I snapped my gaze to him. “Don’t.”
He grinned wider, like this was a sport he could actually win. “Has someone managed to catch your attention, Julian? Let me guess... You’ve been staring at her since before I got here.”
“I haven’t.”
“You absolutely have. This is delicious.” He crowed.
Theo enjoyed chaos when it wasn’t his.
Richard noticed anyway.
“She draws attention,” he said, tone unreadable. “Men like Whitaker wouldn't waste their time if she didn't.”
I stiffened. “You already made your point.”
“No, I don't think I have,” my father replied. “I’m reinforcing it.”
Theo let out a low laugh. “So this is what this is about. You think he should pick someone like her.”
“Someone like her, potentially...” Richard countered, “Someone who understands how rooms work, how money is made. She could be a solid addition to your net worth.”
“She’s not a strategy,” I said.
Richard tilted his head. “Everything is a strategy.”
I felt something sharp and unwelcome cut through my composure.
“She’s nothing,” I said. “A variable in the room.”
“So, you've said,” my father replied evenly, “Variables are only a threat when ignored.”
Theo glanced at me, expression unreadable for the first time. “You, okay?”
“Yes.”
It was a lie.
Richard lifted his glass once more. “To the future.”
Theo hesitated.
But I didn’t, I never did.
I raised my glass automatically, muscle memory overriding instinct.
“To the future,” I said.
The wine burned on the way down.
I looked back once more.
She laughed at something Whitaker said, unaware of the attention she drew, or the conclusions being made about her.
I didn't understand what kept pulling my focus to her, but I had a feeling this was the beginning of a problem I already knew I would have to solve.
Chapter 4 - Lucy
I’m wearing my favourite blouse. The one that makes me feel important, like I belong.
