My Stardust Melody, Chapter 10
"It seems my fiancé has been a busy boy," Julian observed mildly. He stepped forward into the solarium, and Luke could see the harsh angles of his narrow face. Julian's grey hair had been swept straight back away from his temples, emphasizing what had once been a ruggedly handsome face. His smile was tight against his teeth. Luke knew not to trust it for even a moment.
Behind Luke, Reid stiffened. "Fiancé?" Reid asked. He walked to Luke's side and faced the other two men.
"Yes," said Julian.
Luke felt panicked. He was frantically shaking his head and turned to Reid. "He proposed, but I hadn't answered him," he explained, desperate to assure Reid that it wasn't as bad as it seemed. He grabbed Reid's hand and squeezed, hoping he could somehow will his feelings to Reid through the pressure.
"But you were considering it," Reid said slowly.
Dread filled Luke at Reid's expression. Coldness had crept into Reid's eyes, along with a great deal of hurt that he couldn't hide, not from Luke. "I was, but not anymore." Reid must understand! Why didn't I stop him earlier and tell him everything?
It clearly wasn't the response Reid wanted. "Oh really?" the doctor asked angrily. He shook off Luke's hand. Luke stared blankly at his empty palm, his nerves scattered.
"As if I would share my toys," Julian scoffed. "To whom, do I owe the…'pleasure'?" he addressed Reid.
"Dr. Reid Oliver," was Reid's firm response. He didn't so much as bat an eyelash at Julian's obvious inspection and appraisal.
Julian paused for a moment, something flickering through his eyes that Luke couldn't interpret. "The noted neurosurgeon. You work in Boston. Such a shame, for you," he said, though Luke was uncertain what Julian meant. "Well, at least my Luke didn't flaunt some good-looking moron in my face." Luke could feel the chill in Julian's bitten-off words.
Reid smirked. "He didn't seem much like 'your Luke' to me."
A little hope flared in Luke at Reid's statement. He ignored Julian and spoke directly to Reid. If I could just get Reid to listen for five minutes. "Reid, you need to listen. Grimaldi Shipping needed help."
"Grimaldi?" Reid interrupted.
"Yes, Grimaldi. I help run Grimaldi; it's my family's business. I told you I was in the shipping business." Luke tried to keep his panic out of his voice. There was so much he hadn't told Reid about himself. I didn't even realize how much. How could I be such an idiot?
"You're related to Damian Grimaldi? That guy?" Reid asked, slicing his hand in the Italian's direction.
"Yes, I'm his son. It's not a secret. Holden Snyder was my adopted father, but Damian is my birth father." He hadn't been keeping the Grimaldi name a secret; it just hadn't come up. There hasn't been time for everything; surely, Reid can understand that.
"You don't think mentioning that you were the host of this shindig and part of one of the most well-known crime families was worth mentioning?"
"It didn't come up, and I didn't think that part mattered much. I'm sorry!" He truly was. If Luke had thought for a moment that it would matter to Reid, he would have told him. But there hadn't been much time. He hadn't even realized the extent of the damage keeping it secret could do until it was too late. Now, as these secrets (or things he hadn't hidden but didn't disclose) started to pile up, Luke felt his cause getting buried. Seeing himself through Reid's eyes, Luke was a man with two names, two fathers, and a wealthy older boyfriend.
Reid's hand twitched frenetically at his side. "Fine, so where does the illustrious Mr. Raines fit into your privileged little world?"
Luke swallowed hard as he was about to expose more secrets. "Grimaldi Shipping is going bankrupt and Julian offered to help--"
"Luciano, that's enough!" Damian interrupted, his accent unusually harsh from the anger in his voice. "You say too much!"
Julian snorted and announced, "This touching display leaves something to be desired, perhaps the fact that it's directed at him has something to do with that." He turned to Damian and said, "I wish I could say this trip has been worthwhile. We will be in touch about your debts." And with that, he left the room.
There was silence. Luke looked furtively at Reid who was standing ramrod straight with his jaw clinched. The blonde knew he needed to get Reid to talk, but this scene had been so awful so far. His eyes closed at the feeling of humiliation. Would Reid even listen? Would Luke if he were in Reid's shoes? At least Reid hadn't left yet, so there still had to be some hope.
"Luciano, come here." Damian's voice cut through Luke's racing thoughts.
Luke shook his head. "Damian, I need to speak to Reid."
"I need to speak to you first," his father replied.
With a quick glance at Reid in apology, Luke walked over to his father.
Damian lowered his voice so that only Luke could hear. "You need to go after Julian and calm him."
"Father, it doesn't matter anymore. I was going to turn him down. We would never have gotten his money." Seriously, if I wanted to go after Julian, wouldn't I have done so already?
Damian put a hand on Luke's shoulder before revealing, "He's already invested a sizable amount in the company. How do you think we paid for this weekend?"
Luke was taken aback by confusion and anger. "I thought you said we liquidated our assets and used what little we had left from the IPO."
Damian nodded. "We did, but that wouldn't cover it. Julian covered the rest."
"But there are no contracts," Luke argued, unable to believe what Damian was saying. After all this time, he wouldn't lie to me. But a small voice whispered, Yeah, but he might conceal things.
Damian gave Luke a small shake. "Luciano, now isn't the time. You need to go after him and reason with him."
Luke ran his hand through his hair and pulled it taut. The small amount of pain anchored him from exploding. He looked Damian in the eye and stated evenly, "I won't marry him." I don't care what he's paid.
Damian gave his son a sad smile. "I'm not suggesting that. I am saying that he could make things very uncomfortable for us if he reveals we're bankrupt. We can't repay him or any of our creditors if no one invests in Grimaldi."
Damian's arrow hit its mark. Luke felt his heart sink. "Oh god." He looked back toward the fountain and worried about the solitary man standing there. Reid was trying to bury it in anger, but he looked so forlorn. "But Reid--"
Cutting him off, Damian said, "I will keep Dr. Oliver here for you, but you must go after Julian. Think of Faith, Natalie, and Ethan." His voice was low and urgent, pushing Luke toward the door.
Luke nodded his head, mustering his nerve with a deep breath. "Okay. I'll go."
"Then just go. Saying a goodbye will only lead to more arguments. I will explain everything to the doctor. Don't worry."
***
Reid was surprised to see Luke depart abruptly without saying a word to him. Is he running away? It didn't seem like Luke not to say anything, or had Luke just given up? Reid hadn't been able to hear a word that the other two were saying. Not that he'd been trying to eavesdrop, but he was curious about what the father and son were whispering about. Are there more secrets? A few lies sprinkled in for fun?
Luke's father cautiously approached him. "Dr. Oliver, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Damian Grimaldi," he said kindly.
Reid was unimpressed with polite gestures at this point. He found it ridiculous to pretend they were still at the point of paying tribute to the civilities. "I gathered."
Damian shrugged lightly and pulled something from his pocket. "Will the usual amount suffice?"
"Excuse me?" What the hell is that?
"I'm sorry, will $30,000 be enough?" Damian asked slowly.
Reid thought he surely heard wrong. "Enough for what?"
"That's the usual amount I pay," Damian said and paused as if thinking about how to phrase his words delicately before finishing the sentence, "Luke's friends to keep them happy and away from the press."
"The usual?" What the hell?
Damian smiled sadly. "You don't understand yet, do you? I must apologize for my son. I have not done my best as a father and indulged him too much."
"And just what does that mean?" Reid had been angry many, many times before. But he had never felt so much ire towards one person and complete confusion at the same time. Surely to god he was misunderstanding what Luke's father was saying.
"I mean that this is a little game Luciano likes to play. He finds a man he finds attractive, sleeps with him, and then intentionally flaunts him in Julian's face."
"I find that hard to believe. I've met Luke." Luke was innocent, intelligent, and fun. He wasn't the man that Damian was describing. Why in hell was Damian saying this about his own son?
Damian's eyes radiated compassion and embarrassment. Reid started to feel panic seize his heart. "Please try to understand that it's not Luke's fault. The way he was raised, bounced between his mother, her husband, and myself, didn't lead to him having a healthy respect for relationships. I am not precisely a good role model. He can't access his trust fund yet, he likes money, and Julian has it in spades. Where do you think Luke's fine suits come from? I can promise you that Luke has not bought a new item of clothing in years. This little stunt he pulled with you will probably earn him the new Rolex he has been wanting. He seemed very convincing this time."
Reid still wasn't persuaded that Damian was telling the truth. But how good of a liar can he really be? And why did Luke just leave? Why didn't he tell me any of this? "That doesn't sound like the person I met this weekend," Reid said, but his voice had lost its confidence of a moment ago.
Again, Damian smiled sorrowfully. "Yes, he does play innocent rather well. Even noble or heroic. Let me ask, Dr. Oliver, did my son 'rescue' you from another man this weekend?"
A pain started to knot in Reid's stomach. "Yes."
Reid had closed his eyes and couldn't see Damian when the Maltese man divulged, "He paid that man to attack you so that he could play the hero."
Reid was silent, feeling like he had been punched.
"Dr. Oliver, as hard as this is to hear, you should know that you are not the first that he's done this to. Many have been fooled by his innocent beauty. I am sorry if your emotions became entangled. Usually, the men aren't around long enough to be hurt, but it seems this may be one of those rare cases. If you want the money, I will gladly sign a check to you. I'm sure you can see how Julian and I don't like for these stories to get leaked to the press. It paints none of us in a good light. I apologize that you had the misfortune to get caught in this."
The bitter regret in Damian's voice did nothing to assuage Reid. Money. Luke-- through Damian--was offering him a pile of cash to go away. "No, I don't want money! I want to get the hell out of here, away from you and your spoiled rich brat." I want to forget this weekend ever happened, he thought in anguish. He looked up briefly at the glass ceiling and then at the sky beyond. The goddamned stars were mocking him, telling him his feelings for Luke had been no more real than stardust.
Damian replied, "As is your right. I wish my son were here to apologize as well, but I doubt you'll see him again. He prefers to avoid making scenes, and I'm afraid it's me who must clean up after him. A father's duty."
"Whatever." He just wanted Damian to stop talking.
Luke did come running back into the solarium at that moment. Reid stared at him coldly and watched, almost detachedly, as Luke tried to catch his breath.
"You have been the most colossal waste of time I've ever encountered," Reid declared and brushed past the blonde. He ignored Luke's protests and Damian's efforts to calm his son. He just kept striding down the hall even though part of him wanted to turn back, shake Luke, and make him confess that everything his father had said wasn't true. He closed his eyes and walked faster. Stardust, that's all the Luke he'd known had been.
Halfway down the hall, Dr. Stivers, his chief-of-staff, came crashing into him from around a corner.
"Dr. Oliver, I need a word with you," he said sternly.
"I don't care what you need at the moment," Reid replied. I sure as hell am not talking to you right now. All he wanted was to go to his room, pack, and never look back. He could feel Luke's presence in the room down the hall, and it sickened him. He needed to get away. He couldn't believe he had been such an idiot. I danced under the stars, for god's sake. He was humiliated, hurt, and couldn't deal with anything else at the moment.
Dr. Stivers pointed his finger at Reid's chest. "No, you'll listen to me! I just saw Julian Raines. He's pulling the funding from the neuro unit, Reid. What the hell were you thinking? You slept with his boyfriend."
Reid could feel sweat beading on his forehead as he was starting to feel nauseated. He wouldn't give Luke and his father the satisfaction of seeing him throw up. Reid had realized from the moment Julian walked into the solarium that the funding for the neuro unit was likely lost, but he barely cared at the moment. All his thoughts were of Luke. He made a move to go around the other doctor, but was stopped by Dr. Stivers' hand."I didn't know he was his boyfriend," Reid said bitingly. The nausea made his voice harsher than he intended.
Running his hands through what was left of his balding hair, Dr. Stivers responded, "How the hell did you miss that? They're on the news all the time. Christ, Luke is hosting this party!"
"It seems I missed those stories," Reid replied with sarcasm. "May I go?" Reid would have loved to bang his head against the stone wall. Just when he thought he couldn’t feel like any bigger of an idiot, he had to learn that apparently everyone knew about Julian and Luke.
Dr. Stivers turned a darker shade of red. "I'm not done. This is the last straw, Reid. I've put up with your attitude because you're a talented surgeon. But this is too much."
That pulled Reid up short, but his emotions were too out of control for him to censor himself. "You're firing me? This is ridiculous. A hack like you will never find another surgeon as good as me."
"Tread carefully, Dr. Oliver. I can make your career pretty short-lived," Dr. Stivers threatened.
The younger doctor smiled tightly. "Do your worst, Stivers. I'm through with this place and you."
Reid pushed past the older doctor and made his way into the ballroom. He plowed through the throng, but was halted by a group of men, surrounding George Stanton, who were cheerfully discussing investing in Grimaldi Shipping. He felt like screaming for the delay, his fury irrationally focused on the gathering as if they were complicit in Luke's deception.
As Reid forced his way through, he announced, "Investing? I wouldn't bother. I heard it from Luciano Snyder's own lips tonight: Grimaldi Shipping is bankrupt."
A/N I'm posting a little earlier than intended because I realized there was no way I'd remember to post during the Final Four (some of you may recall I'm a huge University of Kentucky fan).
Behind Luke, Reid stiffened. "Fiancé?" Reid asked. He walked to Luke's side and faced the other two men.
"Yes," said Julian.
Luke felt panicked. He was frantically shaking his head and turned to Reid. "He proposed, but I hadn't answered him," he explained, desperate to assure Reid that it wasn't as bad as it seemed. He grabbed Reid's hand and squeezed, hoping he could somehow will his feelings to Reid through the pressure.
"But you were considering it," Reid said slowly.
Dread filled Luke at Reid's expression. Coldness had crept into Reid's eyes, along with a great deal of hurt that he couldn't hide, not from Luke. "I was, but not anymore." Reid must understand! Why didn't I stop him earlier and tell him everything?
It clearly wasn't the response Reid wanted. "Oh really?" the doctor asked angrily. He shook off Luke's hand. Luke stared blankly at his empty palm, his nerves scattered.
"As if I would share my toys," Julian scoffed. "To whom, do I owe the…'pleasure'?" he addressed Reid.
"Dr. Reid Oliver," was Reid's firm response. He didn't so much as bat an eyelash at Julian's obvious inspection and appraisal.
Julian paused for a moment, something flickering through his eyes that Luke couldn't interpret. "The noted neurosurgeon. You work in Boston. Such a shame, for you," he said, though Luke was uncertain what Julian meant. "Well, at least my Luke didn't flaunt some good-looking moron in my face." Luke could feel the chill in Julian's bitten-off words.
Reid smirked. "He didn't seem much like 'your Luke' to me."
A little hope flared in Luke at Reid's statement. He ignored Julian and spoke directly to Reid. If I could just get Reid to listen for five minutes. "Reid, you need to listen. Grimaldi Shipping needed help."
"Grimaldi?" Reid interrupted.
"Yes, Grimaldi. I help run Grimaldi; it's my family's business. I told you I was in the shipping business." Luke tried to keep his panic out of his voice. There was so much he hadn't told Reid about himself. I didn't even realize how much. How could I be such an idiot?
"You're related to Damian Grimaldi? That guy?" Reid asked, slicing his hand in the Italian's direction.
"Yes, I'm his son. It's not a secret. Holden Snyder was my adopted father, but Damian is my birth father." He hadn't been keeping the Grimaldi name a secret; it just hadn't come up. There hasn't been time for everything; surely, Reid can understand that.
"You don't think mentioning that you were the host of this shindig and part of one of the most well-known crime families was worth mentioning?"
"It didn't come up, and I didn't think that part mattered much. I'm sorry!" He truly was. If Luke had thought for a moment that it would matter to Reid, he would have told him. But there hadn't been much time. He hadn't even realized the extent of the damage keeping it secret could do until it was too late. Now, as these secrets (or things he hadn't hidden but didn't disclose) started to pile up, Luke felt his cause getting buried. Seeing himself through Reid's eyes, Luke was a man with two names, two fathers, and a wealthy older boyfriend.
Reid's hand twitched frenetically at his side. "Fine, so where does the illustrious Mr. Raines fit into your privileged little world?"
Luke swallowed hard as he was about to expose more secrets. "Grimaldi Shipping is going bankrupt and Julian offered to help--"
"Luciano, that's enough!" Damian interrupted, his accent unusually harsh from the anger in his voice. "You say too much!"
Julian snorted and announced, "This touching display leaves something to be desired, perhaps the fact that it's directed at him has something to do with that." He turned to Damian and said, "I wish I could say this trip has been worthwhile. We will be in touch about your debts." And with that, he left the room.
There was silence. Luke looked furtively at Reid who was standing ramrod straight with his jaw clinched. The blonde knew he needed to get Reid to talk, but this scene had been so awful so far. His eyes closed at the feeling of humiliation. Would Reid even listen? Would Luke if he were in Reid's shoes? At least Reid hadn't left yet, so there still had to be some hope.
"Luciano, come here." Damian's voice cut through Luke's racing thoughts.
Luke shook his head. "Damian, I need to speak to Reid."
"I need to speak to you first," his father replied.
With a quick glance at Reid in apology, Luke walked over to his father.
Damian lowered his voice so that only Luke could hear. "You need to go after Julian and calm him."
"Father, it doesn't matter anymore. I was going to turn him down. We would never have gotten his money." Seriously, if I wanted to go after Julian, wouldn't I have done so already?
Damian put a hand on Luke's shoulder before revealing, "He's already invested a sizable amount in the company. How do you think we paid for this weekend?"
Luke was taken aback by confusion and anger. "I thought you said we liquidated our assets and used what little we had left from the IPO."
Damian nodded. "We did, but that wouldn't cover it. Julian covered the rest."
"But there are no contracts," Luke argued, unable to believe what Damian was saying. After all this time, he wouldn't lie to me. But a small voice whispered, Yeah, but he might conceal things.
Damian gave Luke a small shake. "Luciano, now isn't the time. You need to go after him and reason with him."
Luke ran his hand through his hair and pulled it taut. The small amount of pain anchored him from exploding. He looked Damian in the eye and stated evenly, "I won't marry him." I don't care what he's paid.
Damian gave his son a sad smile. "I'm not suggesting that. I am saying that he could make things very uncomfortable for us if he reveals we're bankrupt. We can't repay him or any of our creditors if no one invests in Grimaldi."
Damian's arrow hit its mark. Luke felt his heart sink. "Oh god." He looked back toward the fountain and worried about the solitary man standing there. Reid was trying to bury it in anger, but he looked so forlorn. "But Reid--"
Cutting him off, Damian said, "I will keep Dr. Oliver here for you, but you must go after Julian. Think of Faith, Natalie, and Ethan." His voice was low and urgent, pushing Luke toward the door.
Luke nodded his head, mustering his nerve with a deep breath. "Okay. I'll go."
"Then just go. Saying a goodbye will only lead to more arguments. I will explain everything to the doctor. Don't worry."
***
Reid was surprised to see Luke depart abruptly without saying a word to him. Is he running away? It didn't seem like Luke not to say anything, or had Luke just given up? Reid hadn't been able to hear a word that the other two were saying. Not that he'd been trying to eavesdrop, but he was curious about what the father and son were whispering about. Are there more secrets? A few lies sprinkled in for fun?
Luke's father cautiously approached him. "Dr. Oliver, I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Damian Grimaldi," he said kindly.
Reid was unimpressed with polite gestures at this point. He found it ridiculous to pretend they were still at the point of paying tribute to the civilities. "I gathered."
Damian shrugged lightly and pulled something from his pocket. "Will the usual amount suffice?"
"Excuse me?" What the hell is that?
"I'm sorry, will $30,000 be enough?" Damian asked slowly.
Reid thought he surely heard wrong. "Enough for what?"
"That's the usual amount I pay," Damian said and paused as if thinking about how to phrase his words delicately before finishing the sentence, "Luke's friends to keep them happy and away from the press."
"The usual?" What the hell?
Damian smiled sadly. "You don't understand yet, do you? I must apologize for my son. I have not done my best as a father and indulged him too much."
"And just what does that mean?" Reid had been angry many, many times before. But he had never felt so much ire towards one person and complete confusion at the same time. Surely to god he was misunderstanding what Luke's father was saying.
"I mean that this is a little game Luciano likes to play. He finds a man he finds attractive, sleeps with him, and then intentionally flaunts him in Julian's face."
"I find that hard to believe. I've met Luke." Luke was innocent, intelligent, and fun. He wasn't the man that Damian was describing. Why in hell was Damian saying this about his own son?
Damian's eyes radiated compassion and embarrassment. Reid started to feel panic seize his heart. "Please try to understand that it's not Luke's fault. The way he was raised, bounced between his mother, her husband, and myself, didn't lead to him having a healthy respect for relationships. I am not precisely a good role model. He can't access his trust fund yet, he likes money, and Julian has it in spades. Where do you think Luke's fine suits come from? I can promise you that Luke has not bought a new item of clothing in years. This little stunt he pulled with you will probably earn him the new Rolex he has been wanting. He seemed very convincing this time."
Reid still wasn't persuaded that Damian was telling the truth. But how good of a liar can he really be? And why did Luke just leave? Why didn't he tell me any of this? "That doesn't sound like the person I met this weekend," Reid said, but his voice had lost its confidence of a moment ago.
Again, Damian smiled sorrowfully. "Yes, he does play innocent rather well. Even noble or heroic. Let me ask, Dr. Oliver, did my son 'rescue' you from another man this weekend?"
A pain started to knot in Reid's stomach. "Yes."
Reid had closed his eyes and couldn't see Damian when the Maltese man divulged, "He paid that man to attack you so that he could play the hero."
Reid was silent, feeling like he had been punched.
"Dr. Oliver, as hard as this is to hear, you should know that you are not the first that he's done this to. Many have been fooled by his innocent beauty. I am sorry if your emotions became entangled. Usually, the men aren't around long enough to be hurt, but it seems this may be one of those rare cases. If you want the money, I will gladly sign a check to you. I'm sure you can see how Julian and I don't like for these stories to get leaked to the press. It paints none of us in a good light. I apologize that you had the misfortune to get caught in this."
The bitter regret in Damian's voice did nothing to assuage Reid. Money. Luke-- through Damian--was offering him a pile of cash to go away. "No, I don't want money! I want to get the hell out of here, away from you and your spoiled rich brat." I want to forget this weekend ever happened, he thought in anguish. He looked up briefly at the glass ceiling and then at the sky beyond. The goddamned stars were mocking him, telling him his feelings for Luke had been no more real than stardust.
Damian replied, "As is your right. I wish my son were here to apologize as well, but I doubt you'll see him again. He prefers to avoid making scenes, and I'm afraid it's me who must clean up after him. A father's duty."
"Whatever." He just wanted Damian to stop talking.
Luke did come running back into the solarium at that moment. Reid stared at him coldly and watched, almost detachedly, as Luke tried to catch his breath.
"You have been the most colossal waste of time I've ever encountered," Reid declared and brushed past the blonde. He ignored Luke's protests and Damian's efforts to calm his son. He just kept striding down the hall even though part of him wanted to turn back, shake Luke, and make him confess that everything his father had said wasn't true. He closed his eyes and walked faster. Stardust, that's all the Luke he'd known had been.
Halfway down the hall, Dr. Stivers, his chief-of-staff, came crashing into him from around a corner.
"Dr. Oliver, I need a word with you," he said sternly.
"I don't care what you need at the moment," Reid replied. I sure as hell am not talking to you right now. All he wanted was to go to his room, pack, and never look back. He could feel Luke's presence in the room down the hall, and it sickened him. He needed to get away. He couldn't believe he had been such an idiot. I danced under the stars, for god's sake. He was humiliated, hurt, and couldn't deal with anything else at the moment.
Dr. Stivers pointed his finger at Reid's chest. "No, you'll listen to me! I just saw Julian Raines. He's pulling the funding from the neuro unit, Reid. What the hell were you thinking? You slept with his boyfriend."
Reid could feel sweat beading on his forehead as he was starting to feel nauseated. He wouldn't give Luke and his father the satisfaction of seeing him throw up. Reid had realized from the moment Julian walked into the solarium that the funding for the neuro unit was likely lost, but he barely cared at the moment. All his thoughts were of Luke. He made a move to go around the other doctor, but was stopped by Dr. Stivers' hand."I didn't know he was his boyfriend," Reid said bitingly. The nausea made his voice harsher than he intended.
Running his hands through what was left of his balding hair, Dr. Stivers responded, "How the hell did you miss that? They're on the news all the time. Christ, Luke is hosting this party!"
"It seems I missed those stories," Reid replied with sarcasm. "May I go?" Reid would have loved to bang his head against the stone wall. Just when he thought he couldn’t feel like any bigger of an idiot, he had to learn that apparently everyone knew about Julian and Luke.
Dr. Stivers turned a darker shade of red. "I'm not done. This is the last straw, Reid. I've put up with your attitude because you're a talented surgeon. But this is too much."
That pulled Reid up short, but his emotions were too out of control for him to censor himself. "You're firing me? This is ridiculous. A hack like you will never find another surgeon as good as me."
"Tread carefully, Dr. Oliver. I can make your career pretty short-lived," Dr. Stivers threatened.
The younger doctor smiled tightly. "Do your worst, Stivers. I'm through with this place and you."
Reid pushed past the older doctor and made his way into the ballroom. He plowed through the throng, but was halted by a group of men, surrounding George Stanton, who were cheerfully discussing investing in Grimaldi Shipping. He felt like screaming for the delay, his fury irrationally focused on the gathering as if they were complicit in Luke's deception.
As Reid forced his way through, he announced, "Investing? I wouldn't bother. I heard it from Luciano Snyder's own lips tonight: Grimaldi Shipping is bankrupt."
A/N I'm posting a little earlier than intended because I realized there was no way I'd remember to post during the Final Four (some of you may recall I'm a huge University of Kentucky fan).