Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,98

To think Aiden had befriended me, pretending he gave a damn would remain in my mind for some time. I was a fool after all. “I know you will. You’re a good friend.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.”

I studied his kind eyes and the way he was looking at me, a pang of guilt remaining. He’d been the one person I could trust all along, spending his money and his time to find the truth. I still had difficulty believing the brakes had been tampered with, the evidence covered up, but with Jefferson’s digging, he’d located everything needed to exonerate my name.

My family’s name.

My father’s enemy had been to blame, but unfortunately, the man couldn’t be brought to justice, his death only months before my father’s. While returning to Ireland for a period of time remained bittersweet, it was something I had to do.

I was tired of working in order to achieve forgiveness. Only through Alessandra’s eyes had I seen what I’d done to myself, let alone the people around me. I was finished with being a monster.

“Just keep the wolves at bay,” I suggested as I walked toward the French doors, gazing out at the pool one last time before leaving.

“I’d made some alterations, enough so that even if the information Luis absconded with does show up, I doubt it will hurt you any further. Several of the investors had purchased new shares of stock, allowing me to make certain adjustments. Everything is on the up and up with every deal.”

The up and up. My ruthless tactics might continue, but only by riding the line of the law. “Good to know.”

“I forgot to mention that Mr. Braxton called. It would seem he’s had a change of heart. What do you want to do about that contract?”

“Do what you believe in the best interest of the company.”

Jefferson laughed. “Alessandra is very good for you. I’ll see what his terms are. I might be able to make the deal that much sweeter since he’s coming back crawling.”

Alessandra...

My light.

My heart.

My love.

The woman I was prepared to let go.

“Original terms,” I stated as I turned to face him. “Whatever deals Masters Enterprises enters into will be done with integrity from now on.”

He cocked his head, a slight smile curling across his lip. “I hope you won’t mind me saying this, but I’m very proud of you.”

Even weeks before I wouldn’t have given a shit. Now? His words meant the world to me. “I appreciate that, Jefferson. Thank you for everything, including pushing Stephen.”

“Stephen Cantor is an exceptional attorney. He knew something was wrong the day Alessandra was arrested, although Luis never said a word. He was in the dark as much as the rest of us.”

“I didn’t think Aiden was that powerful.”

Jefferson snorted. “You’d be surprised. He’s also very convincing. There are at least ongoing investigations regarding the people he worked with. You know that network you mentioned? They do exist and at least a few of them had no problem being a part of your fall.”

“And I thought you were a part of them.”

“See, even you can be wrong.”

I couldn’t help but shake my head. “More often than I care to admit.”

“At least Stephen never stopped digging because he also couldn’t believe that Luis would betray you. He simply was unsure of who was behind the entire scheme until Bobby talked to him the night he was murdered. Took him a couple days to bring together all the evidence and to get a judge to believe him. They do say confessions are good for the soul and in doing so, that allowed all charges to be dropped against Alessandra. From all appearances, it seemed that Bobby really cared about her, which is likely the reason he lost his life. He refused Aiden’s orders to abduct her in order to put pressure on Luis.”

“That’s why Aiden shifted to other tactics.” The entire situation was still unbelievable, the anger and hatred that Aiden had carried for years.

“Exactly. A true tragedy. When he recovers from the gunshot wound to his shoulder, he’ll likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Good shot, by the way. Luis can rest in peace knowing his daughter is loved and protected.” Jefferson sighed. “And I know you love her, Gabriel. That’s very easy to tell.”

I glanced away, holding my breath, able to gather her scent. The wedding had been ruined. I’d failed her once again, but at least she was safe.

A girl in a perfect cage, one