“The book?” Owen asked, shoulders lifting. “I mean, there are some spicy scenes that are?—"
“Not that.” My lips quirked at the corners. “To have a life outside of work. It’s been a while.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “Sounds like you should try it sometime.”
I might be forced to,I didn’t tell him. Although the thought of adding a woman to the equation of my life wasn’t a pleasant one. Between eighty-hour work weeks and a forced relationship with my parents, it wasn’t an environment I’d bring an enemy into, much less a woman I cared for.
My friends were safe—as long as the business worked.
And if it didn’t?
I suppressed a shudder. I couldn’t think about that.
Owen said, “Have you looked over the financials? Quentin is wanting your take on next quarter’s tech budget. Bryce said he needs an increase for?—"
“Approve it,” I said, sliding through my incoming emails. “Let him know I’ll sign off when I’m back in office.”
“But it’s a major increase,” Owen replied, stunned. “From the email, Quentin wants to reject it.”
“Bryce doesn’t ask for money he doesn’t need,” I said simply. I knew from living with him. Any piece of furniture on the side of the road was one polish or paint job away from taking residence in our place, regardless of my protests or the fact that my parents gave me an unlimited credit card. He also insisted on paying rent to my parents because it was the “right thing to do,” never mind that my father could use the rent money as toilet paper for how much the amount meant to him.
Bryce even knew how to sew his own clothing and would buy vintage designer suits for job interviews because he could hem or fix them himself. Getting money didn’t change a person—it made them more of who they were.
“Okay, I’ll let him know,” Owen finally said, tapping on his phone.
I opened another email and cursed. “The board wants to move up next week’s meeting? Why?”
“The chairman’s daughter has knee surgery the day we’d planned.”
“And the nanny can’t go with her?” I grunted. “She’ll be asleep the whole damn time.”
While a mix of streetlights and headlights blurred out the tinted window, Owen gave me that look that said my unique upbringing was showing. At my private school, being raised by nannies and waitstaff was the norm. Out in the “real world”, I was constantly learning just how fucked up my childhood was.
“Fine,” I said, giving in to the new meeting date. “We’ll need to reschedule travel with Cruz to see our advertisers in Montana.”
“Already done,” Owen replied.
I nodded, frustrated. My schedule was too off right now, thanks to taking this fucking trip to chase down a reality TV star. Her most recent claim to fame was riding in a rocket ship for exactly ten seconds. Gave her a damn god complex according to the interviews I’d watched while researching for this meeting.
But I had a perk with Aleyna that I didn’t have with Damien.
She was craving the approval she could never get from her dear old dad, so she looked for it everywhere else. Maybe, if I could give her a piece of it, I could convince her the smart thing to do would be for her and her brother to sell their inherited shares at a premium. We’d all be willing to pay it if it meant keeping the company under our control without darkening the doorstep of a wedding chapel.
Especially me. I wasn’t marriage material.
The others? I could see all of them in happy relationships one day. When it was their choice.
Whatever I had to do to stop Simon’s plan, I’d do it, no matter the cost.
The car slowed to a crawl, and I looked outside, seeing the street clogged with cars. We must be getting closer.
11.Bryce
I flickedon the lights in my house in one of Dallas’s older neighborhoods. The four-bedroom home was built over a century ago and set on an acre of land surrounded by white metal fencing and a mix of mature oak and pecan trees.
Jude and the others (but especially Jude) had called me crazy when they came for my housewarming party to see my new home wasn’t a mega mansion or some fancy penthouse. But this place was so much better—a piece of history in the middle of the city. My very own retreat with room to breathe after literally being stacked on top of people at The Tower.
Like usual, I took a quick shower, changed into lounge clothes and boots, and went out to my garage. It was detached from the house, added at a later date, but made to look original to the building.
