The board meeting was called to an end. Everyone left silently, mournfully. The other members of the board were stunned by Michaels' daughters reaction to her father kicking her out of his life. None of their children had reacted in this way. It was just something they accepted; were resigned to.
The lawyers chatted amongst themselves as they walked out the door wondering how to prepare, if there was anyway to prepare; if she would accept a settlement or if she was truly prepared bankrupt Culver.
Finally, Alec, Culver, and Francine were the only people left in Culver's large elaborate office.
"I need a drink." Culver stood up and walked stiffly to the bar on the right side of the room.
"A drink?" Francine yelled, throwing one of the ashtrays at him; barely missing his head. "We could lose our children and wind up in jail and you want a drink."
"Yes, Francine." He said very softly. "I want a drink."
Francine began pacing back and forth in front of his desk.
"How did this happen? Everything was planned so carefully."
"Apparently not carefully enough." Culver responded as he tossed back a shot of whiskey.
"We can't let this happen." Francine whispered.
With a cry, she fell to the floor and sobbed hysterically. Culver was by her side in an instant. He held her close and rocked her back and forth.
"Shh, my darling." He crooned. "Shh. It'll be all right. We'll figure out a way to make it all right."
"How?" Francine sobbed. "They're going to take our babies away. How can it be all right?"
"We'll make it that way." Culver whispered. "We always do."
Francine let out a shaky sigh. Assured she was calming down a little, Culver stood and stared intently at Alec.
"Michaels, it's time to prove your loyalty to the company." Culver began imperiously.
Alec shook his head and got up out of his chair. He swallowed hard. He knew his daughter well enough to know she had grouped him with the bad guys. There was nothing he could do. Nothing he could say.
"I already have." Alec turned to face him; a hard, cold expression on his face. "You asked me to set aside my morals and fuck my daughter; make an innocent young woman's fantasy real, I did. You asked me to end all contact with my daughter because you didn't want anything to be more important than the company because that is all that's important to you. I did. There is nothing more I can do. Nothing more I have to give. I've already given it all."
"You saw her." He continued. "You heard her. She has grouped me with you. I am one of the bad guys. All of us are being punished. She, of all people, knows how long I have worked on getting this merger with Lexapro together. This is my punishment for abandoning her."
Alec turned and walked slowly toward the door.
"Alec!" Culver's called out in a panicked voice the moment Alec's hand touched the door handle. "Please. There must be something you can do. I'm an old man. I can't lose my family."
Alec turned and shook his head forlornly at Culver. Culver had the same scared, lost look on his face as his wife. Alec was momentarily surprised by how much he didn't care; he couldn't care.
"I couldn't stand to lose mine, but you didn't care." Alec arched a brow. "Why should I care if you lose yours."
"Please." Culver pleaded. "You're not like me. Please. Don't let her do this."
Alec considered.
"I have to spend time with her in order to do that and that goes against your edict. I gave her up once. If I go to her to try to convince her to stop this, I'm not giving her up again. She stays in my life and you stay the hell out of ours."
"Done." Culver nodded in agreement. "Go. Convince her. Please."
Alec sighed and ran his fingers through his dark black hair.
"I'll see what I can do."
Alec strode to the elevators and pressed the button for the fourth floor. He would go to his office and get his briefcase and any other papers he would need, go home, and think. He wasn't going to go into this without preparation. His daughter hadn't. He'd taught her well. He had to think of the best way to approach her.
His cock strained against his pants. He tried not to remember the way her clothes had molded to her body. He tried to forget the shapely lines and curves. The round fullness of her breasts. Her leather pants had clung to her body like a second skin revealing to his knowing gaze that she hadn't been wearing any panties again.
Yes, he needed to plan before he saw her again. He definitely needed to plan.
* * * * *
It was two o'clock in the morning and she still couldn't sleep. Elise sat in the living room in the Mickey Mouse nightshirt she'd had since she was twenty; her legs tucked under her as she flicked through the channels.
She felt restless and unhappy. She had celebrated with Sean, the other lawyers, and Leslie. She had taken down a man who had been thought to be untouchable. But that didn't make everything right.
Seeing her father and not being able to be near him had been torture. She had felt his hot gaze on her the entire time. Tears welled up in her eyes. How was she supposed to live her life without him? He had always been there for her. She loved him so much. Those feeling were confused by what had happened between them. She wanted him on a level she had never known before. He hadn't even tried to make things better. He had just left.
He had given up on her and what whatever they were or could have been whether it was father and daughter or more and joined forces with evil. There could be no other description for Culver and Francine than evil. Pure evil. How else could you describe someone who got off on destroying the lives of others?
