I smirk. “You do realize they’re going to grow out of these after a week.”
“I know, but I just can’t help myself. Besides, I’ll be passing all of them down to you so they’ll get some more use, so really, I’m saving money.”
The idea makes my heart ache and flutter all at once.
For a little while, I had forgotten about the uncertainty of my future, but the thought sneaks in and takes root.
What if Oscar or my uncle, or even Sean O’Keefe, discovers my secret and tries to use this baby as a way to blackmail Kieran?
Bile burns my throat at the thought.
The stakes are life and death, and one wrong move could send my world crumbling to the ground.
Chapter Ten
KIERAN
I don’t knowhow long I stand at the kitchen island, staring at the crisp induction packet Riley discarded.
The smiling face on the front makes my teeth grind.
I doubt the woman even works forLever Industries.
It should be Riley’s smiling face on the front, not just because she’s beautiful, but because I truly believe she could become that much of an asset that Ross Lever would be a fool not to plaster her face on a billboard in Times Square.
It’s what I thought she wanted, but instead of looking excited at the prospect of joining such a well-respected company, she looked almost defeated, and I can’t work out why.
Her decision to walk away from such an opportunity makes no damn sense. She was practically glowing when she first told me about it, and now she’s brushing it off like it was never important to her.
That’s not Riley. She doesn’t quit, at least not without a reason.
Snatching up the induction packet, I head back upstairs to Ronan’s office.
When I pass Ciara’s room, the two girls are chatting on the other side of the door.
Is Riley using Ciara as an excuse to get out of talking to me about her internship?
The thought makes my chest tighten.
Why would she avoid talking to me about this?
I fight the urge to storm inside and demand she tell me the truth.
Riley clearly wants space, and I’ll give her that, for now.
So, I head down the hall to Ronan’s office and toss the information packet on the table face down so I don’t have to stare at the mocking smile on the cover.
Taking a seat at the desk, I switch on the computer and load the email inbox that is tied toSullivan Investments.
I groan.
In the space of twelve hours, I already have over two hundred emails to go through. A few months ago, I would have killed to have this level of responsibility.
Seeing Ronan sitting behind the desk atSullivan Investments, the very one our father occupied, made me bitter with jealousy. I never understood why he would resent the responsibility handed to him, but now I do.
Right now, I want nothing more than to talk with Riley, but instead I’m in here reading through budget reports.
I guess you do have to be careful what you wish for.
