pointed at Carolyn. “Go through the statements from the last few months.”
“I already—”
“Do it again. And you.” I nodded at Kyle. “Make sure this doesn’t get out. Don’t notify the client until we know exactly what’s going on. The rest of you, make yourselves busy. And if you lose one more damn check, you’re all fired.”
With a string of curses checked but rumbling in my throat, I turned around and left the boardroom, Maggie trailing me like a shadow.
Sometimes, the sheer lunacy of people could be astounding. I hired the best in the business world, and yet there were still fuck-ups. For some reason.
Along the open-working space leading to my corner office, employees straightened up in their chairs and typed and clicked away, doing their best to look like busy little workers once they saw me coming. They feared me. I knew that.
I also knew that anxiety could be very, very good for business.
“Which meeting is next?” I asked Maggie as we rounded the hallway.
“A one-fifteen call with the Dawson firm.”
“Good.” That gave me exactly an hour and a half. “Let Saxton right in when he gets here.”
“Yes, sir.”
In the office, I went straight to my desk and checked my work email. After shooting off a few response messages, the time came to noon exactly.
Noon. How had the whole morning passed without Raven’s school calling?
That should have been a good sign, but the rock in my gut said otherwise. As much as I wanted to believe that the one-sided talk the night before had impacted Raven, I couldn’t. She didn’t go down that easy. My daughter was half-Marx and that meant possessing a natural tendency to being strong-willed and hardheaded.
So not hearing from her school had my nerves increasing.
Maybe she burned the place down, and that’s why no one has called. There are no phones left to do it on.
I inspected the ceiling, debating whether to call the school and check in.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Saxton breezed in, depositing himself on one of the chairs opposite me. He had fresh highlights, which I knew for a fact didn’t come from the sun, but he wore the kind of sweater that said “Hey, I’m going boating,” so at least he gave off the appearance of being sporty.
“What’s that frown for?” he asked.
“What’s that cocky smile for?” I countered, not that the question needed a response. Saxton was thirty-six, popular with the ladies, and raking it in investing-wise. He was the man women wanted to fuck and other men wanted to be. Except me, of course. As his friend, I only wanted to shoot the shit, make lighthearted fun of him, and count on him to have my back every once in a while.
“God, you make me feel old,” I sighed.
Saxton threw his head back in laughter. “What are you? Forty-five?”
“I’m not sure how you found that out, but yes.”
“That’s your prime. Girls love that age. It shows them you’re responsible but still young enough to last in bed.”
As per usual, women were the first thing on my buddy’s mind.
“Huh,” is all I offered.
“Seriously, Andrew. When was the last time you got laid?”
“Not answering that.”
“Because you’re embarrassed.” He pointed an accusatory finger my way. “It’s been a while. I know that. Your blue balls condition is spreading. It’s giving you a bad case of stink eye.”
My lips drew tight against my teeth. “Women and sex aren’t everything, Saxton.”
“Yeah, but getting some action is pretty fucking crucial. Try it out, and then you won’t be walking around with a stick up your ass.”
“Oh, come on.”
“I saw your staff on my way in. They’re all walking on eggshells, probably afraid I’ll tell you they were texting or something, and then you’ll fire them all.”
My exhale was hot. “I run a tight ship. Not going to apologize for that.”
“And I know you never will. But take my advice. Go on a date. Hell, just hire an escort, if you want. As long as it gets the job done.”
“Fine. It’s been a while. But that’s not the problem.”
“Then what is the problem?”
I hesitated. Raven’s behavioral issues were still a secret. I hadn’t told a single soul and didn’t plan on doing that. I’d been raised to keep family matters private, and that was how they always stayed.
“I’m busy. I need to take a vacation.”
“No, man. You need to get laid.”
I stood up and grabbed my coat from the hook by the door. “Where are we doing lunch?”
“Japanese? Thai? You like the Asian girls, right? I sure do.” Saxton waggled his eyebrows.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m going to give our waitress your number.”
“God, save me.”
With a nod at Maggie, we left the office. But Saxton wasn’t done, choosing to take the empty elevator ride as an opportunity to keep harassing me.
“Let me set you up with this girl I know. Her name is Veronica. Superhot.”
“Why don’t you date her?”
“I already went out with her sister a few times. I mean, I could, I guess.”
I smirked at Saxton as he seemed to give his new idea some serious thought. Let him go for Victoria or whatever her name was. He’d set me up with girls a few times before, and it had never ended well. Forget second dates. One dinner with a girl Saxton gave me the number of was over before the entree arrived. Once it became apparent my net worth was more important to her than my personality, I faked an emergency and got my ass out of there.
Gold diggers. Those were the kind of women who orbited around Saxton. And he didn’t seem to mind. Sex and good times. That’s what he was into. And, I swear, dropping stacks on all the money-hungry girls excited him. It gave him a rush of power.
The doors slid open, and we entered the lobby, where I spun around and placed my hands on Saxton’s shoulders.
“Look, I appreciate you trying to hook me up with someone, but it’s not going to work. I’ve tried dating. It’s not right for me.”
“So don’t date. Did you not hear what I said about the escort?”
“Yeah,” I dryly said.“That’s not my cup of tea.”
Saxton rolled his eyes as he pulled away from me and went through the revolving doors. On the street, I realized right away that I didn’t need my coat. The morning’s chill had been replaced by a balmy, sunny day.
“What’s your plan then? You’re just going to be alone for the rest of your life?”
I stared at the sidewalk as we walked. Saxton never met Danica, had no idea just how amazing she had been.
How was I ever going to find a woman who liked me for me, just as she did? Someone who cared to get to know the side of me I didn’t easily show?
“Here’s the trouble with women,” I stated. “Or, I should say, everyone. I can’t remember the last time I had a conversation with someone and they didn’t ask me for financial advice.”
“That’s what’s rubbing you the wrong way?”
“Sushi?” I stopped at a spot we’d been to a few times, and Saxton gave a nod.
Once in the booth, he did a quick inspection of every woman in the place. “The hostess is pretty hot.”
Just out of curiosity, I checked her out. “And probably in high school.”
“Andrew. It’s the middle of the day.”
“Fine. College.” I picked up the slip of paper with the day’s options and start checking off which rolls I wanted. “Which means she’ll definitely want financial advice. She’d be hounding me all the time on the best ways to get her debt down.”
Saxton laughed, and I gave him a grin over the paper.
“The right woman isn’t going to ask for advice,” he said.
“Hm.” I ran my hands through my hair, not willing to admit he was right about that.
But there was more to the matter. Suppose I did find a woman I got along with, one who didn’t give a shit that I was the CEO of a major company or that I had the jet to take her anywhere she wanted. What then?
How would she fit into my life? Especially with Raven being the way she had been for the last year?
My teenager’s current attitude was enough to send any woman running for the hills.
No. I was better off where I was. I had purpose at the company I’d built, and nothing, other than my daughter, mattered. I wasn’t a complete robot, which was why I allowed myself a hookup, albeit pretty unfulfilling, every once in a while.
Just not with anyone Saxton knew.
Let him think he was going to break me, that I would give in and change one day. I knew better than anyone. That would never happen.
5
Lanie
The piercing scream shook my bones, making me jump in my seat and drop the scholarship papers I’d been looking over.
Heart thudding, I left the papers on the floor and rushed to the door. Someone fainted? Or brought a weapon to school?
A dozen awful possibilities ran through my head.
Cracking the door the slightest bit, I looked down the hall. Near the front office, a girl with long, blond hair stood with clenched fists. “It’s not fair!” she yelled.
“Miss Marx,” a female voice said from inside the office. “Have a seat. Now.”
So that was the infamous Raven Marx. My second day at school and she already had a run-in. Not surprising in the least.
“Why?” Raven shrieked. “I didn’t do anything. Nothing that the bitch didn’t deserve.”
I cringed at the harsh words. Everyone up and down the hall had to hear Raven.
The other voice said something I couldn’t make out, and Raven stood there for a few more moments, her chest heaving up and down. I took the time to inspect her closely. She was tall and thin with hair that went all the way down to her waist. It was currently tangled, though, and her sweater hung off one shoulder, making her look the opposite of put together.
After a beat, Raven slowly went into the office. Holding my back straight in the hope that it made me look like the responsible, commanding adult I was supposed to be, I headed in the same direction.
One step through the doorway and air thick with disgust pervaded my senses. Raven sat with her arms folded against one wall. Opposite her, a female student stared out the window with pursed lips. Behind the desk, Joyce looked like she’d just survived World War III.
“Is everything all right?” I quietly asked the one adult in the room.
Joyce gave me that “What do you think?” look and then turned to the girl I’d never met. “Kayla. Mr. Fredrico’s office.”
Kayla passed me, muttering something to herself. Raven stayed where she was, frozen and staring at the floor.
Though I hadn’t planned on having this meeting so early, there was no better time like the present. Licking my lips, I opened my mouth to ask for a minute with Raven—but the principal’s door opened, cutting me off.
“Raven.” Principal Stafford tucked his chin and looked down at her. “Come on in.”
With a disgruntled noise, Raven pushed herself from the chair and headed into his office. The principal’s eyes briefly caught mine, and he gave me a smile and a nod.
The door clicked closed behind him, leaving me alone with Joyce, who was busy doing something on her cell phone.
I lightly cleared my throat. “Does this happen much?” I whispered, conscious that Principal Stafford’s office wasn’t more than six feet away.
“With Kayla? No. Raven? Recently, yes. Not fights, but she ends up in the office a lot for other things.”
“Ah.” I nodded, conscious of the heavy feeling in my stomach.
“These fights are always over the dumbest things.” Joyce shook her head. “With girls, that is. Boys fight when one of them steals a girlfriend. But girls? Some of them are just looking for an excuse to rip someone’s hair out. A bad look. A rumor that’s not even true.”
“Hm.”
Some of what she was saying might have been true, but as a general rule, I didn’t entertain gross generalizations. Boys and girls could have different ways of dealing with feelings, but that didn’t mean all female teenagers were looking for a fight.
“Do you know why they started arguing?”
“Raven said Kayla laughed at her when she got an answer wrong in class.”
“Could that be true?”
“Probably. Does it matter? According to the teacher, Raven jumped up and pushed Kayla right out of her seat.”
I sucked in a sharp breath.
“This could be it for that girl.” Joyce gave me a pointed look. “Expulsion. And good riddance. We’ll all be better off without such a prissy brat around.”
“I want to arrange a parent-teacher meeting,” I quickly said. “Will you tell Mr. Stafford that? Before he lays down the law. Maybe I can get to Raven. You’d be surprised how quickly some kids turn around with a bit of the right kind of attention.”
“I’ll tell him.” She dubiously shook her head as she scribbled what I’d said down on a notepad. “Don’t hold your breath.”
I glanced at Principal Stafford’s door. His monotonous, deep voice could be heard from the other side, but none of the words came across clearly.
“She’s one of the reasons the last counselor quit, you know.”
Joyce had my full attention once more. “No, I didn’t know.”
“Not that Raven is the only kid here with issues. Some of them have real problems, you know? Parents addicted to crack. Can’t even afford a pair of sneakers. But Leslie was able to help them. Raven, well, she doesn’t want any help.”
At this point, the rock in my stomach was so heavy, it had me anchored in one place. Surely the last counselor had more experience than I did, and if she couldn’t help Raven, I wasn’t as sure about my odds.
No. I couldn’t think like that. If that was the attitude I was going to take, then I needed to go ahead and quit.
“Please give Principal Stafford my message.” My smile didn’t reach my fearful heart, but I kept it going regardless. “A meeting as soon as possible would be best.”
Joyce nodded, and I returned to my office, where the scholarship papers still waited on the floor. After picking them all up and setting them neatly on the desk, I pulled Raven’s file once more. I’d been too busy to give it anything other than the brief glance I did the day before, but now I sat down and read every single word.
“All Bs and As until last year,” I read out loud. “A member of the German club and soccer team until quitting suddenly.Father, Andrew Marx.”
A wave of realization swept over me. Andrew Marx. Wasn’t that the guy Erica said owned the giant company or whatever?
If so, that would explain why “brat” was basically Raven’s official nickname. Often, the assumption with kids who came from money was that they were given everything they wanted, and that led to them thinking they could do what they pleased.
But I’d seen spoiled kids before. They whined and expected everything to be easy. This wasn’t what Raven was doing.
Something else was going on.
The second my eyes darted to the page, I found the next bit of needed information. Mother deceased as of ten years ago.
To sum it up, Raven came from what could only be surmised as a busy, single-parent household. That was assuming her father hadn’t remarried.
It was all I needed. Even without yet meeting Raven’s father, I could take a good guess as to what the main problem likely was.
Making assumptions was wrong, but my counselor senses were tingling, telling me there could be some kind of abuse or neglect happening at home. That clenching, rock-hard sensation returned to my gut. I didn’t even like to think about what Raven could be going through at home, but it was my job to find out.
