Book 1 - Complete
Book 2 - Ongoing
If you asked their family, they'd tell you Thomas and Maude were surely soulmates. The two had a bond so strong, that anyone who believed in reincarnation, would tell you that they were certain, Thomas and Maude lo...
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XIV. Modern company.
It was early in the morning when Maude arrived at the Shelby Company Limited building for a meeting with the board of Directors. Henry was standing on the curb, having a smoke. Just as the driver pulled the car up, Henry walked over, opening the door for his sister.
"Have you heard from Tommy yet?" Henry questioned as he held his hand out towards Maude, helping her out of the car.
"Not yet," she replied as she shook her head, walking side by side towards the building with her brother. Henry handed his cigarette to Maude and she came to a stop, taking a deep drag before blowing out a puff of smoke. "One of the drivers went to pick him up this morning."
"Man, he is going to bloody kill Michael," Henry muttered as he shook his head, taking his cigarette back from his sister and taking a few stressed puffs before handing it back.
"I don't blame him if he does," Maude replied, wrapping one arm around her body as she took another drag of the cigarette. She sighed deeply, running her hand over her face. "Christ, Michael lost us a lot of money." she groaned.
"I assume Tommy reacted badly?" Henry questioned as he quirked an eyebrow at Maude.
"Badly is hardly the word." Maude scoffed as she took a last drag of the cigarette before handing it back to Henry. "And on top of everything, Charlie heard he shot Dangerous," she muttered as she wrapped both arms around herself.
"Is that why Arthur told the poor lad that killing is a kindness?" Henry questioned as he raised his eyebrows. He had heard snippets of the conversation Arthur had with Charlie the previous night.
"Yes," Maude replied as she clenched her jaw, giving a curt nod.
"Remind me to keep him away from Ruby whenever she has a bad day," Henry mumbled as he took a last drag of his cigarette before stomping it out underneath the heel of his shoe.
"Come on, Linda will have our heads if we're late," Maude mumbled as she nodded her head in the direction of the building.
Maude and Henry entered the building and entered the meeting room with the rest of the board members, but Tommy had yet to arrive. Henry and Maude sat down with Polly and as Edna, one of the maids, handed out tea and biscuits, Polly offered a flask to Maude and Henry, pouring whiskey into their tea.
"Thank you, Edna," Arthur told the maid as he ate one of the biscuits while finding his seat at the head of the table. "And shut the door," he instructed as the woman made her way out of the room and she closed the door beside her.
Maude took a sip of her tea and accepted the cigarette Polly offered to her. It was going to be a long day.
Linda cleared her throat and motioned for Arthur to start the meeting. She was afraid Tommy would arrive soon, and she knew her husband would hand over the reins to Tommy. Arthur's position as chairman of the board was wanted more by Linda than by Arthur. He didn't care for all the big titles and added responsibility.
