The Ultimate Merger Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t return the man’s smile. “Let’s
wrap this up,” he said, casting an impatient glance at his
watch.
    “Certainly, sir. I’ll put together your
packet of documents. As a reminder, if we find any errors later,
you’re required to…”
    Renaldo tuned out the attorney. All he could
think about was Sabrina. He didn’t want to leave without saying a
proper goodbye. And he wanted to talk to her about their
relationship. He’d be back and forth to the United States now, and
he intended to continue seeing her. Did she want to continue seeing
him?
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Sabrina stepped out of the shower and rubbed
lotion all over her skin. She sprayed on a light fragrance and
finger-combed her hair, loosening the curls and forcing them into a
position that framed her face.
    Now she had Jewel settled in a treatment
facility, she felt more at ease and planned to return to work on
Monday.
    She donned her green silk robe and stepped
out of the bathroom into the master bedroom of her two-bedroom
apartment. She didn’t need the two bedrooms, but she kept them
because of Jewel. Her cousin had come and gone out of her life over
the years. Whenever Jewel cleaned up, she always stayed with
Sabrina.
    When they were younger, safety and
cleanliness were a luxury they couldn’t afford. As two parentless
teens, they’d struggled to make ends meet.
    Jewel’s downward slide started slowly. First,
underage drinking. Then weed. Then the dreaded crack. During
Sabrina’s freshman year in college, Jewel, two years younger than
she, had fallen prey to the same drug that had taken the life of
Sabrina’s mother.
    Only in recent years had Sabrina herself
started drinking. Drugs had never been an option after seeing how
it destroyed her family and the people around her. Jewel had always
been a daredevil and rebellious. Her rebellious spirit had been her
downfall.
    Sabrina had no intention of ever turning her
back on her, though. As far as she was concerned, Jewel was her
sister, just like their mothers had been sisters. She would always
look out for her and make sure she was safe. Maybe this stint in
rehab would work. It had to. Her cousin’s appearance had scared her
so much this time, she worried Jewel would end up dead.
    She walked into the living room with a black
dress in hand, pulled the ironing board from the closet, and set it
up. Now she had to talk to Renaldo. She’d avoided him long enough.
He was leaving the country tomorrow, and she couldn’t let him leave
without seeing him one more time.
    She loved him, and she wanted to say a proper
goodbye. At this point, she didn’t even know if he wanted to see
her, but she had to try.
    A knock sounded on the door. She wasn’t
expecting anyone. She set the dress on the ironing board.
    “Who is it?”
    No answer, but the knock came again, louder
this time, sounding like a sledgehammer.
    She stood in the hallway for a moment, and
then she tiptoed to the door and peered through the peep hole.
    Renaldo! Her heart skipped a beat.
    She undid the safety latch and swung open the
door. “Renny!” The smile on her face died a quick death when he
stared back at her with an angry scowl.
    “Where have you been?”
    Her charming Brazilian looked like he wanted
to wring her neck.
    ****
    Renaldo pushed his way into the
apartment.
    “I told you, I had a family emergency.”
    “A family emergency?” he repeated. He took a
look at the ironing board and the little black dress draped across
it and pressed his lips together in a thin line. His head rotated
back to her in her silk robe, smelling freshly showered and wearing
the scent of pink lilies he loved so much. “Looks to me like you
have plans tonight.”
    “No,” she said, shaking her head
emphatically. “It’s not what you think. I planned to call you, to
see if I could come see you.”
    “Was that before or after your date?”
Jealousy ate at him, grinding in his gut.
    “I don’t have a date,” Sabrina said. “How
could you