"It doesn’t make sense,” I said, rubbing at my face.“It’s so much money.The math isn’t there.”
My phone rang again.Then again.Over the next hour, I fielded calls from three more property owners in the area, all with similar stories.Sebastian's people were making offers so far above market value that it felt almost desperate.
“I officially hate Sebastian Cross,” Archer muttered after the most recent call.
"I guess this is his version of shots fired," I said with a sigh.
My gut roiled as we continued plotting our way forward.Everything seemed so much bleaker now, and not knowing why Sebastian had bought Meridian only made it worse.His aggression was increasing, which meant that hedidsee us as a threat.That alone was enough proof that we needed to continue the work.But our pockets weren’t as deep as his.The end of the road would come much sooner for us than for him.
Just before lunch, Marina knocked on the conference room door and entered with her tablet."You need to see this," she said, pulling up theNew York Real Estate Journalwebsite.“Word has leaked about the tiff you have going on with Sebastian Cross.”
“Tiff?”I scoffed as she handed me the tablet, but the headline made my gut plummet."Development Titans Clash: Nightingale vs.Cross in Queens Land Grab Battle."
The article was accompanied by a press photo of Archer and me, followed by what looked to be the entire Cross family—Sebastian, flanked by three men I didn’t recognize, two older and one about the same age as Sebastian.The writer speculated about an emerging rivalry between Nightly Developments and Cross Developments, complete with quotes from unnamed industry insiders suggesting that both companies were making aggressive plays for the same Queens properties.
"Well, the good news is that your relationship with Clara is definitely public now," Archer said, pointing at another photo further down the article.It was from our arrival at the Development Summit the evening before.“That didn’t take long.”
I studied the photo, my gaze lingering on Clara.Our first event had gone well—better than well, actually.There'd been no need for awkward PDA, no forced intimacy.Clara had been brilliant with Commissioner Torres, and that moment when we'd gotten lost in each other's gaze...
I rubbed my eyes.That was the problem.Clara was supposed to be a business arrangement, a means to an end.But last night, holding her close, breathing in her scent, I'd forgotten entirely that we were putting on a show.
“Things are in motion,” I said.“We hard launched.Now the relationship has time stamps.We are establishing legitimacy.”
"We can't let the inheritance money slip away," Archer said."We have to make good on this marriage arrangement, especially if we’re going to have to pay thirty percent over for every ten-million-dollar rent-controlled unit we stumble upon."
“Maybe we can accelerate the marriage,” I offered.“Don’t forget, Clara and I met four years ago.That’s not up for debate.We can fudge the details of what happened in the interim, but when we had our initial meeting years ago, anycommittee of sortswould understand why we feel comfortable moving more quickly.”
Archer nodded, gnawing at the inside of his lip.“Yeah.I think you guys just need to be seen as much as possible in the meantime.”
“We’ve got lunch dates scheduled every Wednesday,” I ticked off each finger as I spoke, “as well as any gala, birthday, funeral, or get-together she’ll be at my side.I’m going to set up a couple of getaways too, now that I’m thinking of it.”I scribbled a quick note on a scratch pad nearby.
“Maybe you should have two lunch dates per week,” Archer said, his brows furrowing.“Once a week seems too distant.”
“Twice a week.”I was looking forward to tomorrow's lunch, even though I knew it was technically an obligation.“Fine by me.”
“I think you guys are just gonna need a solid reason of why it didn’tcontinuefrom four years ago,” Archer said.“This whole committee bullshit has me worried.Who knows what they’re going to look into?”
"Well, she was pregnant at the time,” I said.“Her useless ex.I think it’s easy enough to say that the relationship cooled.But the attraction was always there," I admitted reluctantly."Honestly, all inheritance matters aside, it might have continued from there if she hadn’t done what she did."
Archer sent me a severe look."She lied to you about her name.That's hardly unforgivable."
"It wasn’t just her name.It was her career.Her entire fucking life.It speaks volumes.You know that.Weknow that.”Because we did know that more than anything, after we’d found out our sperm donor had similarly lied to our mom about his name, his career, and his entire fucking life.
In my mind, lying equated to leaving.You lied to people who didn’t matter.You left behind the people who didn’t matter.I’d been left behind in my childhood, and my mom had been lied to by my father.I had no tolerance for people who couldn’t bother to respect me or stick with me.That was non-negotiable with Nash Nightingale.
"I can't be with someone I can't trust," I added.
Archer studied my face."Nash—"
"It’s why I chose her.We had real chemistry, and that type of shit is hard to fake.That’s why she works.In a sense, we won’t be faking it.And how is that not the best assurance that we’ll convince this fucking committee?”
“And you don’t think your real chemistry will lead to…more?”Archer asked, laughing like he could hardly believe I was so dumb.“I mean you guys even hadmefooled yesterday.”
“I can keep the line drawn in the sand," I said firmly, even though something in my gut flopped as soon as I said the words."This is business.Nothing more."
Archer lifted his palms in defeat.“Okay.If you say so.”
Once lunch had been delivered—sloppy deli meat subs from our favorite place in Midtown—and demolished, Archer’s assistant Lennox popped his head inside.
