“Ah, yes. The great Hunter Reed, master of the universe.” Penn’s laugh echoes through the monitoring room. “Even you can’t always get what you want, Hunt. Some things are... complicated.”
“Complicated?” I adjust the camera angle to prepare for the next candidate. “That’s a word people use when they lack the resolve to solve problems.”
“And being engaged to the sister of the woman you’re obsessed with isn’t a problem?”
“It’s a temporary inconvenience.”
Penn shakes his head. “You’re fucking insane, you know that? Most men would consider engagement a rather permanent inconvenience.”
“Most men aren’t me.” I check my watch, deliberately changing the subject. “Hansen will be here in five minutes.”
Penn pushes off from the panel. “So what’s the plan? Marry Olivia, fuck Aurora on the side, and hope daddy dearest doesn’t notice you’re banging both his daughters?”
I turn to face him fully. “I don’t share what’s mine.”
“Aurora isn’t yours.”
“Yet.”
Penn raises his eyebrows. “Christ, you’re worse than I thought. You do realize there’s an entire city of beautiful women who don’t come with this complication?”
“I don’t want them.”
“So, what happens when the Harrison family realizes you’re playing them?”
I smile. “By then, it will be too late for anyone to do anything about it.”
Penn sighs, the usual mischievous glint fading from his eyes. It’s rare to see him this serious. He’s our resident chaos agent, always finding humor in the darkest situations, but not now.
“Look, I know you think you’re untouchable, but Derek Harrison isn’t someone to fuck with.” He lowers his voice. “The man built his empire by crushing anyone who crossed him. Even with your resources, he could make things... complicated.”
“Complicated again?” I raise an eyebrow. “Thought we established that’s just code for insufficient planning.”
“I’m being serious, Hunt.” Penn runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. “Harrison connections run deeper than even our network. The political capital alone?—”
“I’m aware of Derek’s reach.” I check the monitor, noting Hansen’s approach to the testing room. “Which is precisely why I’m handling this with care.”
“Somehow, I doubt seducing his stepdaughter while engaged to his other daughter qualifies as care.”
I turn from the screens to face him directly. “You’re overthinking this. The engagement will be broken before Derek ever discovers my interest in Aurora.”
“And how exactly do you plan to manage that without nuclear fallout?”
“I have options.” I straighten my cuffs, a habit when strategizing. “Olivia breaks it off, decides I’m not the one. Or perhaps a scandal makes me unsuitable. Either way, the engagement ends, appropriate time passes, and then Aurora.”
Penn shakes his head. “That simple, huh?”
“It’s always simple when you control all variables.”
“Except the human ones. Those tend to be messier.”
I smile thinly. “Humans are predictable when you understand what drives them.”
The intercom buzzes, alerting us that Hansen has arrived downstairs. Penn pushes off the control panel but pauses before heading to the door.
“And what drives Derek Harrison? Because whatever game you’re playing, he’s the one with the most power to destroy you.”
I check my watch, checking how long until Hansen’s fear test begins. “Derek’s predictable. His weaknesses are obvious to anyone paying attention.”
