system, a system her aunt and uncle did not have access to. Neither did the old accountant, Morgan Roche.
Raven had yet to meet the woman, since apparently, she’d been in Paris all last week.
“Is there something I can help you with?” she finally asked when her uncle didn’t move.
“I’m just going over the figures.” He motioned to the screen. “I can’t seem to find—”
“They aren’t there. I’m no longer using that software.”
“What?” He jerked around and looked up at her. “Morgan’s going to be here any moment to go over everything.”
She locked her purse in the bottom drawer of the desk and thought about having David change the lock on the office as well. After all, she’d informed both her uncle and her aunt that this was now her space. She’d given them smaller joint offices down the hallway next to Rachelle’s and Eddie’s offices. The larger office that had been her father’s belonged to the owner. Not only because she wanted it, but because it had been her father’s, and she had so many memories of spending time in there with her parents.
“I have left many messages for Morgan Roche informing her that her services are no longer needed. I’ve hired Joseph Ramsey back. He’s taking care of everything now. You no longer need to worry about that part of the business anyway.”
“What?” Her uncle stood up, and she realized just how much he towered over her.
Her father had been a tall man, and she had always enjoyed being close to him. Colin, however, used his height as a tool to intimidate her. Raven wasn’t going to back down. If she did, he would continue to push her even further and further.
“You can’t do that,” her uncle said. “I’ve been running the finances of this place for ten years now. Morgan expects—”
“I don’t care what Morgan expects,” she interrupted. “She is no longer employed by this company. Now, if you don’t mind, I have some work—”
Her uncle reached out and wrapped his hands around her arm, squeezing her tightly as his face grew red.
“I won’t be strong-armed into anything,” she warned. Her uncle shoved her a little.
“You bitch. You think you can come in here and ruin me?” he growled out, inches from her face. When he spoke, spit splattered over her face, and she tried to recoil.
“Let go of me.” She tried to jerk her arm free.
Suddenly, the office door flew open, and she fell backwards as her uncle was shoved away from her. Her hip hit the side of her desk, and she instantly reached up and wiped the moisture from her face, wishing instantly for another shower.
Then she noticed Cade standing over her uncle and rushed forward. He must have pushed Colin away from her, since he was now sitting on the ground between her desk and the two worn leather chairs that faced it.
“Cade,” she said, grabbing his arm.
“Get up, old man,” Cade was saying. “Pick on someone your own size.”
“I’m okay,” she said to him, trying to pull him away.
“I’ll sue you,” her uncle spat out, his eyes wide and focused on her, and his face even more red than before.
“For?” She turned on him.
“Everything you have,” he answered as he shifted to get up.
“You’ve had control of everything of mine for the past ten years, and you’ve let it rot away,” she countered and stepped between Cade and her uncle, who was slowly getting off the ground.
“I believe your services are no longer needed here,” she said. She had to stand her ground. She didn’t even want to think of what her uncle might have done if Cade hadn’t come along.
Colin’s eyes narrowed at her. “The hell they aren’t,” he spat back. “You can’t fire me.”
“The hell I can’t,” she responded firmly. “You can either leave now without another word and with your severance package, or I can have you hauled off my property by the police with nothing.” She crossed her arms over her chest, thankful for the feeling of Cade directly behind her.
Just then there was a knock on the office door. A petite woman with jet-black hair walked in. She was dressed in a cream-colored designer suit and expensive heels, and she carried a red Gucci bag the same shade as her lipstick. The woman’s long fingernails were painted the same shade, making Raven realize that it had been too long since she’d even thought about painting her toes or heading in for a manicure.
“Am I early?” the woman asked