Mr. Mitchell Billionaires' Club Book 2 - Raylin Marks Page 0,166

got reports from Larry and Annette. I was still throwing everything I had into getting custody of Addy, and I was determined to win this case no matter what.

The week after Derek was released, I went over to his house to talk to him about custody, but I didn’t want to go alone, so I asked Javier to go with me, needing the support from my sponsor, and he was more than happy to come along.

Addy played in the backyard with her papa while I got real with Derek.

“You won’t see her again until the court custody battle is over,” I said. “I’m done having her around someone who is constantly putting her safety in danger, Derek. That will never happen again.”

“No, I get it,” he said.

“You need help, Derek,” Javier said gently. “There is a program, but you have to be willing to commit yourself and leave it all behind.”

“Leave it all behind?” Derek laughed. “What does that mean? I’m clean now.”

“A brush with death will sober you up, but you have way too many triggers and enablers here.” Look at me, giving addiction advice. Who would’ve seen that one coming? “You’ll learn more if you really want to get sober. You have to do it for you, though, not for anyone else.”

“What about us, the family you and I started?”

“We lost that a long time ago,” I said. “You have to remove that idea from your mind. We can never be a family, Derek,” I said firmly. “I’m not in love with you. I never really was. Your feelings for me aren’t love either. They’re codependent. You have to make this decision for yourself, but I will get custody of our daughter, no matter what.”

Never in my life would I have imagined Derek agreeing to this, but I think he’d hit his bottom, and he knew that he couldn’t continue in this way. He gave me full legal and physical custody of Addy, and he agreed to pack up his things and head to a ninety-day recovery program in Florida.

I was finally free of all the chaos that I’d helped create in my life. I would continue my healing and keep taking things day by day, but my black cloud had dissipated, and I was determined to let the sun keep shining down on me.

Chapter Forty-One

Jim

I strummed my fingers on my desk, studying numbers on my computer screen. We had to make changes for sure. I wasn’t going to grow this business by taking on anyone and everyone who wanted an opportunity these days. In my board meeting this afternoon, I hope that I’d gotten that message across to everyone in my acquisitions team, who’d been headhunting like we were trying to buy up every last business on the entire globe.

“Jimmy,” I heard Collin’s voice call out when Summer announced him into my office.

I glanced up, needing to give my eyes a break from the list of businesses I was going to send to Alex. I needed a fresh set of eyes and more information before I decided whether or not we needed to pull back on investing.

“How’s the brain surgeon this fine afternoon?” I asked, leaning back in my chair and happily greeting the man who sat across from me.

“Better than your sorry ass.” He crossed his leg over the other and reclined back. “How long have you been staring at that computer?”

“I think you know the answer to that. Alex most likely wants to kick my ass, though.” I chuckled, resting my chin on my fist.

“Well, I’m only here to ensure this damn documentary for the neuroscience wing at Saint John’s is finally in my past, but if he wants to kick your ass, I might stay to watch that,” he joked. “What’s going on with you?”

“We lost a deal to fucking Brakken a week or so ago, and ever since, it’s had me thinking that we need to slow down. We’re turning into fucking sharks, feeding on chum in the water these days. I’m not going to lose my grip on this company by expanding too hard and too fast.”

“And so, he’s doing hard cutbacks.” Alex walked into the room, holding papers in his hand. I knew he was here to argue about what I’d emailed him. “What the hell is this, man?”

“That was faster than I imagined.” I grinned at him as he sat next to Collin across from my desk.

Collin laughed. “Here we go!”

“We’re not dropping anyone, but cutbacks, yes,” I said to