24. Twenty-Four
Twenty-Four
Luke
I stare at my reflection in the recording booth’s glass, but my mind is elsewhere. Two days have passed since that night at Lila’s apartment. Between rehearsals, meetings with the band, and trying to piece together everything that went down that night, I’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone think about Lila.
But when I do think about her, it’s all-consuming.
The memory of that night lingers like a shadow, creeping into every quiet moment. I regret how rough I was with her and how I let my frustration and fear cloud my judgment. But I don’t regret the truth that passed between us, the way she met my anger with unwavering strength.
She risked everything—her business, her reputation—just to help my father and me. And she looked so damn beautiful doing it. I can’t get the image out of my head. The memory of her pressed against that wall, defiant even as I lost control. Even just thinking about the passion of that moment makes my heart pound.
“Hey, Luke!” Vince waves his hand in front of my face. “You planning on laying down these tracks today, or should we reschedule?”
“Sorry.” I adjust my headphones, trying to focus. “Let’s take it from the bridge.”
Three hours and countless takes later, we finally nail the track. It’s good—maybe our best yet—but my heart isn’t in it. Everything feels secondary to what’s happening with Sterling Motors—with Marcus—with Lila.
Especially Lila.
I check my phone again. No messages from her, not that I expected any. I’m the one who abruptly left her apartment that night, too angry to trust myself further around her. Too scared of what I might say or do if I stayed any longer.
The guys are packing up their gear when my father calls.
“Luke, I’ve heard from Gibson. His office, in one hour,” he says without preamble. “The team’s finished their analysis.”
My stomach tightens. “I’ll be there.”
The drive across town gives me too much time to think. About Lila in that kitchen at Marcus’s mansion, playing her part perfectly while conducting corporate espionage. About how natural she looked, how no one suspected a thing. Not even me, until it was too late.
I should be furious. Part of me still is. But mostly, I’m in awe of her courage. And terrified of what could have happened.
Gibson’s office is already crowded when I arrive. He and his tech team have transformed one wall into a display of interconnected documents and financial records. My father sits beside Jaxson’s desk, looking more like himself than he has in weeks.
“Late night?” Jaxson asks as I drop into a chair.
“Studio session.” I clear my throat, stealing myself. “What did you find?”
“More than we could have hoped for.” He hands me a thick file. “Thanks to the data from Marcus’s tablet—which we wouldn’t have without Lila’s help, by the way—we’ve mapped his entire operation.”
I ignore the pointed comment about Lila. “Give me the highlights.”
“Marcus has been systematically weakening Sterling’s position for months through a series of shell companies. He’s been acquiring additional shares, along with convincing Chen and Hartley to vote with him. All while positioning for a hostile takeover. But that’s just the surface.”
My father leans forward. “Might as well show us the rest.”
Jaxson pulls up several documents on his laptop. “These are internal memos between Marcus and his conspirators. He’s been orchestrating ‘accidents’ at your manufacturing plants—strategic supply chain disruptions. All designed to make it look like mismanagement on Jim’s part.”
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter, scanning the evidence.
“It gets worse.” Jaxson clicks through more files. “He’s been gathering dirt on all the board members, building blackmail files. Robert Chen and William Hartley were his major targets. I’m guessing that if they tried to back out of the deal, he’d still be able to control them... ”
“The board would vote however he wanted.” The pieces click into place. “Including removing Dad as head of the company.”
“Exactly.” My father’s voice is grim. “Robert and William are meeting us here in twenty minutes. They need to see this before Marcus makes his next move.”
I lean back, processing. “You think they’ll believe it?”
“The evidence is irrefutable,” Jaxson says. “And both men have been friends with your father for years. They’ll listen.”
My phone buzzes—for just a moment, I think it’s from Lila.
‘ Just checking that you’re okay. I haven’t heard from you.’
But it’s from Crystal. I grimace, ignoring the text, and shoving my phone back into my pocket.
Simple words that, if they were from Lila would slice right through me. I think of her that night, the way she stood her ground as I raged at her. How she didn’t back down, didn’t apologize for doing what she thought was right.
God, she was beautiful in her defiance and even more beautiful later when I—
“Speaking of Lila,” Jaxson says carefully, “she’s been instrumental in— “
“No!” The word comes out sharper than intended. “I won’t have her involved in this again.”
My father gives me a knowing look. “Son, you can’t protect her if she doesn’t want your protection.”
“I can try.” I stand, needing to move. “She’s not trained for this. She has no idea what Marcus is capable of.”
“I think she knew exactly what she was risking,” Jaxson counters. “She made an informed choice to help despite the danger. No matter what she says—she did it for you.”
The memory of her words that night hits me again: “You’re worth it.”
Worth risking her safety, her business, and everything she’s built. The thought makes me want to shake her and kiss her senseless at the same time.
“Robert and William will be here soon,” my father says, mercifully changing the subject. “We need to decide how to present this to them.”
We spend the next ten minutes organizing the evidence and building our case. But my mind keeps drifting to Lila’s and how she looked when I left her.
I should apologize for that night, for losing control. But I’m not sorry for claiming her, for showing her exactly what she does to me. And I’m not sorry for wanting to protect her, even if she doesn’t want my protection.
“They’re here,” Jaxson announces, checking his phone.
I straighten in my chair, pushing thoughts of Lila aside. Time to focus on taking Marcus down. Time to save my family’s company.
But later... later, I need to see her to make her understand why I took her the way I did—so roughly. I need to feel her against me again, warm and alive and safe.
For now, though, we have a war to win.
I find myself outside Lila’s apartment the next afternoon. The movement in her kitchen window tells me she’s cooking, probably planning the next week’s dinner parties. My chest tightens, thinking about how dedicated she is to her work, helping us, and everything she does .
When I ring the bell, there’s a pause before her door opens. She’s wearing her usual yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt, her hair pulled up in a messy bun. Something flickers across her face—uncertainty, maybe, or wariness. But she looks behind me, biting her lip, then steps aside to let me in.
“Hi,” she says softly, closing the door. “Are you sure it’s okay for us to be seen together?”
“I don’t care if it is or not,” I tell her truthfully. “I wanted to see you. Give you an update on what’s been going on.”
She’s been baking—the apartment smells like warm sugar and vanilla. It’s so perfectly Lila that my throat tightens.
“I’m sorry,” I finally say, moving closer. “About the other night. I shouldn’t have—“
“Lost control?” Her lips curve slightly. “Or what happened afterward?”
“Everything except what happened after.” The words come out before I can stop them.
She looks up, those brown-hazel eyes searching my face. “I know you were worried.”
“Worried doesn’t begin to cover it.” I lean against her kitchen counter, needing its solid support. “You acted like you weren’t involved. Then, when Jaxson told me just how involved you’d been—“
“Luke.” She moves to stand in front of me. “I’m okay. Nothing happened.”
“But it could have.” I reach out, unable to help myself, caressing the curve of her face. “You don’t know what Marcus is capable of.”
“Can you tell me what Jaxson’s team found?” She gives me a rueful smile. “It’s been hard not knowing.”
The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies fills the space between us as I blow out a breath. “We met with Chen and Hartley today. Showed them everything we found—everything you helped us get.” I grimly tell her of Marcus’ plans. “The look on their faces when they realized what Marcus has been doing...” I shake my head.
“How is Crystal? Does she suspect anything?” Lila moves to her oven, pulls out a hot tray of cookies, and sets them to cool.
“Honestly? I don’t know. I haven’t been in touch with her.” Lila glances up in surprise. “I almost feel sorry for her. She didn’t pick her father, but that doesn’t mean she’s innocent. She brought most of it on herself.” I think of Crystal’s calculated manipulations over the last few weeks. “I have a feeling she’ll always land on her feet.”
Lila nods, then hesitates. “So, it’s over then?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. But hopefully, it will be next week, after the board meeting. Chen and Hartley are firmly in Dad’s corner now. Jaxson’s coordinating with federal authorities—turns out Marcus’s creative accounting caught some serious attention.” I run a hand through my hair. “We’re setting up a sting. The less you know about it, the better.”
“Luke—“
“Please.” I cross the kitchen to her, catching her hands in mine. “Just trust me a little longer. Until this whole mess is behind us.”
She nods and squeezes my fingers. “Of course. Always.”
The simple declaration hits me like a punch to the gut. The sunlight streaming through her windows cast shadows across her face, and I want nothing more than to pull her close, to show her exactly what those words mean to me. But there’s more I need to tell her.
“There’s still the balloon payment to deal with,” I say reluctantly. “Even with the board backing Dad, last year’ s fire put the company in a tough spot. Between my music revenue and our other holdings, we’re still coming up short.”
“How short?”
“Too much.” I don’t want to burden her with the exact figures. “We need a miracle, basically.”
She’s quiet for a moment, then says, “You’ll find a way. I’m sure of it.”
Her faith in me is humbling. Dangerous. I’m already too invested, too attached to this woman who moved in next door—into my life and turned everything upside down.
“Lila.” My voice is rough. “What you did—helping us, risking everything—I need you to know...”
She presses her fingers to my lips. “Not yet. Tell me when this is over.”
She’s right, of course. There’s too much at stake right now for declarations or promises. But standing here in her warm kitchen, I’ve never wanted her more.
I watch as she places three still-hot cookies from the oven on a plate and hands them to me .
“Here, I made these for you. You said they’re your favorite.” She smiles. “And I know you’re always hungry.”
Instead of taking the plate of cookies, I reach for her, pulling her into my arms. “You’re right about that,” I softly whisper as I cover her lips with mine.
“Luke, what if someone saw you come in here?” She says as she reluctantly starts to pull away.
“And I told you, I’m done caring,” I tell her roughly, then lean down and sweep her off her feet and cradle her in my arms.
I carry her into her bedroom and proceed to make slow, sweet love to her, so different from the last time—until she softly calls out my name and comes in my arms.
Afterward, I hold her close, keeping the words I long to say locked inside—at least for now.