“Damn, fine.” It’s impossible to keep the smile on my face as thoughts of last night flood my mind. “I was with Calliope.”
“All night?” Buster barely conceals his shock.
“Mmhmm.”
“You dog.”
“Fuck you, it wasn’t like that.”
“Sure it wasn’t.” And then in the next second, the playful mockery vanishes from his tone, and Buster sounds much more serious. “You good?”
I open my eyes and gaze out the window. “I’m fine.”
“You sure? This isn’t a cry for help like your whole packing up your life and running away from New York?”
“No. This is… this is me making choices that I like. Choices I enjoy. Choices that are for me and not anyone else. This is me… living.”
“Alright.” Buster almost sounds happy for me. “God, you sound like a therapy ad.” And just like that, the snark is back.
“I take that as a compliment.”
“Whatever.”
“So, you wanna tell me why you were blowing up my phone all weekend?”
“Oh, so now you wanna talk shop?”
“Buster.”
“Right. Right.” He sighs deeply, and I sit up a little straighter.
“Buster, what is it?”
“Imogen.”
Of course it is. My stomach flips suddenly and I close my eyes. “What’s happened?”
“She found out about the acquisition with Angelic Jewels?”
My eyes snap open. “And? It’s got absolutely nothing to do with her.”
“That’s what I said,” Buster agrees quickly. “But it turns out one of the company lawyers we use is pals with her father and he startedsuggestingthat she’s owed a piece of the money you’re making for this since technically, this deal was brought to you before the court proceedings were finalized.”
“That’s bullshit!” I snap so loudly that the taxi driver shoots me an alarmed look in the mirror. “Sorry.” I raise my hand at them and lower my voice. “Buster, that’s bull and you know it.”
“I know.”
“We were literally just waiting on one signature for court. One. And this acquisition wasn’t anything back then!”
“I know, Elijah. I do. But they’re spinning some line that because you knew of Angelic before that signature was on paper, it should be included.”
“But I never worked with Imogen.”
“True, but she was part of the company. And she’s claiming that since she’s purchased from them before, she’s the one who put you onto them.”
“What? How was I supposed to know she’d bought from there? She buys from everywhere.”
“I know, Elijah. It’s all smoke and mirrors but her father, you know what he’s like. He’s a vindictive lawyer and he’s coming after us. It was just rumors until we signed on the dotted line.”
