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trusting that I would be with the woman I loved, but love was no longer here.
    After punching another set of keys into the dashboard, my father’s voice rang through the car. “Mon fils, my son . I hear you’re coming to your senses and are no longer behaving like a vagabond,” he boasted, with what I knew was a grin on his face.
    “Father. Nice to hear from you, too,” I grunted. “Are you available to meet for dinner tonight, around eight?” I asked, keeping my voice as even and calm, as possible. A task I had learned to perfect when dealing with my father.
    He agreed happily, no doubt believing that his ploy had been successful. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, since I couldn’t very well admit to the man that Emily had left me. That would be completely unacceptable, and I would never hear the end of it.
    Although, I didn’t want to admit to him earlier, he had been right. My business had been the one thing in my life that I had excelled at. God knew my relationships were all a horrid mess. But the company... that had been my calling.
    For now, I would meet with him, take back my position within the company, and attempt to mend things, as best as I could, with my wife.
    God, I hate referring to that woman as my wife.
    Remembering, Shane’s earlier question about Charlette, I made a mental note to check out the papers he had left behind.

The plan was simple, and yet if any part of it fell apart, we would be screwed and possibly thrown in jail. We needed to be sure that we followed the course of the strategy to the letter. Shane had gone over the plan with me several times over the last few days.
    “If we want any chance of this working, we need to get my father on board. I have already spoken to him, so he’s as good as a go. Julien never mentioned it, but one reason that bitch took my father’s deal had to do with the fact that her company was going under quickly, after her father’s passing. My guess is, if we can convince him that Charlette is trying to destroy the company, then he will destroy her for us,” he smirked. He brought his glass to his lips and winked, as we sat at a table in a, far too fancy, rooftop restaurant.
    Shane had insisted I allow him to take me out, since I hadn’t eaten much since leaving the hospital. He picked an uppity place, much like the one I used to work at but in a more discreet part of Los Angeles.
    The place wasn’t anywhere near filled to capacity but had enough people that the murmurs filled the room.
    The décor was perfect and jaw dropping, with long, dark wood plank flooring throughout. The cream colored square columns went from the high ceilings to the floor, and a warm vibe from rich wood tones enveloped the entire restaurant. Stunning contemporary, single lit, wooden fixtures cast a warm glow over each table. An open floor plan lead to a dining patio, which offered fireside dining. It was absolutely breathtaking.
    Shane may have not been the ‘successful’ Belmont brother, but he sure enjoyed the finer things in life, despite the fact that he lived a very carefree party filled life.
    “We can’t risk the media thinking that I have stolen you from my big brother,” he joked, when I asked him why we were going an extra hour away. There were plenty of restaurants we could have gone to, mine included.
    My mind drifted to Julien, and the possibility that he was home alone, right at this very minute, drinking day in and day out, since the breakup. It would have been great to come to a place so exquisite with him, instead of Shane. But, I had broken his heart; cast him aside, so that I would be free to rid our lives of the one thing standing in our way.
    According to Shane, Julien had been looking to buy out The Crown Ivy, a chain of hotels that had not been doing well. It had been a rival company since the very start of Belmont International.
    For years, they had been poaching Julien’s staff, offering the thankfully loyal employees everything from better