Grounded

by A. E. Radley

  “Should I tell Olivia that I work for Marcus?”

  “No, I’ll deal with it. This isn’t your mess to worry about.”

  “That doesn’t stop me from worrying,” Emily admitted.

  “Okay, no more depressing topics,” Simon announced. “I invited you to lunch to cheer us all up. I demand cheer. Right now.”

  Emily chuckled. “You’re right. How are things going with Sophie?”

  * * *

  Simon strolled into Olivia’s office with a takeaway coffee and brown bag in his hand. “I thought we agreed you’d not work this afternoon?”

  Olivia looked up, confused, before glancing at her watch and flinching.

  “Lose track of time?” He placed the coffee and paper bag down on her desk, in amongst the stacks of files and papers.

  “Did you have a nice lunch?” Olivia deflected. “Did Henry like the toy?”

  “I did. He did. You were missed.” Simon lifted some files from the visitor chair and placed them on the floor before sitting down.

  “I ran some new figures,” she explained. “I think I can find a way to…”

  “To?” he asked as Olivia trailed off, resting her head in her cupped hand and closing her eyes.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You said you ran some new figures and you have found a way to…” Simon frowned. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “Fine, fine.” Olivia jumped up from her seat and crossed the room to the whiteboards. Simon realized she had rewritten them all, condensing the retained clients onto one board and using the others to work out financial projections.

  She picked up a pen and started to write some more figures, and Simon waited patiently for her to explain what she was about to say. When it never came, he stood up and walked over to stand beside her.

  “Do you remember yesterday?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Yesterday. The day you hardly ate and promised me, crossing your heart no less, that you would only work this morning and have the afternoon off.”

  “Yes, yes, I remember.” She continued to look at the figures on the board and Simon let out a sigh.

  He walked back to his chair, sat down, and started to check his e-mails on his phone.

  “Emily is terrified about losing Henry,” he said casually, hoping to pique Olivia’s interest.

  “That won’t happen.”

  “It might.”

  Olivia turned around and looked at him. “Has she heard back from Christine’s people?”

  “Nothing concrete, but she knows it doesn’t look good. And something else came up.”

  “What?” Olivia put her hands on her hips, not enjoying Simon’s delaying tactics.

  “Henry’s grandfather—”

  “Awful man.”

  “—is a friend of Marcus’s. And Emily is working for Marcus.”

  “Marcus who?”

  Simon knew that Olivia’s brain wouldn’t allow her to connect the dots. The idea of Emily working for Marcus was so abhorrent to Olivia that some kind of protective shielding would prevent her from considering it.

  “Marcus Hind.” Simon lowered his phone and looked up to see her sway slightly.

  “Marcus? Marcus the bastard? That Marcus?”

  “She had no idea he was ex-Applewood; she also didn’t know that most of the staff are also ex-Applewood. She has a junior position and is keeping out of office politics. But now she’s worried that Henry’s grandfather will attempt to pressure Marcus into firing her. To strengthen the court case against her. You know, add unemployment to her list of problems.”

  Olivia started to pace the room in a way that Simon had seen countless times before. It was how Olivia took in information and analysed. Simon watched with interest as she silently worked her way through a hundred different scenarios before eventually sitting at her desk.

  “If Marcus discovers a connection between myself and Emily, then he may suspect corporate espionage. Did Emily tell you anything about her work or the company? Anything at all?”

  Simon thought carefully. “She told me that the head of the company was Marcus and that her role consists of booking meeting rooms and filing.”

  Olivia licked her lips nervously. “This is a tricky situation, Simon. This could very well affect Henry’s court case.”

  “You think they will claim she’s told us secrets?”

  “I think there’s a high probability.” Olivia closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Oh, why didn’t I just stay away? It’s my connection to all of this that’s going to be the issue.”

  “If you had stayed away, she wouldn’t be in touch with one of the best family lawyers in the country. We don’t know that this will cause a problem,” Simon pointed out.

  “We’d be fools to ignore it.” Olivia’s eyes snapped open, and she leaned forward on the desk. She used her fingers to map out a potential sequence of events on the sparse amount of available desk space. “Sebastian Brennan could put pressure on Marcus to fire her. Which means she will be unemployed going into court. Either Sebastian, who has been known to use a private detective, or Marcus, could discover a connection between us and Emily. Which, again, could cause her to be fired. It could also mean additional charges of suspected espionage. This has the potential to become very serious, very quickly. I should speak with Christine. This is all my fault.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for this.” Simon shook his head. “This is just an unfortunate series of events; you did nothing wrong. Neither of you did anything wrong.”

  “Not deliberately, no. But my presence has only served to upset the balance, and it could cause disastrous consequences.”

  Simon blew out a breath and nodded his head. He had considered the possibility himself, but hoped he was overreacting. Now, hearing Olivia lay it out so clearly, he realised how serious the situation could become if left unchecked.

  “I’m going to contact Christine; but you don’t need to spend your weekend here.” Olivia told him as she moved folders across her desk to make more room.

  Simon regarded her curiously. Olivia’s work schedule had been intense, she hadn’t been taking care of herself, and it was starting to show. She was easily distracted, having difficulty focusing, and eating and sleeping had gone out the window. He’d seen her work hard, but the intense stress of the last few days was beyond anything that had gone before.

  “Maybe you should take a break?”

  Olivia didn’t reply as she focused on moving documents across her desk.

  “Earth to Olivia?” he prompted.

  She looked up, her eyes glazed as they had been for a few days now. “I’m sorry?”

  “Maybe you should take a break?”

  “No time, Simon. Time is essential right now. I’ll take a break when things calm down.”

  Knowing there was no point, he backed down. He’d already argued with her, several times, with no success. He got to his feet and looked around the room. His eyes fell on the box of Emily’s financial documents in the corner of the room.

  “Emily needs those documents back.” He indicated the box with his head.

  Olivia looked over and nodded. “I’ll make arrangements.”

  * * *

  Hours later, Olivia lowered the telephone receiver back to its base and turned thoughtfully to the window. Surprised to see that the sun had set, she stood up from her desk, picked up her crutch, and walked over to look out at the New York skyline.

  She couldn’t deny that the New York office had better views than her London office. Up on the twentieth floor, she had views of the other skyscrapers that made Manhattan such a visually stunning city. She also couldn’t deny that it wouldn’t be long before she would have to downsize to a smaller, less grand location. The view was certainly never going to be as impressive. If there was a view at all.

  Olivia was rapidly coming to the realisation that there was a real chance Applewood wouldn’t survive. At first, she wouldn’t allow herself such negative thoughts,
but as time went on and things weren’t improving, it was becoming a distinct possibility.

  She knew she should be devastated by the failure—her failure. Her failure to see it coming as well as her failure to fix it. But the truth was, she was utterly preoccupied with the conversation she’d just had with Christine.

  “Frankly, it’s a complete disaster,” Christine had told her with a sigh. “The debts, as you know, are beyond her ability to pay within her lifetime. Within two lifetimes. While she had good intentions, the debts show a fundamental lack of judgement when it comes to financial management.”

  Olivia had held her head in her hand, her other hand holding the phone to her ear as Christine explained how dire the situation was.

  “Multiple loans, multiple overdrafts, multiple credit cards, all worse than the next. And never a real attempt to do anything about the situation, other than make it worse. You can clearly see the point in time where she is paying off one form of credit with another, and that goes on for months. Until everything is spent and her credit record is torn to shreds.”

  “Surely they won’t decide custody just based upon poor financial management?” The idea of Henry being forced to live with his grandparents was so obviously ridiculous to Olivia’s mind that she had never considered it a real possibility.

  “They will take into account the whole picture. She is working, but even so, she cannot pay off her credit agreements. She has taken breaks on some, but when they come back into force, she’ll struggle to pay them. She has no assets, no savings.”

  “But Henry is safe and cared for, the house is in good condition. He wants for nothing. He has clean clothes; he’s well fed.” Olivia just couldn’t understand why no one could see the obvious fact that Henry had to stay with Emily. With his mother.

  “In a house that doesn’t belong to her and where she has no legal contract to remain. She’s a guest of friends. And Henry doesn’t have his own room; they share a bed. All of this is going to look bad for her case.”

  “Boil this down for me,” Olivia had requested. “How likely is it that the court will decide that Henry should be removed from Emily’s care?”

  “Ninety percent,” Christine had replied without delay. Olivia felt her body run cold at the assessment.

  “That’s ridiculous,” Olivia had argued angrily. “Emily is a fantastic mother. She loves and cares for Henry, more so than the grandparents could ever do. Its utterly preposterous for him to be taken from her.”

  “This isn’t about who will give him the most cuddles, Olivia,” Christine had told her firmly. “This is about facts and figures. The debts, the living situation. It’s not looking good for her at all.”

  “Then the courts are wrong,” Olivia had said bitterly. “How can they possibly decide the future of a child without understanding the very basics?”

  “These are the very basics. Living conditions and a secure financial environment.”

  “It all seems to be coming back to the finances,” Olivia had pointed out.

  “They will play a large part in the court’s decision,” Christine had agreed. “If it was just the living conditions, I’d have no concerns. A rental agreement with her friends, a small bed crammed into the shared room. The courts would be appeased easily. But as it stands now, I’ll have to advise Emily to prepare for the worst.”

  Olivia looked over at the box of paperwork. She’d promised to send it to Christine’s office by courier on Monday morning so they could assess the full extent of the situation.

  She walked over to a sofa and sat down, pulling the box towards her and lifting up the lid. The papers were a mess. Nothing was filed together, or in any kind of order at all. It was simply shoved in the box, seemingly forgotten about until the payment came due. As she leafed through some documents, a child’s drawing fluttered to the ground. She reached forward, picked it up, and smiled at the very basic attempt at a giraffe.

  She leaned back on the sofa and allowed her thoughts to drift to Henry. From the moment she’d met him, he’d been an absolute joy. Even when he was sad or in a tantrum, she still adored him and his curious ways.

  She couldn’t let his grandparents take him away from Emily. She was sure that, if that were to happen, he would lose his unique spark. Seeing him pull away from Sebastian Brennan had been terrifying, and Olivia would happily put her body in between the two of them forever more if she had to.

  The answer was clear to her. But she knew that Emily would be livid. Without a doubt she would be. Well, Olivia reasoned, it wouldn’t be the first time, but it will probably be the last. Emily wasn’t likely to forgive her for what she was about to do. No matter; it was the right thing, and she’d do it—whatever the fallout might be.

  CHAPTER 26

  Emily knew something was wrong the second she entered the office. Marcus’s secretary had left a note on her desk that he wanted to see her the moment she arrived. She placed her coat and bag on her chair and took a deep breath as she approached his office.

  She quietly knocked on the open door. He looked up, asked her to close the door and take a seat. She sat and watched as he typed on his laptop, making no move to hurry, clearly ignoring her presence. After a few silent minutes, he finally stopped and looked at her.

  “You’re friends with Olivia Lewis?” His tone was matter-of-fact.

  Emily felt like clarifying that friends wasn’t exactly the right word, but she knew that being pedantic wasn’t going to help her.

  “We know each other, yes,” she admitted.

  “Have you spoken to Olivia Lewis, or any of her colleagues, about anything that has happened within this office?”

  Emily shook her head. “Absolutely not. In fact, I only found out recently that you used to work with Olivia at Applewood.” Honesty was probably the best policy, even though she didn’t think it would help her much judging from Marcus’s sour demeanour.

  “Are you sure that you have mentioned nothing at all?”

  “I signed a non-disclosure agreement when I started here, and I have never spoken about anything that I have seen or heard in this office to anyone outside of it. Certainly never to Olivia.”

  Marcus regarded her for a few moments. “I’m afraid I must suspend you, pending an investigation.”

  Emily recoiled. “What? Why?”

  “We have a leak. An e-mail detailing a contract with a client has somehow made its way to Applewood,” Marcus explained.

  “You have an office full of ex-Applewood staff, and you’re blaming me?” Emily couldn’t hold her tongue.

  “The e-mail was sent from your computer ID.”

  “My computer ID is used by anyone who accesses the archives,” Emily replied. “Something which I brought up as being odd on my first day here.”

  Marcus removed his glasses and placed them on his desk. He sighed. “This firm grew exponentially, and I agree that some security measures were badly set up. Which is why I am suspending you pending a full investigation rather than firing you outright.”

  “I’d like to help clear my name. I’ve done nothing wrong—”

  “The best thing you can do right now, Miss White, is go home. We’ll be in touch regarding the investigation.” Marcus handed a letter to her. “Here’s the official paperwork. Please review it, sign a copy, and return it to Human Resources as soon as you can.”

  Emily wordlessly took the envelope and left the room. She scanned the office, wondering which one of them had set her up. Everyone had seemed so warm and welcoming when she arrived, and it hurt to realise that there was a traitor in her midst.

  She stopped at her desk and quickly picked up the few personal effects she had, suddenly pleased that she hadn’t embellished her desk too much. Her coworkers kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact, and Emily wondered if they simply knew what was happening or if they were to blame.

  It was obvious no one had stood up for her, despite the friendly words and the promises of drinks after work. Everyone was out for themselves. Sh
e picked up her coat and bag and made her way towards the elevators, ignoring everyone around her. Someone had set her up, and she had no idea who or why. She was getting more and more angry and knew she had to leave the office before she snapped at someone.

  Once she reached street level, she took a deep, calming breath and walked towards the nearest subway stop. She tried to keep her tears at bay—she’d been crying so much over the last few days that she was surprised the puffiness under her eyes hadn’t become permanent.

  She wasn’t sure how she got home—everything seemed to go by in a daze once she got on the subway—but somehow she was slipping her key into the front door. As she turned the key in the lock, she was surprised when the door flew open, and she was dragged into the house.

  “What are you doing home? I’ve been calling you; why didn’t you answer?” Lucy asked.

  Emily only ever had one reaction when Lucy contacted her during the day. “Is Henry—”

  “Henry’s fine. He’s at the park with Tom.” Lucy waved away Emily’s concerns. “Why are you home so early?”

  “I’ve been suspended. I don’t want to talk about it.” Emily angrily tugged her key out of the lock and closed the door behind her. “Why did you call me?”

  Lucy hurried towards the kitchen. “There was a lot of mail today, and I accidentally opened one of your letters. It was stuck together with one of mine.”

  “Okay.” Emily followed her, not seeing why the accident would warrant a phone call. As soon as she entered the kitchen, Lucy thrust the letter into her hand. Emily looked at the header and saw that it was from a credit card company. Her stomach churned, and she attempted to hand the letter back.

  “I don’t want to know. I’m really not up for any more bad news right now.”

  “Read it,” Lucy encouraged.

  Emily looked down at the letter. She stared, assuming there was some kind of mistake.