Chapter 58 Bryce
The five of us founders sat in the office together with Simon.
Maybe it was just because I knew of his condition, but I found myself looking for any slight change of his features—the redness of his cheeks, the extra wrinkles formed around his lips, the way he winced a little as he sat down in the office chair.
Even though my wedding was coming the following week, would it be enough? Or would we all have gotten married before he could make good on his promise?
Jude called the meeting to order, not participating in any small talk.
He wouldn’t even look me in the eye. “Our annual charity gala is tomorrow night, and with the extra press attention around Simon’s condition and Bryce’s engagement, I want our head of PR to brief us on potential questions we may get. ”
“Smart,” Simon said.
Jude nodded toward Owen, who let Solana in. She handed a sheet of paper to each of us. “These are your talking points if someone asks you a question outright. As always, I recommend you practice them in a mirror to make sure it comes across naturally.”
I glanced down at the piece of paper in front of me, noting there were lines written to be convincing from my perspective.
When I looked up, Solana brushed a heavy curtain of dark hair behind her ear. “Remember, just because someone’s not wearing a press badge doesn’t mean they’re not connected in some way. Anyone you speak to could be leaking information to competitors or news organizations.”
Cruz nodded emphatically. “Unless it’s your mama or one of us...” He made the motion of zipping his lips.
Solana asked, “Any questions?”
No one had any, so she exited the room, leaving the six of us in there.
Cruz stood to give us a presentation on people attending the event.
Major names in the tech, finance, and design spaces would be there, along with local political figureheads.
While most people came to the gala to enjoy the music, food, and company, we all had a mission assigned based on our company goals.
Quentin had to schmooze the CEO of a leading fintech company.
Aaric was to connect with the CPO of a major app to help us improve employee morale.
Cruz would meet with famous attendees in search of potential testimonials.
Meanwhile, Jude would form a warm impression with a new app developer we wanted to eventually acquire.
However, this year, my only chore was to convince everyone in attendance that I was madly, deeply in love with Jada Baker.
It would be the easiest role I’ve ever had at a company affair.
We went over a few miscellaneous items before turning to the topic of my wedding, which they would all be attending. Part of me wanted to disinvite Simon, but for all his faults, he was like a second father to me. I hated to think of wasting what precious little time I had with him.
At the end of the meeting, I got up to leave for my next meeting, but Jude caught my arm.
“Wait,” he asked quietly.
I gave him a curious look but did as he asked. We stood in silence until we were the only two left in the conference room, and finally, I asked, “What are we waiting for?”
Jude said, “Bryce, I don’t want this to come between us.”
My back stiffened. “What specifically are you referring to? How you illegally acquired information about my fiancée or how you sent it to my father without any warning?”
Jude’s jaw ticked. “Bryce, you have to know I was trying to protect you.”
“Who’s protecting Jada?” I asked, floored. “She’s flirting with the poverty line, caring for her grandma, and now alone with a baby because some lowlife decided it would be easier to offer her an abortion than actual support.”
Jude flinched.
“Didn’t know about that, did you?” I muttered. How could he be the smartest man I knew and the dumbest at the same time?
He looked at me. “My duty isn’t to her. It’s to you.”
“I can’t make distinctions like that,” I argued. “Not now that I know, not now that I love her.”
“Just because you love her doesn’t mean you need to marry her,” Jude said sadly, and it made me wonder what the story was. I may have asked if I wasn’t growing more frustrated by the second.
“Jude, you’re the reason this is coming between us.” I gestured toward the hallway off the conference room. “Everyone else is congratulating me, thanking me for helping with this problem Simon threw our way. Why aren’t you?”
He stayed silent for a moment. “I love those guys, but you’re my brother, Bryce. Don’t you get that? Just sitting back and watching you make the biggest mistake of your life isn’t love.”
I pressed my lips together. “Maybe not. But this isn’t either.” I brushed past him and left the conference room, wondering if our friendship would ever survive my marriage.