Too Late for Regret novel Chapter 103

Dixon’s on the Hotseat Now

Chapter 103

Ana’s POV

I was going to set her straight, but the lady next to me beat me to it.

“So you’re not here for the job? Are you just looking to hook up or find someone to take care of you? You were taught integrity. I know you were, as we were both in the Marines. You always managed to disgust me with your behavior. Abby, you’ve gone too far by trying to insult this woman. You don’t even know her. I think you said it because you felt threatened. She’s a beautiful woman. I highly doubt that he would give her up for a shot at you,” the lady with the pony–tail replied with contempt.

I see they know each other. But the blonde, Abby, wasn’t just going to back down. She’s clearly been spoiling for a fight with this woman. She knew what buttons to push to get the woman with the ponytail to respond.

“Look, Rita, you’re always butting into my business when you clearly don’t need to. This doesn’t involve you at all. I didn’t say I wanted to marry anyone. I just said that both men were attractive, which was the truth. You need to mind your own business and stay out of mine. Or else I’ll have to teach you to keep my name off your

lips. I’m not scare of you. I know how to fight, too. So you have a few awards, big freaking deal. I don’t have

any spots on my record. I have just as much of a chance at getting this job as you do. So, sit down, and shut

1. up. I’ll take my chances,” Abby replied.

Before Rita could say anything else, Charlie and Mark entered the area. Mark had a smirk on his face, but

Charlie looked pretty angry. I assumed that the entire place had cameras, but I wasn’t sure if they had audio

recording capabilities here or not. I would have just assumed that if they did, it would only be in the

conference room and their office.

“Actually, you don’t have any chances. Abby Miller, we’ve decided to go with Rita James for this job. Thank

you for your time,” Charlie said in a clipped tone. His words sounded polite, but the way he delivered them

showed no respect at all for Abby.

“But I never even got to interview with you,” Abby replied with a pout, stepping towards them both. She was trying to flirt, but it was not working with either of them.

“I don’t need to interview you. I watched your interview yesterday. You were dressed similarly for both

interviews. I’m not sure if you intentionally misunderstood what we needed or not. But we do need our

employees to maintain a professional demeanor. You weren’t professional with Mark yesterday. You were

even less professional out here. You were disrespectful to my wife, who, by the way, is our client. You were also rude to Beth, our receptionist. I can assure you that we don’t need you now, or in the future, Ms. Miller.

We wish you well in future endeavors,” he responded coldly.

“Look, all I said was you were attractive. That’s the truth, so why are you holding that against me? You know it, and so does your partner. He’s handsome, too. What harm did I do by pointing that out? Or asking if either of you was married?” Abby snapped out.

She was angry, but I had no idea why. She had been incredibly unprofessional earlier. I wouldn’t have hired her either if she were applying to work at my company. She wouldn’t be a long–term employee. She would just be there until she found someone willing to marry her. Then she would leave. I liked Rita. I wasn’t surprised that Charlie chose her; she was the best option. I knew he was very serious about my security team. I would

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Dixon’s on the Hotseat Now

have chosen Rita too, if he had given me the option.

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She had defended me, even without knowing who I was. Abby already had two things against her. She looked like Tiffany, way too much like Tiffany. Then that little comment about wanting to spar with my husband. I knew what she meant, and that would be happening over my cold, dead body. I was glad he went with Rita. She was funny. I heard her mumbling under her breathe about Abby while she was primping. I agreed with her assessment. I could tell that if it came down to a fight, Rita would emerge victorious between them. She gave

off a confident vibe. She wouldn’t have that if she weren’t secure in her abilities.

Charlie had warned me earlier, as we headed to the courthouse for the day, that I shouldn’t speak to Rita.

That Rita would be around us, but not with us. She drove herself there, in one of the other SUVs. She didn’t

enter with us. She sat separate from us. She entered the restroom before me, to ensure I was safe, and exited

a minute behind me, immediately moving away from me. We didn’t speak in the restroom.

She was like a ghost. Dressed down and moving with purpose. But there was nothing flashy about her. She was dismissed as unimportant, and that made her all the more dangerous. Able to move around without notice, slipping through groups of people as she crossed through the courthouse. I knew she had left her weapon in the SUV in a special lock box, just like Drew and Jon had to do. No weapons were allowed in the courtrooms, except for those carried by law enforcement officers.

When this was all over with, and if Rita worked out, I would hire her to stay with me permanently. I knew that

Charlie staying with me all the time was causing issues at his company. He trained their employees in self–defense. He was needed back very badly. But they had all agreed, until I was out of danger, I needed a team with me. I knew Tiffany. She would never stop, especially after being humiliated in court. Too many knew what she had done now. She was probably trying to figure out a way to twist this all around to sound better, but that was impossible. She was trying to find a loophole to avoid prison time. She was more cunning than people gave her credit for, and that’s what made her so treacherous.

The jury returned before the judge entered the room. Rogers‘ friend and CFO was seated across the aisle from him, behind Sasha and Joyce. I was a little surprised not to see the two best friends together. But I knew that Dixon like Sasha. They all went to college together. Plus, he never tried to hide it; he kissed up to Sasha more than Roger did. It was the very reason he was so supportive of her. Whatever she said, he would completely agree with, so I’m not surprised that he had lied in his statement. But he looked nervous today.

I honestly think that he didn’t think it was serious to lie in his statement. It was notarized, so it was his legal statement. He is going to have to stick with what he originally said, despite my never being an hourly employee. This is where things are going to get serious. Dixon was a jerk; he has never liked or respected me. He will lie on the stand, but I don’t feel a bit sorry for what’s about to happen to him. He brought this on

himself. Their other friend, Conner Hazell, was also there, seated next to Dixon.

Sure enough, Dixon was called up to the stand first. We needed him to clarify my title. He was going to try his best to keep from admitting it, but I knew that Rodney wasn’t going to let him get away with it. I already knew he was going to do that, and had warned Rodney weeks ago. Whether Dixon wanted to spend some time in a cell was up to him and the judge, not me. After he was sworn in, Rodney wasted no time.

“Can you state your name and position for us, please?” Rodney asked.

“Dixon Chandler, I am the Chief Financial Officer for Cook Custom Jewelry,” he replied with pride. He glanced over at me with a smug smile. We’ll see if he still has that smile on his face when Rodney is done with him.

“How many years have you worked there?” Rodney asked with interest.

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Dixon’s on the Hotseat Now

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“I have been the CFO since Roger started the company,” Dixon replied. His earlier anxiety now gone, as Rodney throws easy questions his way.

“Then you probably know a lot about the company you help run?” Rodney stated.

“I do. I know everything there is to know about the company,” Dixon responded. He was now sitting up straighter in his seat, confidence oozing from him as he spoke.

“So you would know Ana Caldwell pretty well then, after five years working together?” Rodney asked.

“I do, but she went by Elizabeth Wade when she worked at Cook’s Custom Jewelry. We only recently learned who she actually was. She used to be the Director of Design for the company, but was engaged to Roger Cook. He decided to go with another, more qualified employee, Sasha Elliott. That way, Elizabeth, I mean Ana, could stay home to raise their children,” Dixon replied.

He seemed happy to imply that I was a bad employee who needed to be replaced. The issue of using my middle name and my grandparents‘ surname was being brought up all over social media. People were torn about it. Half of them understood it. There were several daughters who had been stalked by men who just wanted to marry into wealth. I had a target on my back from the moment I was born. Seth and Holden had enjoyed the benefit of their name. They both had women still throwing themselves at them. The double

standard was not lost on me.

“I’m sorry, wasn’t it Sasha Cook who replaced Ana?” Rodney shot back.

“I’m unsure of that timeline. But I believe Roger married Sasha after Ana changed out the groom for their wedding. I was told that she was angry that Roger was replacing her, so she quit,” Dixon answered.

“Unsure of the timeline? That’s quite convenient, Mr. Chandler. Your honor. I would like to show the court exhibit H. It might help refresh Mr. Chandler’s memory,” Rodney requested.

The monitors came to life, and Dixon quickly turned to see what was playing. He paled seeing what it was. Rodney was playing the video that Holden had sent me. I turned and saw Holden sitting further back. He gave me a nod. But I just turned around. Seeing him is making me a little worried. I suppose he was prepared to testify to the video’s validity if necessary. But I don’t want him around me, especially now that I’m pregnant. I know that my parents wouldn’t tell the Vaughns about it, but Seth is another matter.

He gets easily drawn into Holden’s excuses. They were very close, and Seth was struggling with waffling between defending me and wanting to defend Holden. I don’t need him to pick sides anymore. I’ve given up. I love my brother, but I’m not going to be tricked into thinking that I mattered to him more than Holden, not anymore. Seth might be disgusted by Tiffany and what she did to me. But even now, I think he’s holding out for me to come to my senses and accept Holden as my husband. I’m hoping he’s not going to hold his breath on that, because it’s not going to happen.