Uncovering You 10: The Finale Read Online Free PDF Page B

alone with Jeremy in his office, I feel like I’ve been run over by a train. More than once.
    Jeremy, on the other hand, looks extremely satisfied.
    “That went well,” he tells me.
    I stare at him. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,”
    He chuckles. “I know these men, Lilly. I hand-picked them. We’ve worked together for years.”
    “Didn’t you tell me once that there were factions forming against you?”
    “Perhaps,” he muses. “But, perhaps not. Maybe rumors of such were started to influence IPO stock.”
    I screw up my face. “What?”
    “Stonehart Industries is a powerful company, Lilly. I am its face. The business world knows me. They know what to expect when I’m at the helm. They know that I’m a ruthless negotiator, an unwilling ally, and a stickler for secrets. They know that, so long as I lead this company, it will remain untouchable.
    “But news of discord, disorder, distrust? That gets them salivating. Maybe I’ll be replaced. Maybe I’ll be replaced by someone weaker. Maybe my successor will be more likely to divulge secrets, form alliances, share intellectual property.
    “Stonehart Industries has an incredible collection of IP. I protect it with my life. But if someone less savvy were to replace me? After the company moved into public hands? Intellectual property would be revealed. To whom? To the largest shareholder.”
    “You did it to start a bidding war?” I whisper.
    Jeremy smiles in the most insidious way imaginable. “Yes,” he says. “Yes. Exactly that.”
    “And it was all a lie? All the discord?”
    “Of course. The company is as secure as ever. I hold the board in the palm of my hand. These men—and women, now, thanks to you—have my utmost confidence. They would not be here if they did not.”
    Jeremy walks to the window and looks at the skyline. “This whole city,” he says. “I could control all of it, if I wished. If you want it, Lilly, just say the word. I’ll make it happen.”
    “Can you make the cameras and the paparazzi go away?”
    He looks over his shoulder at me and smiles. “Alas, that is one thing I cannot do. I can keep you safe, on my property, but not beyond that.” He shrugs. “Reporters are everywhere.”
    “There’s nothing else I want, then,” I tell him, “other than to make you proud.”
    “You already do, Lilly,” he says. “You already do.”
     

     
    The next week goes by in a blink. Then two. Then three.
    My arm slows me down, but only a little bit. Being a board member is actually not as involved as I thought it would be. Not in Jeremy’s company.
    Here, he alone runs the show. He consults us on some things, mostly of trivial importance. The company is operating smoothly. There is no need for excessive oversight.
    Where does that leave me? Desperately scrambling to make myself useful. All the other board members have departments they are in charge of. Me? I’m just tasked with being present at the meeting.
    I don’t even see Jeremy at work. He’s always busy, always making calls or holding meetings. Always doing something that requires doing. I’m left alone to carve out a spot for myself. Or rather, to find utility in the spot that I was given.
    In the evenings, when we are at home, Jeremy does spend time with me. We have dinner together and share the same bed. While his appetite for sex is as insatiable as ever, I start to feel there’s a bit of a gulf growing between us.
    There’s no conflict. Stonehart hasn’t made an appearance once. And even though that is exactly what I thought I wanted—to find peace—it makes things feel too comfortable. Too ordinary.
    Too... unlike us.
    With all our demons out in the open, with all source of discord gone, I feel like we’re starting to slip into something very routine.
    I can see it dig at Jeremy, too. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
    I’m also realizing why Rose told me that, before me, Jeremy did not socialize much. There simply isn’t time. Eighteen-hour days at