Chapter 10 Jude
A sense of relief fell over me as I stepped onto the tarmac in Los Angeles. Literal continents away from Damien wasn’t far enough. How Simon produced that offspring should be studied by science.
Unfortunately, the relief of being on home soil didn’t last all that long because Simon’s daughter was a challenge all her own. She was flighty and impossible to pin down even with a plan.
Once Owen and I were settled in the back of a town car, he said, “Aleyna canceled your formal dinner”—I swore under my breath—"but she sent the location of an after-party and said you could come.”
“An after-party for what?” I asked, mentally prepping myself for the type of crowd we’d be around.
Owen tapped on his phone screen, reading the text. “Faking It, based on that romance book by Mara Taylor. My girlfriend made me read it so we can watch it together when we get back.”
“Your girlfriend...” I looked down at my hands in my lap. “Tell me what it’s like.”
“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.