He Loves Me Right, Finally novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78 I’m a Good Choice Too

Fiiished

Wynette followed Shirley back to the office and had Ryker’s workspace cleared out and reset from top to bottom.

Less than thirty minutes later, cancellation notices from multiple business partners came flooding in.

Some of them showed up at the company in person, contracts in hand, demanding breach–of–contract penalties.

Every single contract carried the same clause: all dealings during the partnership had to pass through the Shepherds. If the Shepherds withdrew, the Jewells would be considered in breach and liable for fixed penalty fees.

Wynette didn’t even need to look twice to know who’d set that up.

She picked up her phone and called Joanne.

When Joanne walked in, Adriel was right on her heels. Wynette’s brow ticked up just slightly.

2

The eldest son of the Gallaghers, not at work at this hour but trailing after his little sister for no clear reason?

Joanne caught the look on Wynette’s face and pulled her aside quickly. “My car broke down,” she said

under her breath. “I called my brother, and your call came in at the exact same time. I had no choice but to let him drive me.”

Thinking Wynette wasn’t thrilled about having her brother there, Joanne cleared her throat and looked back at Adriel. “Thanks for the ride, Adriel. You can head out now.”

The absolute last thing she needed was two people who clearly didn’t mesh sitting in the same room, with her caught in the middle.

Adriel tucked both hands into his pockets and slid a slow, sideways look toward Wynette. “Is this how you treat your guests, Ms. Jewel? I haven’t even gotten a glass of water.”

A thin, unmistakable edge of displeasure ran through every word.

Joanne heard every insufferable syllable and felt the urge to throttle him on the spot.

She’d made it crystal clear that he could leave, and her brother hadn’t so much as shifted in his stance.

Wynette held Adriel’s gaze, turned without a word, and poured him a glass of water. “You can have as much as you’d like. You’re always welcome here.”

She looked back at him with a quiet smile as she said it.

Adriel took the glass without fanfare and settled into the seat directly across from her. “Much appreciated, Ms. Jewell.”

Joanne watched the two of them from where she stood, a strange, nagging feeling creeping over her no matter which angle she looked from.

2:20 pm

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Chapter 78 I’m a Good Choice Too

She narrowed her eyes and studied them, hunting for something she couldn’t name.

By the time her eyes started to ache, she still had nothing. She gave up.

“Let me see the contracts,” Joanne said, finally dragging her focus back to the actual problem.

Finished

Wynette had already briefed her on the situation on the way over. Joanne needed to review everything herself first.

Wynette set the neatly organized stack of contracts in front of her.

Joanne picked them up and started reading.

With every page she turned, her brow furrowed deeper.

Every clause had been written to protect Shepherd Group. Every risk and consequence had been loaded squarely onto Jewell Group’s shoulders.

The further she read, the more her revulsion grew. The Shepherds had no shame whatsoever.

“I read through them,” Wynette said, keeping her voice low. “Shepherd Group’s named in all of them, but throughout the entire partnership, they were completely invisible and didn’t lift a finger. Now that they’ve pulled out, Jewell Group’s supposed to eat the penalties. Does that sound right to you?”

“Not even a little,” Joanne said. “And on top of being completely unreasonable, you can sue them for fraud.”

Joanne set the contracts down and let out a cold, short laugh. “The signature on these isn’t yours, and the seal isn’t Jewell Group’s official seal. How does any of this land on you? Yes, they don’t.”

She pointed straight to the signature block at the back of each document.

Liam’s name sat right

in plain view, paired with Liam’s personal seal.

Without Jewell Group’s official company seal on them, none of these contracts had any real legal connection to the company.

Laughter built in Joanne’s chest. “Trace these contracts and find out where the money actually ended up. I’d wager your company never saw a single cent. Even if the funds passed through your accounts before being wired out, that only proves the money moved through here.

“Whoever pocketed the money answers for it. At the very least, the person who signed and sealed these documents does. None of this is yours to own. You didn’t sign a single page.”

2:20 pm

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