Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 161

They started talking as if they were old friends, and after several minutes, I began to feel a little like a third wheel. I had a few things to take care of, so I let them have a little alone time.

"Hey," said. "I'm gonna get a bite to eat and call my CEO guy and catch up with him. You guys keep having fun, and I'll text you in about an hour."

"Your CEO guy... fancy!" Emily said. "Okay, go get some work done. We'll try to make more money, then maybe hit up some stores."

They gave me one last wave as they descended the aisle with one of the Johns trailing behind. Before disappearing into the crowd of patrons, I watched as they linked arms.

I sighed and turned to Ray and the other John. "Let's find a bite to eat and get some of the boring stuff out of the way."

I spent the next hour or so talking to Vikram and Chandler about business. Vikram was working on helping me understand the terms of the will better so I could understand why my grandfather would have left me with everything. Due to its length and complexity, he admitted it was a slog even for some of the sharpest lawyers. Still, so far, most of it had proven to be nothing more than an attempt to shore up my ownership of everything in case anyone decided to contest it. I let him get back to it, feeling like I hadn't gained much insight into my grandfather's motivations

The discussion with Chandler proved much more fruitful. He played me an old teleconference meeting with Kelly Maddox so I could get an idea of who she was. In the video, she appeared in her mid-thirties with coal-black hair that hung in waves just past her shoulders. She had bangs and wore large wire-rimmed glasses. She wore dark eyeshadow and dark crimson lipstick. Everything about her screamed hot boss bitch that would eat any man in her way. Her tone as she spoke to others in the recording didn't do her any favors.

He also showed me a few of the other key players, including Hiro

Tanaka, Carla's husband. That scanned; judging by the image, Hiro

didn't have a lot of fuel left in the tank, and I was willing to bet a lot of money that Carla got most of it when he was gone.

Once we got to a stopping point, we decided to end it there, planning on picking it back up tomorrow at roughly the same time.

"Alright, Chandler. Thanks for helping me get caught up."

"My pleasure, Mr. Upton! Now, if that is all, I have a transition meeting to attend."

"Transition meeting? For what?"

"A prominent railway line one of our subsidiaries purchased a month ago. The entire logistics division is in complete shambles, and it looks like it will absolutely obliterate their third quarter."

"Oh," I said, losing interest. I didn't want to do more than the bare minimum while in Vegas. I assumed that was stuff i'd have to worry about in another week or two. "Well, good luck, sir."

"Thank you, sir, but I'm afraid you will need the good luck! You are in Sin City, are you not?"

"Heh... true. Thanks for the luck. If hit it big, I'll split it with you."

"I'll hold you to it!"

I hung up on Chandler and noticed a few unread text messages from some friends, one from Natalie, another from my mother, and one from Charming Charity. I opened the one from the influencer first and read the message.

Hey. Hope you can still make it tonight. Remember, Silver Mirage rooftop.

It was accompanied by a picture of her looking up at the camera as she held it above her while standing outside. She wore a small, dark green bikini that didn't leave much to the imagination, and her hair was tied back in a long, thick braid draped over one shoulder.

I took a few minutes to appreciate the image before responding. Hey, Charity. Yeah, I'll be there!

Then I looked up Erin in my contacts. I was about to call her to let her know about the party, but then I thought that Ashlee might appreciate it if I notified her instead.

She picked up on the second ring. "Marcus! Hill"

"Ashlee! Hey. Are you drunk?"

"Just a little buzzed."

"It sounds like you're having fun."

"Oh, we're having a blast! I can't wait to show you what I got!" She lowered her voice and whispered loudly, "Shea and I got something that matches!"

I heard someone giggle in the background and couldn't help grinning at the thought of sharing another evening with Ashlee and Shea... especially if it was a more enthusiastic Ashlee.