Chapter 13
JETT
I do hate musicals, but Alicia was excited about going, so I may have fibbed that I was looking forward to it as well.
I broke up with Dina after hours of make-up sex, the evening of that last time she texted me. As we lay in bed, she announced that she was going to Miami for a New Year’s Eve party, and asked if I wanted to come. Hell no. Parties and raves are not my thing. And clearly, since she expected me to leave my daughter on New Year’s Eve, that told me we were two very different people. So I broke up with her. She barely blinked, then proceeded to tell me it would be refreshing to go into the new year alone, and not with someone saddled with emotional baggage.
I didn't even bother to question what she meant about that.
We'd both used one another for sex, and now we were done.
Next time Alicia mentions another musical, I’ll politely decline. Cari was right. She’s always right.
I let out a groan. I really should stop thinking about her. Dina pointed something out to me that I’ve had to face. I care for her more than I should, and she takes up more space in my head than is normal or natural.
She’s my goddamn assistant.
Nothing can ever happen between us. Nothing. Ever. The power dynamics and the imbalance are wrong, and she’s so much younger than me. She’s even younger than Dina and Alicia.
And my father would not approve. Not that I need his approval, but he’s kept us all in line somehow, dangling money and deals and the promise of legacy in our faces.
With this deal, I’ve done something that has riled him. Something he didn’t expect. Something that goes against his grain, and I’m learning to step out of our billion-dollar comfort zone. I want to get to the stage where if he disowns me, or disinherits me, it won’t matter. I’ll still be able to go out on my own. I’ll still have Brooke and a way to earn a living.
If the worst happens and he does disinherit me one day, it won’t be such a bad thing. I’m lucky and privileged. When I see Cari, it’s clear that her mother’s illness is weighing down on her. I was brought back to reality when I heard her worrying about rent, and when I saw the state of the place she lives in. It was nice and homey. I could see her touches, but the place needed a coat of paint and some freshening up. That will be my next thing to talk to her landlord about—behind her back. At least he’s fixed the water faucet and fitted new tiles in the bathroom.
But, I need to keep her at bay.
Alicia is good for me. It’s different and new, and that’s enough for now. I know what to expect in this relationship, and it’s nothing more than what I’m used to.
Over Christmas, I invited Eden over for a playdate, and Tobias and Savannah came too. Spending more time with the Stones shows me with sharp contrast what is clearly missing from my life. From Brooke’s life.
Seeing what Tobias has makes me reflect on my own life more than ever. Sometimes I question myself. Am I just moving from woman to woman, searching for something?
And what the hell is that something ?
I feel restless, incomplete—hungry for more. Not sex. The sex is always great. No complaints there. But I want something lasting . Something real. Something that doesn’t vanish with the sunrise.
I just don’t know what it looks like yet.
I drag myself through another grueling meeting with my father. Paul Knight sits across the boardroom table like a king at his throne, picking apart every detail of the Vanhelm deal. He keeps his tone calm and cold, using his words as weapons.
“This is a gamble . A reckless one,” he says, his mouth curled into a faint sneer. “Vanhelm’s shift to renewables is untested. If you fail, you drag this entire family empire down with you. You can still pull out—it’s not too late.”
Is he fucking serious? We’re so close to signing. I grip the edge of the table, holding back my frustration. “It’s not untested, and I won’t fail.”
Dex speaks up—his tone sharp and cutting. “Relax. Vanhelm’s numbers check out, and you know it. This move is smart, whether you like it or not.”
Paul doesn’t look at him. He stares at me, as though every choice I make is another strike against his legacy.
By the end of the meeting, I’m wound so tight I could snap. Cari and I spend the next few days buried under paperwork, taking care of every last detail the Vanhelm team throws at us.
I throw a lot at her. Too much, probably. But she handles it all. Efficient. Calm. Unshakable.
It’s unnerving how much I depend on her.
When I’m satisfied that everything’s been finalized and sent over, I finally allow myself a break. The deal is almost done. I should get a call from the Vanhelm CEO soon.
I call Dex and Zach to grab drinks and dinner, desperate to unwind. Alicia can’t make it—she’s up to her neck in a legal case, which works fine for me. I need a night without expectations.
I meet my brothers in a restaurant in one of those discreet places tucked away in Tribeca—low lighting, dark leather booths, a scotch list longer than the menu. Old money with a modern twist. The kind of place you don’t just stumble upon.
Dex slides into the booth next to me, his huge frame taking up most of the space. He’s changed into his jeans and a black T-shirt, his signature outfit. Though army camouflage gear would suit him better. He looks like a military man, not a billionaire.
“I need a drink,” he growls, signaling the waiter. “About time you crawled out of the office. You’re starting to look like Paul,” he says to me.
“Bite me,” I mutter, but I can’t stop the corner of my mouth from twitching.
Zach slides in across from me, wearing his usual designer suit with the tie pulled loose and a grin that says he’s here for a good time. His charm could sell ice in the Arctic. He’s the one who actually listens to Paul, has some kind feelings for him, and calls him ‘Dad.’ Unlike Dex and me. “Congratulations are in order,” he says. “I hear the Vanhelm deal is nearly done.”
I nod, leaning back as a waiter places a glass of scotch in front of me and takes my brothers’ orders. “It’s solid. This is a good move for us. I feel it in my bones. Vanguard’s shift to renewables is exactly the direction we need to move in. Clean energy, long-term growth, better PR—it’s all there.”
Zach gives a noncommittal hum. “Dad’s still not convinced.”
“When is he ever convinced?” Dex asks, flash him a smug grin. “Paul Knight thrives on doubting Jett. Always has.”
I glare at Dex. We can talk dirty about our father, but it feels wrong in front of Zach who just shrugs. “He’s cautious for a reason. If this deal goes through—and it looks like it will—you’ve done well, Jett.”
The words surprise me, but I hide it with a sip of scotch. Praise from Zach isn’t exactly common. The waiter sets their drinks down
“The Vanhelm CEO’s supposed to call tonight,” I say, trying to keep my tone level. “I expect he’ll give us the green light. And when he does, Dad will have to eat his words.”
“Won’t that be fun,” Dex drawls, raising his glass with a grin. “Here’s to making Paul Knight choke on his cynicism.”
“Dad will come around,” Zach insists.
I’m not so sure. I expect he’ll wait for everything to go wrong and rub it in my face, but I am sick of his shit. I’m more than ready for whatever he dishes out to me.
We clink glasses, and for the first time in weeks, I let some of the tension release from my shoulders.
“So,” Dex says, after a beat. “Speaking of women we don’t talk about—what happened to Dina?”
Zach raises a brow at me, curiosity dancing in his eyes. “You were seeing her not long ago, weren’t you?”
I down the rest of my scotch and signal for another. “I broke up with her.”
“Right before Christmas?” Dex says, surprised. “Harsh.”
“It wasn’t working,” I reply flatly. “She wanted more than I could give her.”
Dex smirks. “They always do.”
Zach, ever the moral compass, fixes me with a look. “And this new one?”
I shrug, noncommittal. “Alicia. We met a few days after Christmas.”
“That’s quick,” Zach says, judgment dripping from his voice.
Dex whistles low. “Sounds like a fancy name. Does she work?”
“She’s an attorney, believe it or not.”
His eyes widen in disbelief. “You’re on a roll, brother. Out with one, in with the next. And they actually have jobs, not just trust fund babes, like the ones our boy Zach goes for.”
“I do not!” Zach protests.
“You sure about that?” I ask him, throwing my drink back with a wink. A lot of Zach’s girlfriends have been young, wealthy, and with access to a trust fund.
“I think you’re distracting yourself from something,” Dex asserts. I’m not sure what he’s getting at, but Dina threw me for a loop and now I’m starting to get paranoid.
“Mind your business, Dex.”
“Let’s leave it, guys,” Zach says, placing his arm lazily over the top of the booth. “Jett looks and sounds like he’s had a tough week.”
But Dex leans back, grinning. “Oh, but this is so much fun.”
The waiter arrives with plates of food—steaks cooked to perfection, sides that look more like art than food. Dex chats up the sommelier, ordering a bottle of something vintage and stupidly expensive.
I should feel satisfied sitting here, surrounded by my brothers, eating food most people can’t afford. But that restless feeling gnaws at the edges.
Alicia is smart. Beautiful. Easy to be around.
But an image of Tobias, Savannah, and their children flashes through my mind again, and I still feel like something’s missing.