With a thump, I’m in my chair. I see the newspaper he tossed at me when he came in. I see the picture of Elizabeth Ward, she’s very pretty, some people might call her beautiful. Her quote calling Leo a callous, despicable man willing to step on anyone who got in his way is in bold.
Holy crap, she is one brave woman. Why in the world would Leo want Ward to meet with him? As bad as what the woman said there are far worse things said about him. It couldn’t be because he wanted to challenge her.
Reading the article, I see Elizabeth is a returning veteran who lost a leg to an IED. I still don’t see the why behind Leo’s request. I shrug, it’s not for me to know why, it’s for me to do.
***
Leo
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When she hands me the report on Ward, I am prepared for her. I nod at the four thick binders at the edge of my desk. “That is all the information on trades and suggestions for investment by Douglas Harden. I want you to go through them and see if you can find any ties to Roth Group Limited and Russell Roth.
Over the last year, two major investments were interrupted by Roth Group getting to them first, and a smaller niche investment that no one knew about except me was picked up by Roth personally. Harden has only been with me for three years, last year he went through a very expensive divorce. I need to know if he has been bought.”
Her only response is a nod. Excellent, it should keep her busy all day.
***
Alexa
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My freaking eyeballs hurt. Closing my eyes, I roll my neck, and the pops and cracks sound loud in the quiet of the now empty office. I check the time, holy crap, it’s after six thirty. My eyes are burning, my back hurts, and I’m starving. And it was all for nothing.
I close the last binder and lay my head down on it. As much as I hate Leo’s guts, it doesn’t stop me trusting his instincts. But there’s nothing in here. There are a few suspect trades I highlighted, and twice Harden suggested investment in a small company connected to Roth Limited with a weak reason but nothing I can grasp and give to Leo.
My stomach growls again. Ugh, I’m done. When I try to stand my legs protest. I grab the desk to stay upright. Oh, that’s right I haven’t moved in almost three hours. I grab my water bottle and chug it down. Empty, I chuck it in the trash and begin shutting down for the night. For a second, I remember about getting Leo something for dinner then shrug, he doesn’t deserve it.