Chapter 43: Another Herculean task

Ivy’s pov

My blood turned to ice water. Every nerve ending in my body screamed run, but I was frozen, trapped in the cage of his arm and the heavy weight of his stare.

I had to lie, there was no way about it.

I had to gamble with the devil himself.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, forcing my gaze to remain steady so it would not flicker away in guilt.

What would I say, yes or no?

"No, Mr. Knight," My voice came out thinner, but thank goodness it was clear and I didn’t sound like I was a bonafide liar. "I haven’t been in your study today. I’ve been cleaning the vents."

I held my breath, waiting for him to call me on my bullshit, to see the lie written all over my face.

For a long, silent moment, his sapphire eyes searched mine, dissecting my thoughts. Then, the tension in his arm eased, just a bit. He released me, stepping back as if he had been burned and cleared his throat, his gaze drifting past me down the hall.

"Right," he mumbled, "Must have been Milo. That man can’t sit still for five minutes."

The relief that washed over me was so potent it almost buckled my knees. He believed me. He was letting it go.

Hu-the fucking-ray.

"Have you seen him?" he asked, his voice regaining its usual cold as ice tone.

"The last time I saw him was in the kitchen, he said something about escaping a conference call."

Gideon’s jaw tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Of course he was." He gave a curt nod. "Carry on, Miss Harpley."

I didn’t need to be told twice. I mumbled a "Yes, sir," and scurried away, my escape cut short by a screeching voice that grated on the nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

Oh freaking wonderful.

"Gideon, darling! There you are!"

Tatianna came gliding down the hall, a vision in pink designer silk dress, her balloon tits almost falling out of her dress.

She hooked her arm through Gideon’s, completely ignoring me until she was pressed against his side. Then, she turned her nasty gaze on me, her perfectly painted lips twisting into a sneer.

"Well, look what we have here," she purred, her voice dripping with condescension. "A little help. Don’t you have toilets to scrub or something? Gid is a very busy man. He doesn’t have time to entertain the staff."

I lifted my chin, meeting her poisonous stare with a placid smile. "Or anyone else for that matter. I think Mr Knight can speak for himself. I was just leaving anyway."

Her eyes narrowed. "Leaving? Don’t you mean you’re done playing house? It must be nice, getting paid to laze around a mansion you could never afford to even clean."

The insult was so blatant, so childish, I almost laughed. Instead, I let my smile widen.

"It is," I agreed sweetly. "But you know, it has also given me a unique perspective. For instance, I now know that no amount of money can buy class and all that amount of tits. Have a lovely day, Mr. Knight."

With a final, polite nod to a visibly amused Gideon, I turned and walked away, leaving Tatianna sputtering behind me. I didn’t breathe properly until I was out of the mansion hailing a cab. I had to get the hell out of here.

An hour later when I got to Kingsley and co, I headed straight to my office. Jenny was representing me at a meeting so she wasn’t around.

I sat behind my desk and plugged the flash drive into my laptop. My hands trembled as I navigated through the folders until I found the insurance ledger. I clicked it open and damn, what a meticulously detailed insurance ledger.

No wonder he guarded his laptop like it was his life.

Transactions, payouts, investments, claims... It all looked perfectly legitimate. I skimmed through page after page, my confusion growing.

How would this incriminate the brothers? It looked like any other corporate financial record. Maybe my father would see something I was missing. I would just take it to him, let him explain.

I saved the file to my hard drive, ejected the flash drive, and stood. I took the elevator all the way to the top floor, to my father’s office. His assistant wasn’t at her desk and the door was slightly ajar. I was about to knock when I heard my father in law’s voice.

"This is a disaster, Felix! Senator Alan is being charged, and now Daxton has been arrested for sleeping with children! It’s all over the news!"

My blood ran cold. Daxton? My stomach churned. It had to be a lie. Uncle Daxton? I’d only met him a few times, but everyone knew him. He was a hero. How could a hero be a monster?

"It’s the Knights," my father snarled, his voice dripping with venom.

"I know it is. I saw one of the twins lurking near the bathroom at the Starlight Gala. They’re behind this, spreading their filth, destroying good men’s reputations. If only that girl had done her job and gotten me that ledger when I told her to!"

I winced as if he had struck me. He was referring to me. A deep hollow ache of his disappointment settled in my chest. I straightened my shoulders, schooling my expression into a blank mask, and knocked.

"Come in!"

I walked in, my laptop held tightly in my hands. "Good afternoon Father, Anthony, I have it."

My father didn’t even greet me. He just sneered, his lip curling in disgust. "It’s about time."

I approached his desk and opened the laptop, turning it to face him, opening the ledger.

He leaned in, his eyes scanning the screen, his fingers flying across the trackpad. Anthony peered over his shoulder. "What is it, Felix?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Braddock," my father said dismissively, not looking away from the screen. "I’ll handle this. If you’ll excuse us, we have some family business to discuss."

Anthony looked like he wanted to argue, but one glare from my father sent him snapping his mouth shut.

My father gestured for me to follow him. We stepped out into the hallway, and for a fleeting moment, I let myself hope.

Maybe now he would be proud. Maybe now he would finally praise me. I had done it. I had no reason to go back to that house, even though the thought left this funny, strange, painful pang in my chest.

"Now it’s time for task two."

Excuse me, what?