This was my world, hearing the numbers and devising a strategy around them that would ensure long-term stability, but somewhere around the fifteen-minute mark, something strange started happening. Instead of analyzing the information he was giving me, my mind wandered, starting to imagine a different kind of life for myself. A life far away from boardrooms, acquisitions, and the relentless pressure of running ops for one of the most powerful companies in the country.
The life taking shape in my mind was much slower and quieter. In it, I was retired from W&S, living at the castle withEliza. I could practically see it, our kids racing through the garden, the sound of their laughter echoing off the old stone walls. Eliza sitting beside me on a bench with a cup of tea, watching them with that soft smile she got when she thought no one was looking.
I’d lean over and kiss her temple?—
A shrill voice shattered the moment, instantly snapping me back to reality. “I hope I’m not interrupting something important.”
My head snapped up, but as soon as I saw who the voice belonged to, I wished I could just go back to my imagination. Because standing in the doorway was someone I hadn’t seen in years. Someone I hadn’t wanted to ever see again.
Eugenie.
She paused dramatically, flipping her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder like she’d just stepped onto a runway instead of into her father’s office. She looked exactly the same as she had when Jesse had been dating her, tall, with statuesque, striking features, heavy makeup, and a skin-tight, impeccable dress.
The very picture of high society. Her sharp blue eyes landed on me, narrowing slightly as her gaze swept over my face.
James pushed his chair back and stood, clearly surprised to see her. “Genie, I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
She walked into the room, her heels clicking against the floor with deliberate precision, but her gaze never left my face.
James gestured toward me. “I’m sure you remember Jesse Westwood?”
As soon as Eugenie turned fully to face me, I knew that she knew I wasn’t Jesse. It wasn’t a suspicion or a worry. I knew it for an absolute fact, without a shadow of a doubt.
She knew who I was.
It was in the way her eyes had sharpened the second they’d landed on my face. In the slight pause of her step. In the way her perfectly arched eyebrow lifted just a fraction too high.
For most people, the resemblance between my brother and me was enough to confuse them. Especially if they hadn’t seen both of us in the same room in years, but Eugenie tilted her head slightly, studying me. Then she looked at her father and my stomach dropped.
This is it. Game over.
The carefully balanced lie I’d been maintaining for the last couple weeks was about to detonate spectacularly. My brain rapidly started trying to prepare for the fallout, thinking up explanations and apologies.
I nearly winced when I thought about the inevitable moment when Eliza would look at me and realize I’d been lying. That I wasn’t who I’d led her to believe. The trust she’d put in me was about to be shattered and I didn’t know if we could ever recover from that.
Meanwhile, somewhere along the way, I’d stopped thinking of her as someone else’s future wife. Logically, I knew she wasn’t mine to kiss or to dream about. She definitely wasn’t mine to imagine a peaceful retirement with in the gardens of her ancestral castle. Yet, logic didn’t have much to do with it for me.
Not anymore.
As all those thoughts tumbled through my head, I straightened slightly in the chair, bracing for an impact I knew was going to be infinitely more painful than I could comprehend right now. Eugenie’s gaze flicked back to me, and for one extended moment, we just stared at each other.
Her lips curved slowly into a coy smile. “Oh, of course, I remember him. It’s been a while, but I’d never forget dearJesse.”
Her smile widened, her tone smooth and polished, but her eyes said something else entirely. They sparkled with unmistakable recognition and mischief, and I held her gaze, silently pleading with every higher power currently accepting applications.
Please don’t say anything. Please. Please.
“Hey, Eugenie,” I said, hoping I managed to match the aloof confidence of her tone. “How have you been?”
“I can’t complain too much.” She studied me like a cat considering whether to play with its prey or simply eat it, finally giving a small, elegant shrug. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
Okay, so crisis temporarily averted.
I exhaled slowly through my nose and pushed to my feet. It was time to get out of here, before she changed her mind.
“As much as I’d love to stay and reminisce,” I said dryly, doing my best to replicate Jesse’s brisk tone, “Eliza and I have a flight to catch.”
James nodded immediately. “Of course, of course. I won’t keep you. We’ll finalize the rest when you return for the wedding.”
