4. Declan
DECLAN
I blame myself.
It’s mostly my fault that Kian has become the kind of man that he is—one lacking any morals.
All the countless mistakes he made, and each time I covered for him.
I fixed the problems he caused, made the troubles go away, and kept Kian’s fuckups hidden so that they would never reflect poorly on our family.
Kian never had to answer for his actions. There were no consequences.
Now, this is what has become of those choices.
“Just tell me the amount, and I will pay it,” I argue with Leah’s former landlord.
This guy is a real slick asshole, the kind I won’t do business with. After I paid off the past-due rent on the lease she walked away from to be with my brother, I’m now trying to untangle the apartment mess he got her into with this second place.
“Well, the amount is rather subjective,” the sleazeball responds.
He recognized the Oliver name and is obviously expecting a big payout.
“No, it’s not. Financial numbers aren’t subjective. How much is owed to break the lease?”
“It’s not quite that simple, Mr. Oliver. You see, Leah’s rental application wasn’t the only thing she put her signature on. She also promised to pay the first three months of rent before even setting foot in the place. It was part of our agreement.”
“What kind of agreement is that?” I ask, feeling my outrage grow.
“The kind that overlooks some of the more questionable things on her application.”
“Let me see that,” I say as I snatch the paperwork out of his hands and read it over.
The rental application has all of Leah’s personal information. Her old address from the apartment she left behind, her phone number, email, driver’s license, even her Social Security number—all in the hands of this asshole.
A feeling of needing to protect Leah sweeps over me, as does a fresh wave of anger at Kian for having forged half of the shit on this joint application.
He’s the one who promised Leah he would cover the rent, including all this upfront bullshit, and he never paid the building a damn cent.
Leah gave up her old apartment for a promise that was never even a real deal.
“Fine,” I grumble. “Name your price.”
It isn’t about the money. This guy could ask for a million dollars, and I wouldn’t blink an eye. It’s about the principle of the matter. He’s taking advantage of innocent people. That said, if it’s the only way to clear up the mess that my brother left Leah in, I’ll do it.
The landlord smiles slowly, showing the yellowed teeth behind his cracked lips, and jots down a number on a piece of paper. He puts it in my hand without saying a word. I don’t say anything either. I simply look at the paper and cut him a check.
This is what I do best—fix problems silently.
“Nice doing business with you, Mr. Oliver,” he says after he stuffs my check inside his shirt pocket.
Wish I could say the same. “The broken lease penalty gets erased,” I demand. “No impact on her credit report. Leah’s name gets erased from the documents, and no one mentions this again. Handle it, or the next conversation won’t be nearly as pleasant.”
“Sure thing,” he laughs. “Your money buys my complete cooperation.”
“It better.”
When I get back to Koi Tower, I make a quick stop on the floor where Leah’s new condo is, the one that we’re letting her live in for free for the next six months.
I expect to see her still unpacking boxes, since we only just moved her into the building last week.
But as soon as she opens the door to let me in, I see a tidy, sparse condo with minimal furnishings and even fewer personal belongings sitting on the built-in shelves in the walls.
“Where’s all your stuff?” I ask, wondering whether she needs help purchasing some essentials.
“This is all of it. I don’t really like accumulating things. You never know when you might need to pack up and leave.”
I almost remind her that she has a solid six months here, more if needed, and that none of us are going to be tossing her out on the street. But I get the feeling her insistence on impermanence has nothing to do with us.
“I just wanted to see how you were settling in,” I say. “And to give you this.”
“What is it?” Leah takes the documents from my hand.
“The final paperwork from your lease termination and a fresh copy of your credit report. Everything has been handled. Your credit has been cleared; nothing flagged as fraud, and you’re not bound to that old lease anymore.”
“How? I owed money on that broken lease and—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I interrupt. I’m used to being the unshakable fixer in the family. I’m not used to explaining myself or receiving accolades for it. I do what needs to be done, and the results speak for themselves.
Leah looks at the clean credit report and lets out an audible sigh. I can practically see the weight lifted from her shoulders. Kian put her through a lot, and from the looks of it, she’s been through a lot even before getting wrapped up with my brother.
“Leah,” I say, careful not to overstep but finding it hard to resist reassuring her. “Stop waiting for everything to fall apart. You have a place to live and three billionaires who are taking care of all your needs. Take some time to rebuild things and breathe.”
“Yeah,” she huffs sarcastically. “I’m living in a tower full of the family that I was never supposed to meet, while also faking a relationship with my ex’s twin—nothing weird or stressful about that at all.”
Her joke does a poor job of covering up how bitterly betrayed and hurt she is. I want to reach out and touch the side of her cheek, just to show her that we aren’t all assholes like Kian, but I don’t.
“Look, don’t worry about it. I’ll save up my money and leave the moment I can afford to,” she says. “And I am definitely going to pay you back every cent of the rent here. How much does this condo go for anyway?”
I don’t answer because the rentals in Koi Tower cost far more than she can afford on a freelancer’s salary.
Koi Tower is a mixed-use condominium development, and the Oliver company retains ownership of several units, including Leah’s.
Her unit also happens to be one of the nicest, other than the penthouses on the top floor, of course.
“We can worry about that later. For now, I’ll let you get back to your work.”
Leah nods and hands me back the paperwork before I leave.
“I don’t need these copies, but thank you. I don’t want any reminder of all this crap.”
I don’t blame her. This whole thing is a new low, even for Kian. Forged documents, other people’s names on his messes, actual damage to another person’s life—it’s impressive that Leah is handling this with such grace instead of wanting to go full postal on my brother.
Still, she needs to retain these types of records, so I’ll keep them safe for her.
I take the folder back, and Leah closes the door behind me after I step out of the condo.
Most women would take the free rent, feeling like they deserve it, especially after having been wronged by a guy as badly as she was. But Leah keeps insisting on repaying it. I respect that.
She has more character in one of her delicate, little fingers than Kian has in his entire body.
As I head back up to my penthouse, I think about the loose ends I took care of.
I don’t think I have anything else to handle besides what I already did.
But a part of me still feels “on guard,” as if I want to keep watching over Leah, fixing any problems before they reach her, keeping her safe, even if that means protecting her from my own brother and his bad life decisions.
Funny, I don’t think I’ve ever felt the desire to look after and take care of anyone outside of our family before. Feelings aren’t exactly my thing. Maybe years of trying to hold my own family together numbed me to all of that.
But this feeling is a new one, something I can’t seem to shake. And it intensifies every time I speak to Leah.