by Nella Tyler
"But-"
"No buts about it, Luke," I said, issuing an ultimatum. "You either quit the stock market and anything involved with it, or I'm going to leave you for good!” I paused, taking a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. "You make money the honest way! You get yourself some legal advisers and money managers that can help you invest your money into safer, more long-term business ventures."
To my incredible dismay, he frowned. "This sounds awfully lot like an ultimatum, Molly," he said.
"You're damn right it is!" I shot back. "You want to reconcile. Didn't you just say that you’d do what you had to? You said you would do anything I asked to get me back!"
"But, Molly-"
I shook my head, choked back a sob, and headed for the front door. "Get out, Luke. It's clear to me that you're not serious about getting me back. I'm not going to believe you just on your word. You have to prove it to me." I reached for the door.
He stood. "How can you possibly condemn me for my dealings in the stock market?"
I stared at him in dismay, my eyes wide. "How can I condemn you? Luke, it's not the stock market, it's the fact that you're involved with insider trading! It's illegal!"
He stared at me, a scowl forming on his brow. I should've known. I should've known that he didn't mean what he had said about doing anything to get me back. "I guess I'm not important enough for you to change," I said. "Fine then. You asked me what you could do to get me back and I told you. It's obvious that you don't want to, so I guess you've made your choice."
"Molly, it's not that simple-"
"Actually, it is," I disagreed. "You want a relationship with me? You want my affection? You want my loyalty? You want my love? Then you're damn well going to have to earn it!"
He said nothing for several moments and then spoke quietly. "Like your father does?"
I stared at him. "My father? What does my father have to do with anything?"
"Your father’s in this deeper than I am," Luke said.
I frowned down at him for several moments, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Who do you think has been giving me most of my information?"
Maid for Him #5
Chapter 1
I stared at Luke, my eyes wide, and mouth open in shock. My brain was having trouble processing what he had just said. Impossible! My father couldn't possibly be involved in insider trading, and even less likely to be the one feeding Luke information or tips about which stocks to invest in, when to pull out, and anything else involved in insider trading.
"Look, Molly, I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm sure my father was involved with insider trading while he was alive. Where do you think I got your dad's name? I think he and my dad were involved-"
"Stop it, Luke, you don't know what you're talking about!" I shouted, my emotions roiling. Why would he say something like that? How could he? Was he deliberately trying to hurt me? He took a step closer, as if to wrap me in his arms, but I backed away, shaking my head. “How can you say such things? How can you make such accusations?”
“Molly, it’s the-”
“Don’t you dare try to tell me it’s the truth, Luke!” I interrupted, my voice trembling with emotion. “Your track record in the truth department has left something to be desired!”
He shook his head, once again sweeping his fingers through his hair. “I firmly believe they had some kind of history,” he insisted.
“How long do you think they were involved?” I demanded. “Wait… I don't know… I don’t even know what I'm saying. This is impossible!”
"Molly, it's true," Luke insisted. "I have no idea how long your father might have been involved in it, but I think he was one of my father's biggest business partners."
“Proof, Luke,” I managed to get out. “Do you have proof?”
He shook his head. “Only by my gist of a few of our conversations.”
Tears filled my eyes. I didn't want to believe it. Not my father. It went against everything I understood about him, believed in him. He couldn't possibly have made money off of insider trading, could he? I felt my knees growing weak. How could my father be involved in something so horrendous? How could my father be involved in something that went against the grain of any honest business investor or financial expert? I had heard my father lose his temper numerous times over people not doing the right thing or not behaving the right way when it came to financial investments, and here Luke was telling me that my father was involved in the same activity?
"I don't believe you!" I cried. Despite my efforts to hold it together, tears began to stream down my cheeks. This was not possible! "My father didn't make his millions, billions of dollars by cheating!"
"Molly, I'm not suggesting that he did-"
"You just told me that he's the one that's been giving you this information. So you're telling me what? That my father has been giving you hints and tips about businesses, managers, corporation presidents, CEOs?” I paused, my voice rising in equal pace with my disbelief that he could say such a thing to me. “Telling you when it's a good time to buy, when to start liquidating, when to sell? Is that what you're telling me?"
I was torn between anger and fear. Did I believe Luke? Could it possibly be true? If it was true, what came next? I felt a cold sensation run down my spine. Not just fear of what could happen to my father if he was caught, but fear of what this information might do to my relationship with him. I adored my father! He meant everything to me. I respected him, and I tried to live my life in a way that would make him proud. If he was involved in this, how could I respect him? How could he expect me to?
"Molly, come sit down," Luke urged. "You're as white as a ghost and you look like you're about ready to faint."
For a moment, I was about to do as he asked, but then I realized this was my house. Not his. Still, I did feel a bit wobbly and off-center. In fact, I felt as if my world had suddenly been knocked off kilter by Luke's declaration. My head pounded. What the hell was happening to my life? My emotional roller coaster ride with Luke was nothing compared to what he had just dumped in my lap.
If what Luke said was true, did my mother know? Had I been played for a fool my entire life? I looked around my condo, something that I had been so proud of not long ago. Had this condo been purchased with ill-gotten money? What about everything I owned, most of which had been purchased by my parents? Was I a fake, a fraud?
In spite of the fact that I didn't want to take Luke's advice for anything at the moment, I did step over to the couch and sink down onto it. He made a move toward me, but I lifted my hand, preventing him. "No, don't come any closer, Luke."
"Molly-"
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the couch, feeling sick to my stomach. I heard Luke move into the kitchen and open a cupboard or two, rummaging inside. Heard the tink of a glass. I heard the sink faucet turn on and then the sound of a glass being filled with water. Everything sounded with such clarity. Everything else was a blur. Seconds later, he approached the sofa.
"Molly, come on, drink some water. You don't look too good."
I didn't want water. I wanted my life back. I wanted my feelings back the way they had been before all of this. I looked up into his face and saw only concern, but still I felt angry with him. I was angry with him for putting such doubts about my father in my head. I knew I must look as bad as I felt. Deciding to acquiesce, I extended my hand and clasped the glass that he held out to me. My hands shook, threatening to spill the water sloshing around inside as I brought it to my lips. I took a sip, then another.
He took the glass from me and placed it down on the coffee table without bothering to look for a coaster. I could've cared less about a water ring at the moment. A sense of panic began to surge through me.
"Molly, take some deep breaths."
In the next second, he was crouched down beside me, his hands on my knees. I felt ringing in my ears. If the situation hadn’t been so dire, I might've laughed at the ludi
crousness of it all. I'd never fainted in my life. Yet, at this moment, I wanted nothing more than to be swept off into the darkness of oblivion.
"Molly, breathe."
I did. One shaky breath after the other. Then, just as I was getting my mind wrapped around the possibility…just a possibility…that my father had not always done business on the up and up, another thought struck me. Horrified, I sat upright, my eyes wide, staring at Luke's startled expression.
"Did you only hire me because of my father?" I blurted. He stared at me for several moments as if he didn't comprehend the question. Had he only hired me because he had always known who I was? Did he know about my father, his money, and his business dealings, on a more personal nature than I ever would have anticipated? There is no doubt that everybody in Raleigh knew my father's name, along with the fact that he was a billionaire and that he made most of his money through careful investments, as well as through real estate transactions.
I stared at Luke, staring back at me, his own expression now one of surprise. "Did you?" I demanded.
"No, Molly, absolutely not!" He stood and moved away, brushing his fingers through his hair in frustration. A nervous tic, I supposed. I had never noticed it before.
"Then why did you hire me? Certainly you had other applicants, didn't you?"
He spun around and frowned at me, his expression changing from surprise to what I can only construe as anger. "Of course, I did!"
"Then why me?" I asked suspiciously. "Did you hire me just to keep an eye on me? Perhaps get some information from me-"
"Molly, listen to yourself!" Luke snapped. "Think about it. Have I ever asked you one question about the finance industry? Have I ever questioned you about any corporation, any CEO, any bank, any money matters whatsoever?"
I didn't even have to think about it. I felt a surge of guilt sweep through me at the accusation I had just made. "No, Luke, you didn't, but why did you hire me? I don't even have any skills as a maid!"
He said nothing for several moments. I watched him as he carefully strode from one side of my living room to the other as if deciding if he should tell me. I waited him out.
"You want the truth?"
I made a noise in my throat. "That would be a nice change of pace," I replied.
"Okay, here it is then," he said. He stopped pacing. "I hired you because I was attracted to you. You're gorgeous Molly, and I wanted to be around you. Is that so bad? Is that so evil?"
I wasn’t sure how to respond. I didn't know what to believe. I certainly didn't want to believe anything he had said about my father. It had been hard enough for me to accept the fact that Luke was involved. But my father? And now Luke was telling me that he had hired me just because of my looks? What the hell? So that first day I had worked for him, he really had been ogling me? Staring at my boobs, my ass, thinking of ways to get me to fall into bed with him? Was that what this was all about? Once again, it seemed as if for Luke could read my mind. He took a step toward me.
"Don't even think it, Molly. I didn't hire you just to get you in the sack. I know that's what you're thinking, but it isn't true. I'm not a total scuzzball, you know."
I didn't say anything, but continued to watch him. My emotions were in a dither, as my grandmother used to say. I didn't know which way was up. "I honestly don't know what I'm thinking or feeling right now, Luke," I admitted. "I feel as if everything has just turned upside down. I feel as if my entire life is a sham-"
"Molly, don't-"
"So you didn't know who I was when you hired me?"
He threw his hands up in the air with exasperation. "Molly, I swear that my hiring you had nothing to do with your father whatsoever. In fact, I didn't even know you were his daughter until he gave me that ultimatum to stop seeing you. After all, Sanders isn't exactly an uncommon name in the South."
I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, but his next words left me flabbergasted.
"In fact, your relation to your father has cost me nothing but headaches!"
The tears that had been on the verge of spilling over disappeared as anger, humiliation, and a growing sense of rage swept through me. I had never felt such a wide range of emotions in such a short period of time and it left me stunned. I guess what they say is true. The more you care about something, the more you feel it. His words cut me to the core. His eyes opened wide, apparently as surprised that the words came out of his mouth.
"Wait, Molly, that didn't come out right-"
"They never do, do they, Luke?" I replied, my voice low. I felt defeated. Deflated. Wrung out and left hanging to dry. I didn't know what to do, torn between my affection for Luke, my love for my father, and the knowledge that both of them were potentially involved in something that was not only wrong, but illegal on a number of levels.
"What the hell is going on around here?" I cried, not speaking to Luke in particular, but to the universe. "I have no idea what to think or how to feel." I felt in numb, lethargic, and wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend today had never happened. That none of it had ever happened. I didn't want to know these things about Luke, let alone know them about my father. Such knowledge rocked my core. Luke approached me, knelt down, and despite my warning gaze, placed one hand on my knee.
"Molly, that didn't come out right. I just meant that our relationship has made things more complicated, but it doesn't mean that my feelings for you have changed, and I hope that your feelings for me haven't, either. The bottom line is no matter what happens I care for you. I hope you still feel the same for me."
I said nothing, staring down at his hand resting gently on my knee. Why the hell did love – love? Was that why it hurt so badly? Is that what I felt? As if a rug had been pulled out from under me and I’d fallen hard? Had I fallen in love with Luke?
"Molly, say something."
My gaze lifted from his hand up to his face. God, he was so handsome. I felt a deep sense of regret that a part of him, maybe even a small part, was dishonest, but despite his faults, despite his lies, I realized that I still cared for him, deeply. But saying so wouldn't make everything okay. Telling him that wouldn't fix the situation.
"What are we going to do?" I got out.
"Well, I can tell you one thing. I took a big risk, financially, anyway, by continuing to see you against your father's wishes. If that doesn't tell you something about the depth of my feelings for you, I don't think anything will."
I wasn't sure how to take that. What was he saying? Was he intimating that my father would cut off any dealings with him, or from helping him in any way whatsoever if he continued to see me? We had ridden this roller coaster ride before and I still didn’t have the answer. At the moment, I didn't see that as such a bad thing. I said so. "Luke, if the dealings that you have with my father are not aboveboard, I really don't see that as a bad thing."
He shook his head in frustration. "You don't understand, Molly," he said.
"Then explain it to me."
He slowly shook his head. "I don't think I can. This whole thing has gotten way out of hand." He stood, a frown on his face. "Sometimes, I wish I had never inherited this money. It's caused nothing but problems as far as I'm concerned."
I hardened my heart, for my own self-defense and preservation. "Like I said before, Luke, there are honest ways to make money in this world."
"I know that, Molly, but I'm not sure I know how-"
"My father knows, and I know for a fact – and don't you dare tell me that I'm wrong – that he didn’t make all his millions of dollars in underhanded dealings, because I know it isn't true!"
"Of course it's not, Molly," he assured. "Your father has spent decades amassing his fortune. His dealings with…well, with anyone less than aboveboard are miniscule compared to all the reputable and honest dealings he's engaged in over the years."
I didn't understand it. It wasn't an excuse. "Then why did he even get involved in it?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know-"
I erupted. "Don't you realize how much insider trading hurts people? I'm not just talking about corporations and stockholders, but the little guy, the people who have to scrape money together to invest in the hopes of padding their nest eggs with those stocks. It's wrong. It's so wrong on a level I can’t even describe!"
He dropped his head, almost as if he felt defeated. "I'm guilty," he said, and then gestured in defeat, holding his hands up in the air, elbows bent. "I don't know what else to tell you, Molly. I got caught up in it, and I can't get out."
"Yes, you can," I said, sure of it.
"No, Molly, I can't."
The look he gave me sent chills me to the center of my being. My mouth grew dry, and my chest felt hollow. If my heart dropped any further into my stomach, I would be amazed. "What are you saying, Luke?" He said nothing for several moments.
"If I back out of the current arrangement I have with your father and the people we’re dealing with, I might lose everything."
I couldn’t have felt more stunned. "How is that even possible?"
"I invested heavily in-"
"Are you telling money that you put all your money into stocks that are in some way involved in your or my father's insider trading schemes? Seriously?"
He nodded. How could that be? How could anyone be so foolish as to put so much money into a few transactions? Or was it just a few? How heavily involved was Luke’s money, or even my father’s, in this horrible business?
"Luke, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to tell me the truth. Undiluted, no excuses. Only the truth." He looked at me and then nodded, wary. His gaze looked hollow, as if he was about ready to lose everything, anyway.
"Are you telling me that my father advised you about certain…transactions that you should make in the near future, and that if you don't do it, your fortune can literally disappear?" I didn't believe it. Such a thing was impossible, wasn’t it?
He nodded. "Yes, Molly…well, you see, your father is the cornerstone of this operation."
