Chapter 17

Esther pursed her lips. "I had someone reach out to the editor-in-chief at Dewsbury Business Daily. Dad, don't you think Aaron's going to come crawling back to us now?" Zach shook his head at her words. "You're acting on impulse, Esther. What's going on between you and Aaron is personal. Turning it into a public mess won't help anyone—not you and not Butterfield Group. And honestly, you know better than anyone whether there's any truth to this at all." Esther realized Zach was alluding to her relationship with Russell, and the implication stung. "Dad, are you questioning me? Or do you really believe Aaron's the innocent one here? He's obviously seeing someone else. I saw him having a private meeting with Ms. Thorne from Gemstone Company yesterday!" Her voice rose with emotion, but Zach only snorted. "That's enough. I don't have time for this. Just tell me—was your mom part of it too? She mentioned investing in a new project with the Uptons yesterday. You need to think hard about whe