The Girlfriend Contract by Lucy Lambert Read Free Book Online Page B

and everything.
    But why had he been so secretive? He refused to tell her both the company he worked for, and the name of the charity. Why? Just what was going on with Aiden Manning?
    Her curiosity piqued (perhaps to artificial heights by her desire to not think about her problems for once) her fingers danced across the keyboard, bringing up Wikipedia in the browser.
    She typed in his name and hit enter. The page redirected, landing her in an entry about a company called Carbide Solutions. Apparently they did everything from supplying building materials to factories all over the world, to creating designs for various machines, to consulting with various governments on industrial projects. They were a Fortune 500 company, with thousands of employees across the globe.
    The link labeled Controversies caught her eye, and she moved to that section of the article. It appeared that Carbide Solutions didn't become the behemoth it was entirely honestly. They were currently involved in legal action over in various Asian countries as well as India for unscrupulous business practices.
    Your stereotypical big bad corporation, it seemed, in it for the money and not really caring about the cost of doing business.
    But what did all this have to do with Aiden Manning? She hit the Ctrl and F keys, bringing up the search box. She typed in his name. It got highlighted about midway through the article.
    Aiden Manning, it read, the youngest executive ever at Carbide Solutions. He was a graduate of Harvard Business School, with a minor in Ethics.
    He was also the only child of Bradley Manning, the current CEO, founder, and primary shareholder of Carbide Solutions. The article mentioned some accusations of nepotism, but that in Aiden's two years on the board, he'd shown himself more than capable of navigating the murky, treacherous waters of a multinational corporation.
    The article went on to note his push for more transparent business practices, and his spearheading charitable initiatives within the company.
    For once, Gwen wished Wikipedia allowed more gossip and speculation. It gave her some hard background on him, but didn't really tell her anything about Aiden as a person. Other than an apparent guilt at the way his father chose to conduct his business.
    Gwen spent hours agonizing over the decision, weighing it against the alternatives, questioning her own motivations.
    It was her only real option, if she wanted to stay in this place and keep going to school.
    Isn't my future worth bending my morals a bit? she asked herself. She came to a conclusion that both relieved and frightened her.
    The article for Carbide Solutions still occupied her screen, and the parallels didn't escape her. She wondered if Mr. Bradley Manning asked himself the same thing, when he allowed his business to operate as it did overseas.
    It was a question she would have to put to his son.
    If she could figure out how to find him again.
     
    Chapter 7
     
    Gwen paid the cabbie, passing a $20 through the divider. The man shot her a hard look beneath his bushy eyebrows when she pocketed all her change. All she could do was offer him an apologetic smile as she stepped out onto the sidewalk.
    She couldn't afford to tip him. Especially if this didn't pan out. And if it didn't pan out, Gwen knew she'd be kicking herself for spending money on two pointless cab rides. But unfortunately, the subway didn't run out this way.
    It was a cooler day. The grey clouds obscured the sky in their haze, and a chilly breeze wended its way down the street. Gwen stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and hunched her shoulders. Yes, it was unseasonably cold. She tried not to take it as a bad sign as she started down the street, reading the addresses on the low buildings crowding the sidewalk.
    That same breeze tugged at her hair, which she let loose against her shoulders. Her mouth kept going dry, and anxiety panged in her stomach. She'd barely been able to force a slice of toast down at