Page 65 of Endlessly Raphael
“Our profits have taken a sudden downward turn,” my father says, glancing at Raphael. “We were told that two of our larger customers decreased their purchase orders, which triggered me to investigate. These customers have had standing orders for over a decade. Changing now makes no sense.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmur, sipping my drink. “Who told you that?”
His face turns red as he slides the manila folder toward me. “Your uncle Joe.”
I literally feel Raphael tense beside me.
“Uncle Joe?”
“CFO of the company.” He clears his throat. “I did some digging, and the customers’ purchase orders haven’t changed at all. They were clearly altered on the documents, which you can see in the folder, but in the system, the orders were the same.”
I flip the folder open and glance at the documents. A sinking feeling takes hold as I flip through the orders. “Is he… Oh god. Is he embezzling?”
“I wanted to believe it wasn’t him. I thought maybe he’d been fooled by whoever was really behind this, but…” My father shifts his gaze to Raphael, as if he doesn’t want to say whatever it is, but after exhaling, he continues. “Since your grandfather’s death, he’s been acting very strange. I suspect this has been going on for some time, but he’s increased his efforts. He’s become very closed off with sharing information, and somewhat aggressive.”
“Aggressive in what way?” Rapha asks.
“He threatened me late last night. He said I’d better find a way to prevent Haven from assuming ownership or ‘I would be very sorry.’ Those are his words.”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Haven, I’m here for two reasons. I think Joe is attempting to either make the company unstable, or he’s plundering out profits for his own gain. The second reason is…” He pauses, shaking his head with a pained expression on his face. “I’m worried that he’s not above violence to protect his own interests.”
I gasp. Talk about words I never expected to hear. “What?”
“Violence against Haven?” Rapha asks.
My father nods. “Yes. Ali isn’t convinced, but he does agree that Joe is different now. Something’s changed. I admit none of us are happy about the ownership change, myself included, but outside of legal recourse, I would never break the law or harm you. I don’t know what’s happened to him that he would go this far.”
I’m too stunned to speak.
“I’ve dishonored my father,” he continues. “I’ve dishonored my children and my wife. I let pride and perhaps greed taint my values, but I will not stand by and allow him to destroy our father’s legacy. I will not passively accept my son being threatened.”
“You really think he would hurt me?” I ask, finally finding my voice again.
“I don’t know, Haven, but a desperate man cannot be trusted.”
I turn to Raphael, who is staring at my father, blinking slowly, his jaw twitching. He looks like he could explode into a violent rage at any minute, and hot damn, what a turn-on to feel so protected. No one has ever had my back, but I know without a doubt that Rapha does.
“What should I do?”
“I’ll handle it,” Rapha answers darkly. “Haven is safe with me.”
My father visibly shivers as his eyelids flutter. “Clearbrook,” he says, reciting the suburb name unprompted. He clears his throat. “Uh, there’s a gated community there called Oak Lanes. Joe lives there.”
I tilt my head, watching the strange interaction. My father sways slightly, his eyes locked on Raphael’s.
“You and your wife should come stay with us until this is over,” Raphael says softly. “We have guest apartments.”
“I don’t think—”
“It wasn’t a request. If he’s willing to harm Haven, wouldn’t he go for Haven’s weak spot? His mother.”
My mouth drops open. “Oh shit.”
My father’s face goes pale. “Yes. You’re right.”
“This is what I do, Mr. Samir. You need to follow my advice until the threat is eliminated.”