Curves Envy 3 - Claimed By An Alpha: BBW Billionaire Romance by Scarlett Avery Page A

them, but after a nine-month court battle and a frightening legal bill, she resigned herself to the fact she had sunk in all her savings into this—she even remortgaged my parents’ home. The police’s case went cold and they stopped cooperating with our attorneys. We were left alone against a giant with deep pockets—the classic case of David and Goliath, but this time, the monster won.” I sigh again and drop my shoulders, relieving them from the tension of having to dig so deep.
    “I can’t believe the police didn’t pursue this further.”
    “Me too, but I was a teenager back then. What was I going to do? I simply retreated into myself and I suffered in silence.”
    “It’s unfortunate your attorney couldn’t dig up anything incriminating on that development company.”
    “Yeah. I thought we might have had a lucky break a few months before my grandmother died, but I was wrong. My grandmother told me the lawyer had been in touch after not hearing from him for a long while. Apparently he had located a source who had some really important details about the case. Nothing ever came of it. He was in contact with my grandmother up to a few weeks before she gave up on life and then she said he never returned her calls so she figured he had hit another dead end.”
    “Did you follow up with the guy after your grandmother died?”
    “No. After her passing, I was too consumed with grief to chase after another pipe dream. My parents were dead, my grandmother was dead, I was alone. I resigned myself to the fact I’d never get a resolution to this sordid tale.”
    “My God. What a heavy story,” he says, kissing my hands. “Was there anyone who wanted to harm your parents? Did your father have problems at work he never told you about? I’m speculating here, but I can’t imagine this came out of the blue.”
    “Everything surrounding the death of my parents is so strange and that’s why my grandmother fought so hard. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to harm my parents. My mom worked in an accounting office as a clerk and my father was part owner of a pharmaceutical company. He was a lab nerd who found pleasure in complicated chemistry experiments. Dad had been approached six years before his death by an investor with deep pockets who was looking to diversify his business assets and he was eager to tap into the fountain of youth industry.”
    “The what?”
    “You know, the booming industry that’s selling women all sorts of creams, lotions, potions and pills of eternal youth.”
    “I see.”
    “My father’s business partner, Quintin Grayson, offered him something he never had in his previous job as head of research at a prominent biotech lab—freedom. That’s a dream for any geek. My father could spend his days playing around with formulas and pushing the envelope, something he could never do at his old job. In his mind, although he was still a scientist, he was no longer forced to work in a restrictive box. Quintin had bought out a fledgling pharmaceutical company a few years before meeting with my dad. He was looking for the type of partner who could help him take the company to the next level and a chance encounter at a conference connected the two men. My parents were also grateful for the boost in my dad’s income and they used most of that extra money to pay for my expensive university studies.  Living on the edge for my parents meant trying out Greek food instead of steak and potatoes or taking an impromptu salsa class instead of playing cards with their friends in the middle of the week. My dad was doing well at his job, but we weren’t gazillionaires. He didn’t have an enemy in the world and neither did my mom. None of it makes sense to this day,” I say, shaking my head.
    “My sweet Candy, you’re no longer alone and from what Deidra tells me, she’s taken quite the liking to you. I’ve known her for many years and she doesn’t like everyone, but she adores you.”
    “Those words mean