Curves Envy 4 - Curvy Conquest: BBW Billionaire Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

conglomerate.”
    “What does that mean?” I ask. All this legal mumbo-jumbo is way over my head.
    “A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries.”
    “I’m sorry, Francis, but this sounds Greek to me.”
    “It means although they’re no longer in business, the company that owned them might still be operating.”
    “It’s good news, right?”
    “Candy, it’s excellent news.” Gabe jumps in the conversation to reassure me. “When Francis informed me of this twist, I was thrilled. We can keep swimming upward. Thank God the buck doesn’t stop at Rock Axel or else we’d be seriously screwed.”
    “Gabriel is right. The only problem is we’ll need to hire an expert who can figure out how this conglomerate was structured and dig as deep as humanly possible. We have some great people, it’s a question of getting in touch with them.”
    “My friend Lexi can dig out anything on any company.”
    My statement catches everyone in the room by surprise.
    “What does Lexi do for a living?”
    “Gabe, she’s a top broker on Wall Street. She takes care of analyzing IPOs. She has an MBA and a masters in finance. She eats numbers like others eat popcorn. She’s a brainiac when it comes to this sort of stuff. She knows my case well. Maybe she can help?”
    Both Francis and Gabe look at each other before returning their attention to me.
    “Candy, I’d rather if we used our own contacts, but I’d love to involve Lexi. If she has access to software that can dig deep into the history of companies, she might be an invaluable resource for us to expedite things.”
    “I can patch her in right now.”
    “Candice.” Francis clears his throat and readjusts his red tie. “It’s twenty past seven in the morning. She may be just getting up. I’d hate to disrupt her.”
    “I bet you Alexis has been crunching numbers since before you got in your office. She gets to work by five-thirty every morning and she always does a few hours of analysis before the market opens. The woman is a machine and she’s as sharp as a whip.”
    “If Alexis is awake, I say let’s patch her in.” For the first time since the beginning of the meeting Sheena speaks up and earns herself the attention of the entire room. “Someone out there is dropping not very subtle hints to Candice about the death of her parents. We don’t know who we’re dealing with and we haven’t got a clue yet as to who is behind Rock Axel. The faster we collect data, the faster we can react the next time this Annie Smith contacts Candice.”
    “Oh my God, you think she’s going to contact me again?” The idea of receiving another disturbing letter from a stranger is unsettling.
    “Yes, Candice, I do. It’s unlikely she’ll drop one hint and run away. This person knows a lot more than they’ve revealed in the first letter they sent you. Francis, Gabriel and I believe it’s a matter of when, not if, she gets in touch again.”
    “God. I can’t believe this nightmare is still haunting me.”
    “I’m sorry, Candice. I’m sure this must be brutal for you, but maybe this person is your lifeline in uncovering the truth.”
    I shake my head, afraid of opening this hellish Pandora’s box. One part of me wants to storm out of this boardroom and run and hide under my bed next to Leo DiCaprio, but another part of me wants to know exactly why my parents died.
    “If anyone can figure out who’s behind this conglomerate, it’s Lexi.”
    “Let’s not waste any time, then. Patch her in and Francis will explain exactly what we need from her. Sheena will still be in touch with our own experts, but the faster we move the faster we can resolve this.”
    God, I hope Gabriel is right.
     
    * * *
     
    Right after my meeting with Gabe, I hop in a cab and head to Max’s headquarters across town for the first time. I spend the