Emma let out two piercing screams, her head thrown back, eyes wild and bloodshot with rage.
“Go on, hit me! Beat me to death, and let’s see who takes care of you then! The Carters are about to toss you out anyway! Hahaha, you pathetic bastard…”
“You filthy bitch!” Sheridan lost it. Enraged, he lunged at her, fists and boots flying in a violent frenzy.
In the end, it was Langston himself who had to step in. He dragged his out-of-control son away and shoved him into a wheelchair, forcing him to sit.
Staring at Sheridan, Langston felt completely powerless. In just a matter of days, the strain had turned most of his hair white.
He returned to his seat, utterly humiliated. Glancing at Jamison, he could only force a self-deprecating smile. “I’m afraid you’ve had to witness quite a scene, Mr. Ludwig.”
Jamison, meanwhile, was tending to the bodyguard Emma had bitten. He’d already phoned the hospital, given instructions, and told the man to get his wound treated immediately and start a course of preventative meds.
Once the injured bodyguard hurried off, only Boyd and another guard remained at Jamison’s side. Both men straightened up, instantly on high alert.
As Langston spoke, Jamison looked over. Emma, her face badly bruised, was shakily pushing herself up from the floor, moving to stand behind Sheridan. Sheridan, spent from his violent outburst, was now gasping for breath.
Jamison offered a cool, noncommittal smile and cut to the chase. “So, Mr. Carter, what is it you actually want to discuss with me?”
Langston put on his most conciliatory face. “The real reason I asked you here, Mr. Ludwig, is to apologize… The whole incident the other night was just a misunderstanding. You and Mrs. Ludwig are unharmed, and we’ve paid a price as well. Could we perhaps let bygones be bygones?”
“A misunderstanding?” Jamison raised an eyebrow, surprised they could lie so shamelessly.
“Yes, Sheridan just acted on impulse that night. That’s why I brought him here today to apologize to you and your wife face-to-face. Since Mrs. Ludwig isn’t here, we’ll call to apologize personally. I’m truly sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive us.”
Langston’s tone was gentle as he nudged his son forward to take the blame. Whether any of it was sincere was anyone’s guess.
Jamison clearly wasn’t buying it. “So all the retaliation against us was just your handiwork, Mr. Carter? Then what about the things you said to my wife at the gala? Care to explain that? Or maybe you have some other plan in motion against us? Because, you see, I still have a few files on my computer… It would be a shame if, say, a virus were to accidentally upload them to the internet…”
“Mr. Ludwig, please, let’s not get hostile.” Panic crept into Langston’s voice, his demeanor growing even more humble as he scrambled to explain. “I only said those things to your wife because I was upset. You know how it is–the kids get themselves into trouble and as parents we panic, say things we shouldn’t. I hope you’ll understand.”
Truth was, the Carters hadn’t expected Jamison to have an ace up his sleeve. They’d barely scratched the surface with their little warning the previous night, and yet by morning Jamison had already handed their tax evasion and fraudulent accounting records straight to the authorities.
They’d consulted lawyers about it yesterday. The verdict: between back taxes and fines, they were looking at a loss of at least eight or nine million dollars.
If the money wasn’t paid on time, the company’s legal representative would be facing prison. The person in question wasn’t Langston himself, but he was still close family–if one of their own ended up behind bars, there’d be hell to pay.
After all, most of the money “saved” from tax evasion had found its way directly into Langston’s pockets.
Say what you will about experience, but Langston was nothing if not a survivor. For the sake of the family, he could swallow his pride and grovel if he had to. Right now, he’d do anything short of literally massaging Jamison’s shoulders to get out of this mess.
Chapter 620