Johnson Family 2: Perfect Read Online Free PDF Page B

Thanks to the payout from the policy and other items of value her mother had left her, she’d been able to live comfortably and start her own business.
    Daniella entered Davis’s office. Gray peppered his receding hairline at the temples, and he smiled behind his glasses, motioning for her to have a seat.
    “I can’t sit,” she said, still a little agitated. She set her purse on the chair and paced the room, giving him a quick rundown of her conversation with Cyrus. Davis’s eyebrows elevated.
    Daniella stopped pacing long enough to look at her attorney. “There’s got to be a way to get me out of this marriage.” She continued her restless walk across his office. “He’s impossible.”
    Davis cleared his throat before speaking. “You know what we’re up against. Have you considered…” His voice trailed off when her head snapped in his direction.
    “Don’t even think about it,” she said. This wasn’t the first time Davis had hinted she should consider a reconciliation with Cyrus.
    “Why not? I’m running out of ideas, and clearly he wants to stay married. Quite unusual, frankly.” He said the last under his breath.
    “I don’t care what he wants.”
    “Well, you should, because the only thing he seems to want is you.”
    “And a baby,” Daniella reminded him. She sighed dramatically. “He doesn’t want me, really. He wants to control me. Anyone who would buy another man’s debts to gain leverage over him…” She shook her head. “If I have a child with Cyrus, who knows what tactics he’ll pull next. The next thing I know, he’ll end up taking over my business and forcing me to be a stay-at-home mother. No.” She shook her head vehemently. This was not an option for her. “There’s got to be another way.”
    “There is one thing we haven’t tried, but it’s risky.”
    “What?” Eager, Daniella rushed over to his desk.
    Davis raised his hands to calm her down. “It’s just a thought, but the Johnsons are extremely protective about their public image. They have public relations people whose sole responsibility is to manage media relations and keep their names out of the tabloids—as much as possible, anyway.”
    She understood why he’d added the qualifier at the end. The media often sought out information about the Johnsons because of their unique position. They owned one of the largest brewing companies in the country—in the world, even—and not only was it still privately owned, as an African-American family, their staggering wealth was an oddity in the beer industry.
    Davis leaned forward and folded his hands. “We could do a little reconnaissance and see if he’s been involved with anyone. If he has a mistress or girlfriend of any sort, we could use it as leverage in the divorce proceedings, and we could easily leak the information to the press and let the court of public opinion push this to a resolution once and for all. Having him force you to stay married while he’s off with another woman would not reflect positively on him.”
    One hand on her hip, Daniella raised her other hand to her mouth and bit down on her finger. She didn’t like the idea. It seemed like a dirty thing to do, but what choice did she have? She’d have to fight fire with fire.
    Before she could argue herself out of a perfectly viable idea, she nodded, swallowing. “Do you have an investigator in mind?”
    “I do. Let me handle everything, and I’ll let you know how it goes.”
    Daniella nodded again, a feeling of nausea bubbling up in the pit of her stomach at the steps she was being forced to take. “I better go,” she said. “Give me an update next week?”
    “Sure will.”
    She picked up her purse and crossed the room.
    “Daniella?”
    She halted at the door.
    “Don’t worry, kiddo. It’ll work out. At least you’re in a better position than your mother was.”
    “Yeah, lucky me.”
    In the elevator, Daniella leaned against the wall. True enough, she was in a much better