Read His Call for Free Online Page B

anyone.” She sighs and puts her hands on her hips, and she’s gaining the steam she lost a moment ago. “You should have foreseen this. You should have expected that bitch—”
    “Carly!”
    “Shut up, Brandon!” she snaps without looking Dad’s way. “You should have expected her to pull a stunt like this. She despises Dayton without having met her. Your past with her is what held you back in that godforsaken relationship with that little gold-digger. The second she got wind of you being in Paris with her, she rushed over from London with a samurai sword to stab you in the back, and you damn well let her because of your stupidity.”
    “Come on now, Mom. I was doing what I thought was best!” I sit up straight.
    She raises her eyebrows. “And one day you will learn that mother knows best. I told you to be honest with that girl, and you didn’t. Now look. What do you have to show for it?”
    I rub my hand across my forehead, feeling a dull throb beginning behind my eyes. “Can we discuss this another day? I’m exhausted and would like to get this meeting done with so I can go back to bed. I’d also like to wait in peace.”
    “No, Aaron, we can’t discuss it another day.”
    “Carly, give him a little break. He’s had it rough.”
    “Of his own making!” Mom looks at him this time, and my father visibly shrinks. Behold the power of a woman’s stare. She spins her eyes back to me. “What are you going to do to solve this mess? Obviously divorcing Naomi is the smartest move you’ve made in a long time, but how much is that costing you? How much are you losing just to put an end to that sham you called a marriage?”
    “Enough, Mother.”
    “And then what? Are you going to jet to Seattle and expect Dayton to take you back because you snap your fingers? I wouldn’t put it past you. That’s exactly what your father would do. But it won’t work, Aaron. You won’t be able to show up and have her fall for it all over again. And even then, do you really expect Naomi to let it lie? She works for the company!”
    “I said enough!” I yell, standing quickly. “In case it escaped your notice, I’m more than aware of the situation I’m in. Divorcing Naomi will cost me seven and a half million or it goes to court, something she knows. In the grand scheme of things, seven million really isn’t a lot. As for her working for us, that’s something I plan to rectify before the ink is even dry on the business contracts. And Dayton… I haven’t considered that yet. I know you’re doing this because you care, but this discussion is now over.”
    The doorbell rings, and I walk into the office, ready to meet Mr. Carlisle and look over the papers. Mom follows me, her heels clicking against the floor.
    “What do you mean you plan to rectify Naomi working for us? Aaron! Aaron!”
    “Should I come back later?” Mr. Carlisle stands in the doorway of the office, next to my father.
    “Absolutely not, Stephen. Carly is just fussing,” Dad answers. “Carly, darling, we could use some coffee.”
    In a role reversal, he pins her with a severe gaze. Any other woman would melt into the wall in fear, but not her. She merely clicks her tongue, throws a cursory, annoyed glance my way that says we’re not done here, and stalks from the room.
    Collectively, we three men exhale. Dad shuts the door behind her and motions for Mr. Carlisle to lay the papers out on the desk.
    “Let’s get on with this,” I say. “I’d like to leave before she returns. I think she shaved ten years off my age somewhere during the last few days, and I’m even less fond of her rages now than I was then.”
    Mr. Carlisle smiles. He’s more than aware of my mother’s…ways. “The only change I made was the monetary amount as you requested, Aaron. Everything else, including the no-contact clause, is as it was.”
    I run my eyes over the sheets of paper in front of me, barely reading the words, and nod once. “Dad, how soon can we get her