Chapter 12: Chapter 11 ~We’re Engaged

Marisol’s POV ~

At breakfast, Robert asked Kai if he had spoken with me about Isaiah. I respond..”I will allow you time to spend with Isaiah.. supervised. For now, I would prefer you not be alone with him.”

He nodded.. thanking me and saying he understood..and he wouldn’t push for more. I smiled “I appreciate that.”

I said “We have an announcement. Malakai and I are engaged.” Grandpa hooted and laughed “Best damned news I’ve heard this decade!”

He congratulated us.. then Kennedy. Isaiah asked what engaged means and I let Kai field that one.

I dressed for the office and went down to grab my keys, but Kai was already waiting.. dressed in his armani suit.. looking like a GQ cover.. he grins “I’m your chauffeur for the rest of the week! I hijacked an office so I can do a few things.. I don’t want to be away from you, until I have a concrete plan to take Morton down.”

I smiled “Are you hearing me complain? I get to be with you.. see you.. every day.. I can’t wait!” We headed out, and he grabbed a coffee for each of us, before we made it to the office.

All my employees were waiting to get inside. So, we let them in.. and I went to work. Allen told us we hadn’t found anything pertaining to who had used my computer.. but we are trending about pilfering authors by promising sign on payments. Fuck!

I went over to Kai’s temporary office and told him what Allen had said. “Should I meet with some media journalist? Will it make a difference?”

He shook his head.. “No, love. We will hold a press conference, after we locate the traitor! Then, we will expose them, and announce the email as fraudulent”

I nodded and said “I can afford to take the hit.. it just pisses me off. I am just so confused. Why do this? I want to know who it is.. then I want to know why!”

Kai pulled me into his arms.. “Mi amore’, I have an idea.. once we have video evidence of the culprit.. we can release a statement. I would like to announce our engagement, as well.”

I gasped “Is that wise? Your brother will try anything to hurt you. I couldn’t stand it, if anything happened to you, Kai!” He smiled.. and said quietly “Damn! I had forgotten how it feels. Having someone care about your wellbeing. You make me so happy! I love you, Marisol!”

I snuggled deeper into his arms “I love you, Malakai! I believe I have always loved you and was just too stubborn to admit it. Convinced myself it wasn’t meant to be, when I couldn’t find you.”

He laughed “Yeah.. Poor Kennedy threatened to lock me up! To think.. if I had seen one picture.. taken the time to really look at the photos in Sol’s house.. I would have found you!”

I shook my head “I believe everything happens for a reason. I didn’t go to the bar that night to pick up a man. Susannah just wanted to help me drown my sorrows. I didn’t plan on serving my virginity up on a silver platter. I damned sure didn’t consider pregnancy. Yet.. it all happened. I had to fall apart, so we could fall together.”

We spent the afternoon watching video.. Two hours in, we saw Donna.. unlocking the office door.. and running to shut the alarms. Then, she allowed a man to come in and, unlocking my office for him. She said “I don’t know what you’re planning.. or why. This is a one time thing and as long as my money is in my account by morning, I don’t care.”

She walked down the corridor to the tech center.. and erased the surveillance video.. not realizing it was uploaded and backed up in the cloud, as soon as motion activated it.

I sighed.. Punching her desk extension, I asked her to come to my office, for a moment. Susannah asked “What are you going to do?” I sneered and replied “Obviously, not what I want to do.. since murder is frowned upon in our oh so polite society!”

Donna walked in and her eyes immediately noticed Kai on my left, behind me.. Kennedy, on my right. Looking every inch the intimidating mafioso they are. Kennedy whispered “Bet I can make her shit her pants!”

I grinned and shook my head, telling Donna to take a seat. “You weren’t as careful as you thought, Donna. While you were busy trying to erase the evidence of your betrayal.. you were woefully uninformed.”

She sputtered “I am not sure what you mean, Ms. Andrews.” I smiled and nodded..”Of course, you don’t know. None of my lesser employees know.. My surveillance is always backed up, immediately. Impossible to erase or tamper with.. unless you know exactly where to look.”

She started shaking her head, and crying. Kai snarled “Save your useless tears, traitor! Your only hope now is to be honest. Who is the man you allowed in here to sabotage your employer’s reputation?”

She stammered out “I don’t know. He said his name was Joe and I wasn’t entitled to more information. I needed money.. my little brother needs surgery. His insurance only covers half. This Joe knew about it, somehow. He said his boss would pay for the surgery.. if I just let him into your office, Ms. Andrews.”

I listened to the tone in her voice.. and knew she wasn’t lying. Her information was virtually useless! I told her “Clean out your desk.. You no longer work here. Consider what this Joe character paid you.. your severance! You have ten minutes to be out of this office.. and out of this building. If you are still here, after that.. I will have you arrested for corporate espionage.”

She hurried out, with Allen following. He volunteered to be her escort out of the building. Susannah said “I will start interviewing tomorrow to replace her. My screening process will be a hell of a lot more stringent!”

Kai said “Dulce, I think we need to run full background checks on all your employees.” I agreed and said “With the exception of Suz and Allen. They are family.. and I will never subject them to such humiliation!”

Kennedy laughed “I would never even think to run a background on them.. it would be like running one on you.” I laughed with him and told him “Run away.. I am an open book! The only questionable characters I know… are you two!”

Kai laughed and responded “I have no problem giving you all the answers you want.” And pulled me up, kissing me. Susannah gasped and asked “Is there something I need to be aware of?”

I grinned and replied “Oh! Yeah! That.. We’re engaged!”