It’s bleak without her.
But it’s certainly not what my past used to be.
“Here you are.” Corm turns from the reception where he’s signing something. “My office.”
No fucking way am I having a conversation with him. With anyone.
“I’m leaving.” I call the elevator.
Corm turns to me with that look that makes his worst adversaries keel over. “Now.”
Fuck. My. Life. I trudge behind him.
“Look, man, it’s none of my business—” he starts when we enter hisoffice.
“Exactly.” I pivot to leave.
“I’m going to buy your shares.”
That stops me. “Merged shares?”
“Yes, Cal, Declan, and I—we have been covering your shit, but it’s been too long. This can’t continue. We agreed to buy you out.”
For a split second, I imagine the scenario where I leave Merged. Where the one thing that I built without my father’s cloud, the one thing that rebuilt me after I left the family business, would be gone.
The post-Cora void in my chest is crater-sized. There is no room for any more void, so I nod. “Okay, draft the paperwork.”
Corm’s eyes widen. I guess he was bluffing.
He studies me silently, a predator assessing his prey. “Okay. Will do,” he says finally, and I turn to leave. Again.
“And Xander, you should try to fix things. I don’t mind having a house guest, but it’s been weeks, and your ex-wife doesn’t brighten up the place.”
“Don’t fucking call her my ex-wife.” He’s seen Cora? He knows how she is? Where she is?
“Just facts.” The fucker shrugs and saunters around his desk to sit down. “Interesting how losing the company didn’t affect you, but mention of a woman you already lost rilesyou up.” He tuts.
I bite at the snarl, because I want him to tell me more. “She’s staying with you?”
He nods. “And as a result, my wife is too distracted, which I really don’t appreciate. Fucking fix it.”
“How?”
“I don’t know, but it’s been two months, and both of you are miserable. I’m not an expert here, but I don’t think this is a time-heals-all situation.”
Sighing, I exit his office, only to run into Roxy. The last sixty-one days have been just a blur of agony, but today takes the cherry.
“You look…” Roxy muses, “as bad as usual.”
I open my mouth to retort, but why bother? Not that it saves me, but she trails behind me like an infectious disease.
I nod to Lindsay, who looks at me with eyebrows drawn in concern. I swear, every fucking day she just deepens my overall shitty existence with that pity.
“Go away, Roxy,” I snarl, and try to close my door. I want to be wallowing alone. “I have a call,” I lie, hoping to get rid of her.
“No you don’t.” She pushes past me.
I sigh and plop onto my sofa, because lying around is the most I can muster lately. Closing my eyes, I put my hands behind my head.
