“The combined net worth of the Coleman clan is somewhere around thirty-nine billion.”
She’s so motionless for a moment that I wonder if she’s even breathing. Then, her gaping mouth transforms into a smile, and she snorts. “Ah-ha, you’re so funny,” she says with sarcasm, resuming her walk around the suite.
“My family owns a company that extracts fossil fuel—the fifth biggest one in North America. There’s also an agribusiness branch and a retail one. And they have various assets and investments, like any big fortune.”
Her head pops from the second bedroom, and she squints her eyes at me. “Wait, you’re being serious?”
I nod again. All of her appears, and she walks up to me, clearly shocked. “Lex, what the fuck?!”
“I’m not my family, Andrea,” I point out.
“I know, but it’s a lot to take in. I think we may have found another one of my hard limits.”
“Seriously?”
“Mh-hm.”
“I’m too…rich? That would be a good thing for most people.”
“You’re not just too rich, Lex. You’refilthyrich. Aren’t you supposed to have a bodyguard following you or something?”
The thought is so amusing that a crooked grin bends my lips. “But I do have one. You never noticed?” She tries to think about it, and I use her confusion to step closer. I bend over and say, “She’s a lethal little thing, half-Mexican, five foot two, and will jump anyone who insults Star Wars.” She chuckles and gives a slight jab to my shoulder. Still grinning, I continue with, “I’m never alone—she even comes with me on work trips.”
“You have Kevin to thank for that.”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll thank him for it.”
She’s relaxing again, not as guarded as earlier, and I’m glad to see it. In case she still feels uncomfortable about my situation, I explain, “My grandfather owns most of the assets. And his four children own the rest. My aunt is in charge of the retail branch, the other one and her husband run the food industry assets, and my uncle does his best to spend the family money on his extravagant life. My father runs the fossil fuel company—the most lucrative branch. But most of the fortune isn’t directly his. I’m not a high-profile target for many reasons.”
“Which are?”
“My sisters and I have never been the kind to brag about it, unlike my cousins—whodoneed security details. Plus, Coleman is a very common name, so people don’t naturally associate me with my family. Also, in case you haven’t noticed, my life isn’t exactly about traveling the world and exposing myself to dangerous situations. I’m either at work or at home, where I don’t risk much.”
“Aren’t there pictures, though?”
“I don’t go to events as a member of the Coleman empire, so there isn’t much that ties me to them. And the few pictures of me as a kid won’t help anyone connect the dots, either.”
“Why is that?”
I hesitate for a couple of seconds, aware I’m about to open the door to a whole new line of questioning. “I was chubby.”
I’m not sure why her face turns into utter delight, but she stares up at me with a huge smile and sparkles in her eyes. “You were?!”
“I was a very picky eater, so most things I would like weren’t healthy. I also struggled with recognizing when I was full, which didn’t help.”
“Okay, I’ll need to see a picture of you as a childASAP,” she decides.
“It was a big complex for me until Kev and I started playing one-on-one basketball at his house. And later on at Harvard, I joined the swim team.”
“Do you still swim or play basketball?”
“I still do both. Kev and I meet once or twice a week. And I swim almost every day in my building’s indoor pool, usually when I come back from work, to help me relax.”
She nods distractedly, her head tilted to the side as she looks at my shoulders. “So that’s why they’re so broad…”
“And you? How were you as a kid?” I ask, switching to a much more interesting topic.
She grimaces. “I was a twig for the longest time, so I always felt insecure and out of place. Puberty hit me later than others, and when itfinallyhappened, everything went to my ass, and nothing went to my boobs.”
