bChapter /bb222 /b

bChapter /bb16/bb: /bbThe /bbwronged /bgenius.

Joshua sat in silence as bhe /bwaited for Marlon to exin what was going on with his cousin.

i“/iiRemember /iwhen biwe /i/biwere /iiin /iicollege /iiand /iiI /iused ito /iget those homemade caramel salted cookies ithat /iyou loved to steal so much?”

51

Joshua had a quick shback of their days in college. Every year right before the holiday break, ba /bshipment of caramel salted cookies would be delivered to Marlon for him and his roommate. Because of how good the cookies were, he’d naturally assumed Marlon’s grandmother was the baker.

i“/iiI /iremember the cookies iyour /iigrandmother /iused to bake ifor /iiyou /iiAND /iiyour /iiroommate/ii…/iI.E. bme/bb…./bbiI.E/i/bb.; /bthat’s not stealing.”

Marlon let out a light chuckle.

i“My /iigrandmother /iiwasn’t /iithe /ione ithat /iimade /ithose icookies/ii…/iiit /iwas imy /iilittle /iicousin/i…..Josie. She’s balso /bthe one that bimade /i/bithose /iiblueprints /iiand /iisketches/ii./ibi” /i/b

Joshua’s eyes widen. He’d vaguely remembered Marlon telling him about a younger cousin when they first met; but she would have been like fifteen when he first came to the university.

i“/iiWait/ii…/iiyou’re /iitelling /iime /iisomeone /iihad /iithose /iitype /iiof /iibaking /iiskills /ias a iteenager/i?? iI’m /iiconfused /iihere /iiMarlon/i…iare /iiyou /iitrying /iito /iiwarn /iime /iiabout /iisomething /ior iget /iime /iito /iiask /ifor iher /iihand /iiin /iimarriage/ibi?/i/bbi” /i/b

At this rate, if Marlon revealed one more skill about the girl; Joshua would be outside her door with ba /bspeaker box above his head.

Marlonughed aloud at his friend’sment.

“iNo/ii…/iithat’s /iinot /iiit/i…”

i“/iSo then just itell /iime /iiwhat /ifirm she works ifor /iiand /iI’ll ifig-/i”

“Josie doesn’t work a firm.”

Joshua’s brows furrowed. Now that was something he found hard to believe. As talented as she wasb…./bthere a million firms that would have killed to have her on their team. fnc2d6 Checktest chapters at Find_Novel(./fnc2d6

“Why wasn’t she picked iup /iby a ifirm/ii?/ibi” /i/b

Marlon swallowed hard as he looked his friend directly in the eyeb. /b

“Because she just igot /iout of prisoni./ii” /i

b18:00 /bbThu/bb, /bbSep /bb25 /b

:

51

bHe /bknew he heard Marlon, he just couldn’t believe WHAT he heard! Prisonb!! /bFor what!! For how longb??? /bWhat the hell was going on! Joshua stood up quickly, and as fast as he got excited, it only took half that time for it vanish. The board would have a field day about this! Hiring a felon! Joshua could see his dream resort slowly fading away! i‘/iiMaybe /iiwhatever /iishe /iidid /iiwasn’t /iithat /iibad/ibi?/i/bi‘ /iJoshua thought to himself as he started strategizing how he would sell it to the board. Sitting back in chair, he took a swig of his whiskey before speaking…there bmay /bbstill /bbe a chanceb. /b

“iWhat /iiwas /iishe /iiin /iiprison /ifor? iNothing /iserious ri-”

i“/iiVehicr /iimanughter /iidue /ito idrunk /iidriving/ii./i”

Chance shattered.

Convincing the board to hire a felon would have already been a battle, there was no way in hell he would be able to convince them to hire a murder! Not to mention…his grandmother! Thepany and family image meant everything to her. If she found out he’d hired someone as careless as a murdering drunk driverb…./bshe might actually

appoint her husband’s bastard child as CEO afterall.

Joshua could feel a headache brewing…why would Marlon do this to him! Give him this gleam of hope only to snatch it away.

i“/iiMarlon/ii…/iiwhy /iiwould /iiyou /ieven ishow /ime ithis/ii?/ib” /b

Guilt in his tone, Marlon tried to exin.

i“/iBecause iI /iineeded /iiyou /ito bisee /i/biher /iiwork /iifirst/ii./ii” /i

i“/iiWhy/ii! /iiSo /iiyou /iicould trick /iime /iiinto /iihiring /iiher/ii! /iiWhat /iidid /iiyou /iithink/ii…/iithat /iiI /iiwould /ibe so iblown /iiaway /iiI /iiwouldn’t /iicare/ii! /iShe’s a

bimurd-/i/b”

i“/iiMy /icousin is iinnocent/ii!/i”

Marlon stood directly in Joshua’s face. He could understand why his friend would be upset; giving the circumstances…who wouldn’t be. But he wouldn’t allow him to speak ill of Josie. She’d already been through too

much.

Joshua stood back stunned. It was understandable for Marlon to feel this way…after all…she was his only family….but the bfact /bremained she was convicted of vehicr homicide which meant he couldn’t work with her. Taking a deep breath, he began to exin.

“Look Mar…I get ishe’s /iyour cousin…and I know iwe /iiall /iwant to think ihighly /iiof /iour ifamily/ii, /ibut you’ve got to face facts she-b” /b

“I’m not isaying /iishe’s /iInnocent because she’s my cousin! I’m saying she’s innocent because it’s the truth! Look…I get how this is hard to believe…but iif /iyou’d just listen to me ifor /iONE MOMENT…I can exin everything.”

Joshua looked at Marlon as if he had three heads…what could he possibly say that would exin all of this. He was about to refuse when his eyes nced over at the blueprints still on the table,

18:00 bThu/b, bSep /bb25 /b

wless.

:

、(51

‘Shit…guess ithis /iiis /iithe /iiwerewolf /iipart/i.b‘ /b

Joshua reluctantly sat down to listen to Marlon. For those designs…he’d be opened.

Marlon let out a sigh of reliefb; /bsitting back in his chair. He began to tell his friend the harrowing story of Josie

Taylor.

Joshua sat in silence….stunned was the better term. After Marlon finished telling him about Josie, he could hardly believe his ears. It all sounded like some horrible soap opera horror. Learning she was the long lost daughter of the Taylors…one the region’s most prominent families. Learning they treated her like that. Their own daughterb! /bUsing her grandmother’s illness to cover the crimes of their adoptive daughter…who does thatb! /b

Joshua got up to pour himself another drink. Had he known today would be filled with all this drama he would have brought some harder liquor to the officeb. /b

i“/iiAre /iiyou /iibullshitting /ime iin /iian /iiattempt /ito cover ifor /iiyour /icousin?”

Joshua had to ask…she was Marlon’s family after all…people protect their families. Lord knows he watched his grandfather do that same thing for his uncle. No matter how much James screwed up, his grandfather woulde

up with a million excuses.

Marlon nodded his head. If only it were that simple…that he was merely covering for his cousin. Then that would

have meant all the horror she endured wasn’t true. But that just wasn’t the case.

“Honestly Josh…I wish that were the case…that I’m lying to protect her image. That she hadn’t gone through all those years of abuse and torment. But unfortunately…that isn’t the case. My cousin really bis /binnocent. She has a solid alibi for the day of the ident. Not to mention, Josie doesn’t drink, and she doesn’t drive.”

“Shiti./i”

bi“/i/bbiYeah/i/bi./ii” /i

i“/iiWell/ii…/iinow /ibI /bbsee /biwhy /iiyou /iiwanted /imy imind /ito be iopened/i.”

Suddenly, a thought urred to Joshua.

“Waiti! /iYou said ishe /iihad /ia isolid /iialibi/ibi??/i/bi” /i

“Yup…my grandmother had outdoor cameras…iif /iInvestigated…they would have seen my cousin was at our nana’s the itime /iof the identi./ii” /i

Now Joshua was extremely confused.

“Huh…a iwrongfully /iused genius…there’s something iyou /iidon’t /iread about ievery /iiday/ii. /iBut it’s one thing iI /idon’t iget /iiMar./ii” /i

18:00 Thu, bSep /bb25 /b

“What’s ithat/ii?/i”

:.

i“/iiWhy /inote iforward /iiwith /iithe /itruth now? If ithere’s /iisolid /ievidence…she coulde iforward /iand clear her namebi! /i/bWhy not iexpose /iithose /iiassholes /iifor /iithe /iihorrible /iipeople /iithey /iiare/ii!/ii” /i

Marlon smiled sardonically…

i“/iiRemember /iithat /iipart /iiabout /iiyou /iibeing /iiopenminded/i…”

i“/iiYeah/i…b” /b

i“I /iiwasn’t /iireferring /ito the iprison /iipart/i.”

Joshua’s face scrunched.

i“/iiThen /iiwhat /iiWERE /iiyou /iireferring /iitoo/ibi?/i/bbi” /i/b

i“/iMy icousin/i….there’s something she ihas /iito /ido ibefore /ishe clears iher /iiname/i.i” /i

i“/iiAnd /iithat /iisbi??/i/b”

Marlon smiled as he took the final swig of his drink.

b51 /b

“biGet /i/birevenge/i.b” /b