Free Expose (Billionaire Series) by Evelyn Harper Page B

Eloisa's eyes, but she made herself do
it. Whatever Eloisa was going to say, Jennifer wasn't going to blink. “Yes, I
am.”
     
    “I don’t believe
that he has mentioned me.” Eloisa released Jennifer's arm. “He is such a
reserved person when it comes to his personal relationships.”
     
    That was an
understatement, Jennifer thought, but she didn't comment. There wasn't any
reason for her to reveal just how much she knew or didn't know about Philip's
life.
     
    Fortunately, Eloisa
didn't seem to be waiting for any agreement on the matter. She continued, “I
have known Philip for many years. My family came from a small town in the south
of France. I was five when we came to this country to work for Philip's father,
Johann. My father was the caretaker of the Haas family grounds, my mother the
housekeeper. Philip was my only friend, the only one who didn’t make fun of me
for not knowing the language, the only one who tried to learn mine. When
Philip's mother left, Mr. Haas sent Philip away to boarding school in Paris. I
was sent as well to keep an eye on him. We’ve kept in touch since then.”
     
    Jennifer tried not
to let Eloisa see how eager she was for this information. Every word was new
insight into why Philip was the way he was, and it was difficult to keep from
asking for more details.
     
    “When I returned
from France five years ago, I became Mr. Haas's executive assistant.” Eloisa's
tone indicated that they were getting close to the reason for the conversation.
She was choosing her words with more care. “Over the course of the past year,
Mr. Haas has become... obsessed with Philip's business.”
     
    Jennifer frowned.
She automatically balked at the idea of someone who considered herself to be
Philip's friend working for the man who'd abused him, but Eloisa's statement
was just plain confusing. Why would Johann be obsessed with his son's business
and why did it matter? “I don't understand.”
     
    Eloisa opened her
mouth, paused, as if trying to find the most delicate way to say what she
meant. “Mr. Haas believes that Philip's success is a challenge. A way for
Philip to say that he is better than his father.”
     
    Jennifer bit back
the urge to tell Ms. Rousseau that Philip was ten times the man his father was
and all she needed to see were the scars on Philip's back to prove it. It
wasn't her place to share if Eloisa didn't already know. Instead, she stuck
with the simple. “That's slightly unbelievable.”
     
    “Perhaps,” Eloisa
admitted. “But Mr. Haas has decided that the best way to handle the situation
is to eliminate the competition.”
     
    Jennifer pieced
together the situation. “He's trying to take down Philip's company?”
     
    “Yes,” Eloisa
nodded. “He is trying to teach Philip a lesson.”
     
    “Okay,” Jennifer
folded her arms. “But why are you telling me this? You work for Johann Haas.
Tell him there’s no good reason to try to take down Philip.”
     
    Eloisa gave
Jennifer a sad smile. “If it were that easy, do you not think I would have
already done it? Mr. Haas sent me to Philip to try to negotiate a deal that
would allow him access to his son's business.”
     
    “And you went along
with it?” Jennifer felt a flare of anger towards the woman that had nothing to
do with jealousy but restrained herself. She had no right to judge. She didn't
know if she would've had the guts to stand up to someone like Johann Haas if
he'd been her boss.
     
    “No,” Eloisa shook
her head. “I have been trying to convince Philip to come to a compromise that
will satisfy his father enough that Mr. Haas will leave him alone.” She made as
if she were going to touch Jennifer's arm, and then thought better of it. “I
wanted to speak to you because I believe that you can succeed where I have
failed. Philip will no longer take my calls. He does not want to compromise,
nor believe that he should have to.”
     
    “How am I supposed
to help?” Jennifer wasn't sure she thought