Dyson raised an eyebrow. “She probably thought you were dead and moved on, seeing as she didn’t hear from you for an eternity.”
“That’s valid.”
“You fell hard, didn’t you, bro? Don’t give up. Find a way to showher how you feel. Explain why you lost your shit. Tellher you picked up the phone, that you wanted to talk, but things were caving in.”
I looked at him silently.
“She’ll probably understand that you had baggage to unpack. You just need to figure out a way to connect with her. Simple enough, right?” He shrugged and chugged his coffee.
I laughed.If only.
I dug around in my pocket for my phone. “I’ll try her again.”
KARSON: Ivy, I’m so sorry. I should have messaged you sooner. I know I was an idiot. Can we talk?
I slid my phone back into my pocket, wondering if she’d ever reply as I stared out over the endless blue ocean. A moment later, it vibrated.
Punching the air in excitement, I reached into my pocket—but dropped it on the floor as I pulled it out. I scrambled for it frantically, then unlocked it.
IVY: It’s too hard, Karson. I need to move on. Don’t hate me. I hope everything works out for you x
“Fuck!”
I threw my phone across the deck and kicked the railing.
“FUCK!”
“Whoa!” Dyson glared at me. “What’s up, bro?”
I looked out over the railing to where my phone lay on the grass. “It’s too late. She’s moved on. And I get it,” I said, frustration rising.
“Chill,” he said calmly. “This is just round one. There’s still the gala. Make it count.”
I glanced at him, then out over the ocean. “Alright. I might have an idea,” I replied.
Dyson nodded absentmindedly, but his eyes were glued to his phone.
My mind drifted back to Karlos. The thought of him being safe and sound in the Caribbean weighed on me more than I wanted to admit. The fallout with Ivy was on me—I let my own unresolved issues cloud my judgment. But none of this would’ve happened if Karlos had stayed out of my fucking business. He’d destroyed everything…
SolStar was under federal investigation. All assets had been seized—the offices, the houses, the cars, his helicopter, and the ski chalet.
All of it. Except the house in Bronte.
Another thing the sneaky bastard had put in my name without my knowledge (which I discovered during the asset seizure).
He probably did it to give himself a fallback if everything came unstuck with the web of lies he’d used to run the company. It cut me to the core knowing all the SolStar employees were now out of a job.
“Karson,” Dyson said with a lopsided grin, “I have to tell you something.”
“Shoot,” I said, still staring at my phone on the grass.
“I was going to tell you later, but now is… well, it’s the perfect time,” he continued. “It might even take your mind off things for a bit.” He jumped down off the deck, scooped up my phone, then tossed it to me.
“Thanks,” I said as I caught it in my outstretched hand. “So, what is it?”
He cast a glance over the top of his sunglasses at me. “Archie from school has offered us a big win.”
“Oh yeah,” I said, half-listening.
