She reaches up to rub the bridge of her nose. “I don’t even know what to say to you right now.”
Say that you should’ve been out withmeinstead of Rich McDickson.
Where thefuckare these thoughts coming from? The intern might be hot, but she isnotmy type. She’s too mouthy and too… I don’t know. Just not for me.
“Say that you’ll do your job.”
“The job you keep trying to get me fired from?” her voice is climbing in pitch. She drops her hand from her face and glares right back at me. “One second, you’re getting me forced out of the pit lane, and the next, you’re telling me I shouldn’t have free time.”
I didn’t say free time, per se. I saiddatingtime. But, the idea of her having neither isn’t repulsive.
“I’m not interested in getting you fired.”
“Since when?”
Since I decided that fucking with you is more fun. “No more dates,” I grit out. Before I can make even more of a fool of myself, I walk away, leaving her to stew at her desk—exactly where she ought to be.
On my way out of headquarters, I’m stopped by Ilya. Jesus, is there no avoiding him? He’s like a poltergeist, permanently showing up wherever I am.
“Heard from William,” he says. “Sounds like he enjoyed your company last night, though he mentioned an abrupt departure. Something about you chasing after Hunter Aster?”
Is that the name of the dickwad Victoria was with? And more importantly, why the fuck does Ilya know who he is?
“Who?”
“Hunter Aster,” Ilya repeats slowly. “The hedge fund mogul. The one with a massive Forbes profile last year?” he frowns. “If you don’t know who he is, why were you after him?”
“I wasn’t. I was just sick of small talk. William spent the night blabbering about an exhibition he attended in London and how much he loves the wife he’s cheating on.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Ilya drawls. “Getting an Aster as a sponsor wouldn’t hurt. Probably better father than son, though—the old man is worth five billion.”
I have absolutely no interest in hearing about Victoria’s wealthy prospects. And yet, I can’t help but mutter, “Didn’t peg her for a gold-digger.”
“Who?” Ilya looks confused.
“Victoria. She was with Hunter.”
“Oh.” Ilya chuckles. “I very much doubt they were at dinner because she’s courting his money.”
An itch of anger spreads over the back of my neck. “Then why?”
“Because he’s her brother.”
Wait.What?
“HunterAsteris VictoriaLinden’sbrother?” I repeat.
Ilya nods. “She hasn’t mentioned it, but it popped up on her background check. They have the same mother and father, though her parents were divorced by the time they had her. She’s the only one of her father’s children without his name. It was a big scandal in the news when it happened.” He shrugs. “I think Soren approved her hire in hopes that she’d bring family money with her, and I didn’t feel the need to say otherwise, but I doubt that’ll be the case. She’s here because I want her algorithm…ifshe ever gets around to finishing it. Which is beginning to look less and less likely.”
His phone starts ringing; he pulls it out of his pocket and frowns down at it. “I have to take this. Good work today—get into the simulator more often.”
He leaves me reeling with two realizations. First; the intern let me think she was out on a date just to fuck with me. Second; I might’ve finally met someone with a family as fucked as mine.
Huh.
Chapter Twelve
Victoria
