Chapter 182
Chapter 182:
His eyes flicked to my mouth, then to my collarbone.
He leaned in, his voice low and oily.
“I’ve got plenty of money. You come with me, sweetheart, and I’ll take you to all the fancy places you want p>
His jowls bunched up around his grin like rising dough.
I forced myself not to gag.
I tilted my head, letting my voice go light. “Yeah? Where’s all that money from, then?” He swayed a little, eyes glassy.
Definitely drunk enough to show off.
Definitely stupid enough to think I cared.
“Doesn’t matter where it’s from. What matters is I’ll spend it on you.” He wagged a finger. “I’ve got assets in the high nine figures p>
I twisted sideways when his hand reached for my waist, then widened my eyes. “So what’s your role at LGH, Mr. Maxwell? You must make, what, a few million a year? Let’s say three. If you’ve got a hundred mil in assets, you’d need to work thirty years straight, no breaks, no shopping, no food p>
He smirked. “Of course, I don’t make that from LGH alone p>
“So you’re skimming?” I shrugged. “Fair enough p>
“No, no,” he said quickly. “Skimming sounds dirty. What I do is just… fair exchange p>
I kept my expression steady, eyes a little wide, like I was impressed. “I don’t understand p>
“Look, these guys give me gifts because they want to. I never ask. They know how things work. I greenlight their bids, their products meet spec, nobody gets hurt. Win-win.” He turned to my father, seated on the other side. “Right, Franklin p>
Franklin nodded. “Exactly. Win-win p>
He looked over at me, noticed I’d stopped rolling my eyes and playing with the knife, so he relaxed his shoulders and gave me this smug little nod, like we were on the same team.
He raised his glass to Maxwell. “Once we land the contract, we’ll make sure you’re taken care of, Mr. Maxwell. Hope you’ll put in a good word during the final round p>
Maxwell grinned. “That won’t be a problem p>
Franklin clinked glasses with him.
I leaned in, keeping my voice casual. “So… you’re not worried someone will trace the cash? Or do you just insist on paper envelopes and stash them under your mattress p>
Gary let out a short laugh, puffed up. He didn’t touch me this time, just inched closer and switched to a patronizing tone.
“My wife deals antiques. All your dad has to do is pick out a vase and pay. That’s it. It’s all legal. Clean as a whistle p>