The Love Of Money - Episode 162
29-07-25 (17:16)
They started talking as if they were old friends, and
after several minutes, I began to feel a little like a third
wheel. I had a few things to take care of, so I let them
have a little alone time.
"Hey," said. "I'm gonna get a bite to eat and call my
CEO guy and catch up with him. You guys keep having
fun, and I'll text you in about an hour."
"Your CEO guy... fancy!" Emily said. "Okay, go get some
work done. We'll try to make more money, then
maybe hit up some stores."
They gave me one last wave as they descended the
aisle with one of the Johns trailing behind. Before
disappearing into the crowd of patrons, I watched as
they linked arms.
I sighed and turned to Ray and the other John. "Let's
find a bite to eat and get some of the boring stuff out
of the way."
I spent the next hour or so talking to Vikram and
Chandler about business. Vikram was working on
helping me understand the terms of the will better so I
could understand why my grandfather would have left
me with everything. Due to its length and complexity,
he admitted it was a slog even for some of the
sharpest lawyers. Still, so far, most of it had proven to
be nothing more than an attempt to shore up my
ownership of everything in case anyone decided to
contest it. I let him get back to it, feeling like I hadn't
gained much insight into my grandfather's motivations
The discussion with Chandler proved much more fruitful.
He played me an old teleconference meeting with Kelly
Maddox so I could get an idea of who she was. In the
video, she appeared in her mid-thirties with coal-black
hair that hung in waves just past her shoulders. She
had bangs and wore large wire-rimmed glasses. She
wore dark eyeshadow and dark crimson lipstick.
Everything about her screamed hot boss bitch that
would eat any man in her way. Her tone as she spoke
to others in the recording didn't do her any favors.
He also showed me a few of the other key players,
including Hiro
Tanaka, Carla's husband. That scanned; judging by the
image, Hiro
didn't have a lot of fuel left in the tank, and I was
willing to bet a lot of money that Carla got most of it
when he was gone.
Once we got to a stopping point, we decided to end it
there, planning on picking it back up tomorrow at
roughly the same time.
"Alright, Chandler. Thanks for helping me get caught
up."
"My pleasure, Mr. Upton! Now, if that is all, I have a
transition meeting to attend."
"Transition meeting? For what?"
"A prominent railway line one of our subsidiaries
purchased a month ago. The entire logistics division is in
complete shambles, and it looks like it will absolutely
obliterate their third quarter."
"Oh," I said, losing interest. I didn't want to do more
than the bare minimum while in Vegas. I assumed that
was stuff i'd have to worry about in another week or
two. "Well, good luck, sir."
"Thank you, sir, but I'm afraid you will need the good
luck! You are in Sin City, are you not?"
"Heh... true. Thanks for the luck. If hit it big, I'll split it
with you."
"I'll hold you to it!"
I hung up on Chandler and noticed a few unread text
messages from some friends, one from Natalie, another
from my mother, and one from Charming Charity. I
opened the one from the influencer first and read the
message.
Hey. Hope you can still make it tonight. Remember,
Silver Mirage rooftop.
It was accompanied by a picture of her looking up at
the camera as she held it above her while standing
outside. She wore a small, dark green bikini that didn't
leave much to the imagination, and her hair was tied
back in a long, thick braid draped over one shoulder.
I took a few minutes to appreciate the image before
responding. Hey, Charity. Yeah, I'll be there!
Then I looked up Erin in my contacts. I was about to
call her to let her know about the party, but then I
thought that Ashlee might appreciate it if I notified her
instead.
She picked up on the second ring. "Marcus! Hill"
"Ashlee! Hey. Are you drunk?"
"Just a little buzzed."
"It sounds like you're having fun."
"Oh, we're having a blast! I can't wait to show you
what I got!" She lowered her voice and whispered
loudly, "Shea and I got something that matches!"
I heard someone giggle in the background and couldn't
help grinning at the thought of sharing another evening
with Ashlee and Shea... especially if it was a more
enthusiastic Ashlee. Don't forget to leave a Comment 
