Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
“I would give up my new purse to witness one of them approach Lianna,” Miranda said, caught up on the latest news. She picked up a fry and pointed it at Wrenly. “If you don’t eat more of that sandwich, Bennett is going to freak out.”
“You could take a bite before you send him a picture of my plate.”
“He’s going to look you in the eye and ask you if you ate everything. You can’t get away with lying, and if you evade, he’s going to know it.”
She made an angry face.
“None of that,” I said. “Bennett isn’t interested in controlling you.
You know that. Be upfront with him. Tell him his micromanaging is damaging your ovaries and jeopardizing the likelihood of additional fur babies.
Remember the apartment rules you made for him?
Make rules for pregnancy. Give him guidelines for when he’s allowed to intervene and when he needs to keep quiet.
He’ll be fine. Now, pass me your plate because I’m starving. ”
Both of them smirked at me.
“Those evening workouts won’t be easing up for a while,” Miranda said knowingly.
“They’ll need to. We have another dinner tonight, a gathering tomorrow, and another Saturday. I love the workouts, but I need sleep if he doesn’t want me throat punching people.”
Wrenly scoffed. “You’re a ray of sunshine on five hours and hungover. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you truly angry.”
“I’ve heard it,” Miranda said. “The day her love rival fired her.”
My phone started to ring before I could take the low road on that comment. I saw Mom’s name. She was out with Kaya, meeting another of Kaya’s acquaintances connected to one of Mom’s old jobs. Worried something had happened, I picked it up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing and a little of everything,” Mom said with a hint of anger. “It’s confirmed. I really was being targeted. The lady today remembered my name. She said someone from a company called to let them know I’d been quietly blacklisted and suggested they fire me before word got out.
“She was kind enough to apologize for not fact-checking. They’d been going through financial difficulties at the time and had blindly reacted.
“While she was trying to remember the name of the company, the woman from yesterday called, like we’d unlocked some secret code to enlightenment, and gave the company name. The second one confirmed it was the same company.
“Kaya already messaged Balak so he can start looking into who owns it. I just wanted to call you and…” She sighed heavily. “I’m just so angry.”
And I understood why. They’d manipulated her employment for over a decade. That wasn’t just targeting; it was emotional and mental abuse she hadn’t even seen because they’d hidden so well.
“You have every right to be angry. We’ll find out who did this and why, Mom. I promise. Now tell me that you and Kaya are going to do something fun and distracting to shake away all the bad vibes.”
“We are,” Kaya said in the background. “We’re going shopping so your mom can buy ridiculously expensive jewelry to wear on Saturday to stick it to whoever thought they could push her down.”
“Good. Whatever she tries to spend, make her add at least one zero to it,” I said before letting them go.
“News on the saboteur?” Wrenly asked.
“A company name associated with the person who contacted Mom’s previous employers.”
“Excellent. I bet you have a name by the end of the day.”
I hoped she was right.
Thankfully, Mom wasn’t the type to cling to her anger.
Her shopping spree with Kaya, which had involved buying a gift for me to wear Saturday too—one they weren’t letting me see until then, much to my torment and their delight—had put her in a great mood even though Balak still hadn’t heard from his contact by dinner.
Arm in arm and still talking about their shopping spree, the pair trailed behind Konni’s grandparents into the downtown hotel. Balak walked beside me while Konni trailed a polite distance behind. However, if he was watching me like his father was watching his mom, distance wouldn’t fool anyone.
A host led our group to a private dining room dominated by a long, banquet-style table that already seated twelve people.
“Becky,” a woman said, standing to greet Konni’s grandma. “It’s good to see you again.”
We all took our seats, and small talk flowed, predominantly around the elder Steeles’ recent travels until Becky’s friend looked at Konni and asked why Lianna wasn’t with him.
“Since she quit Steele Corp and Mom’s been spending her time with Mrs. Elmantas, I’m no longer obligated to endure her unwanted attention.”
His unexpected bluntness was met with a few beats of heavy silence. Was everyone else choking back the need to laugh out loud like me? I glanced around the room. Kaya and Mom looked vaguely amused, but everyone else was hiding it really well if they felt it.
“Unwanted? She’s a female dragon. Of course she’s wanted.”
“Not by me,” Konni said. “I only want my mate, and Lianna isn’t her.”
“How do you know?” the woman asked shrewdly.
“Because I’ve already scented my mate. I’m just waiting for her to accept me.”
She glanced at me with a hint of amusement.
“If you’re anything like Balak,” she continued, “you’re probably going to take the long way. I look forward to your joining celebration.”
After that, no one else said anything about mates or Lianna.
I leaned back and stretched, feeling a subtle ache in my middle—proof of the debt I’d paid for the careful distance Konni had maintained during dinner.
Thoughts lingering on his debt-collection methods, I glanced at his office door.
What would he do if I snuck in there for a kiss?
Probably pin me to the desk. My overused muscles twitched in interest and warning.
Too much of a good thing could turn it into something not good, and I was already walking a fine line.
Sighing, I focused on the two emails still waiting for my response. The same project managers who’d provided false priority lists were doing everything they could to create problems where none existed, likely to distract me from the real issues. It wasn’t working, and obviously, neither were they.
“I’ll be right back, Edi,” I said, standing.
He nodded as I walked into Konni’s office, keeping the door open.
Konni looked up from his computer, and when he saw it was me, he leaned back in his chair to give me his full attention. It created an inviting space for me to sit on his lap. I didn’t—but I really wanted to.
I sat across from him.
Gold flooded his eyes as he took in my scowl and crossed arms.
“Who upset you?” he asked.
“I think it’s you, but I’m willing to give you a chance to explain why you haven’t done anything about the project managers who are clearly in Lianna’s pocket.”
“You’re making it difficult to remember boundaries.”
“If you explain your reasons, I might not be annoyed, which means I won’t need comfort. Talk, Mr. Steele.”
The corners of his mouth twitched as even more gold flooded his eyes.
“It’s unclear whether they’re acting of their own free will or being coerced in some way. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt until your welcome party.”
Uncrossing my arms, I admitted, “I didn’t even think of that.”
“Your welcome party?”
I rolled my eyes. “That they might not be willing pains in my ass.”
His pupils went wide, and he glanced at the door.
I quickly popped out of the chair.
“My annoyance is gone. Thank you for explaining.” I turned to leave.
“Sophia.”
The way he said my name, heavy with warning and need, stopped me. How could he make me so horny just by saying my name? It had to be the delicious way he smelled every time he got close to me.
His hands skimmed down my arms as his lips grazed the back of my neck, sending a shiver through me.
“Next time, close the door when you come in.”
I shook my head. He chuckled against my skin, then released me.
In a different—and distracted—frame of mind, I responded to the emails, giving them simple solutions to their non-issues.
Konni called me into his office again after lunch. When he asked me to close the door, I gave him a suspicious look.
“Our parents are on the phone.”
I shut the door and hurried to sit. “What happened?
“The company is a shell company owned by the Hildcrasks,” Balak said.
The news surprised me more than it should have.
“It’s owned by a trust, actually,” Mom said, “with a fair number of members. Mostly Hildcrask descendants and their spouses.”
“And dad is in the trust,” I said, already guessing.
“He is and has been since your mother started facing employment issues,” Balak said.
I considered what he was saying. Dad gained access to power and influence by marrying into the Hildcrask family.
He’d used the shell company as a cover to force Mom into a position to sell him her company shares, and then, when things got really bad, he’d tried to use me to gain the contract with Hestian.
It made sense. But it also didn’t.
I realized they were all being quiet as I processed the news.
“If you think I’m going to have some kind of emotional breakdown that the donor is behind everything, I’m not. But I am struggling to make sense of it.
“Even though I hadn’t talked to him in years, I remember how he was.
“He’s a man interested in power and money.
Everything he does is a calculation of risk versus reward.
I can see job losses right after the divorce being him.
Mom had shares he wanted. Why didn’t he stop targeting her once he had all the shares?
What is he after that he’s willing to risk attempted murder charges?
“He wouldn’t risk life in prison for a simple contract and social connection, no matter what kind of value is behind it.”
“I thought of that too and agree,” Mom said. “But maybe he thought using the shell company shielded him?”
“If he wanted to be ambiguous, he wouldn’t have kept pushing me toward Hestian, especially after the data leak put him in the spotlight.”
“Has he contacted you lately?” Mom asked.