Samreen was offended by his tone. “I’m only trying to help.”
“I know, and I appreciate it,” he replied. “But I can do it, too.”
“Yeah, he’ll be fine,” Naveed piped in.
Samreen looked harassed. “I’m just looking out for you all,” she protested, setting down her fork. “Is that such a crime? I am your mother. I just want you to be okay.”
Naveed leaned back in his chair. “But then you drive yourself crazy, or drive Emmy crazy, and then she drives us crazy,” Naveed said. “Just relax.”
“Yeah,” Haris agreed. “It’s not the end of the world if the house is a little messy or we eat out sometimes. You don’t have to tire yourself out doing all this work if it’s just going to put you in a bad mood. Then we feel bad, and what’s the point?”
Samreen and Emmeline exchanged a glance. It felt as if this was something the boys had discussed. She hadn’t realized they were paying attention or noticing such things, but maybe she had never given them enough credit.
“You do drive me crazy,” Emmeline admitted to Samreen, lips twitching.
“Well, I’m your mother,” Samreen replied, unapologetic.“It’s my right.” Her lips also twitched. The conversation changed, moving on, but her brothers’ words stuck with her.
It made her think about Luke, the situation with the investment. She was so adamant about doing this for him, but she hadn’t thought about how upset he was with her.
She wanted him to win because she loved him, but what was the point if that made him angry with her?
Chapter 34
The day of the meeting arrived. It was right after work, at Anh’s offices, and Emmeline still wasn’t sure what to do.
As the time grew closer, her anxiety increased. She wanted what was best for Luke, but she also didn’t want to upset him. As she gathered her things to head out, she was still deciding what to do.
Her phone rang, and her heart lurched when she saw who it was.
“Luke,” she said, picking up.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said.
Before she could respond, he hung up. She had missed his voice. It had only been a few days, but she missed him terribly. All of him. She needed things to be okay again.
That was the simple truth.
And so, after work at Inferno, she made her way to Anh’s office. She didn’t want to upset Anh by not showing up, either. When she arrived, Luke was already there, waiting in the meeting room, and the sight of him made her catch her breath.
She hadn’t seen him for the past few days, and the sight of him now was devastating. He was so handsome. He was hers.
He glanced up, meeting her gaze, and his expression softened. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she went and sat down across from him, pulling out her laptop. His was already out in front of him, and Emmeline thought of all the hard work he’d done to establish his business, how this was the last chance to save it.
But then she thought about Luke, being there for her. Luke, washing her hair, his hands gentle. The way he held her in his arms, the way he kissed her and took care of her and loved her.
How angry he had been when he’d learned what she was trying to do. She loved him, but she couldn’t do anything that would make him angry with her, even if she thought that was what was best. She couldn’t risk losing him.
“Luke—” she started, but just then, the door to the meeting room opened.
Anh entered, done up perfectly as usual—though her expression was sterner than Emmeline had ever seen it.
Luke and Emmeline both stood, and Anh held up a hand, motioning for them to sit as she took the seat at the head of the table. She folded her hands over one another, looking at both of them sharply.
“What is wrong with both of you?” she asked, voice calm. Emmeline blinked. “I chose you as contenders for this project because I know you both to be intelligent and determined. Yet now both of you are trying to simply let the other win.”
“What?” Emmeline asked, gaze snapping over to Luke. “You were trying to let me win?”
His mouth fell open at her angry tone. “It’s the exact same thing you were trying to do to me!”
