Chapter 6
KAT
Caleb and I walk back to my office in silence, apart from the meet and greets that seem to happen the whole way there.
My personable and charming brother.
I want to roll my eyes but refrain.
When we finally get there, Michael jumps to his feet.
“Michael, why don’t you grab yourself a coffee?” I say.
His brows furrow, and he stares at the kitchen, which houses another state-of-the-art coffee machine. “Or cake,” I say, more firmly when he doesn’t move.
He nods and grabs his coat, making a quick exit.
We enter my office, and I close the door.
I walk around my desk.
“Poor guy,” Caleb says, chuckling.
“I wouldn’t feel too sorry for him.”
Not by the time I’m finished with you.
Cal smirks, and the tenuous thread I’m holding on my temper finally snaps.
I slam my palms flat down on my desk, the reverberating bang makes Caleb flinch.
He walks further into the room and drops himself down into the chair opposite me, cool as a cucumber.
I lean forward and glare at my brother.
“Do you want to explain what the hell that was all about? And why you felt the need to lie to my fucking board? And what’s worse is, you forced me to lie to the board.”
He shrugs. “I didn’t force you to do anything,” he says, brushing invisible lint from his trousers. “And I didn’t lie.”
I grind my teeth together, my hands curling into fists on top of my desk.
“I’m beginning to see what Gabe’s problem is,” I snap.
Caleb chuckles. I mean, chuckles.
Does he take nothing seriously or realise what he’s just done?
“Oh, don’t be fooled. Gabriel loves me dropping in. It’s the highlight of his day, or at least it was until Leah and Callum came on the scene. As for you, you’ll be thanking me.”
He smirks as I drop into my chair. I lean back, gripping the arms.
I eyeball him over the top of my desk.
Sadly, with Caleb being my brother, it doesn’t have the same effect as it does on those who work for me.
“Is this your best icy stare?” he asks, and I swallow my growl.
I take several deep, slow breaths to slow my racing heart.
“What are you going to do to rectify this mess?” I ask, as calmly as I can. “As I said before, you just lied to the board. Made me lie to the board.”
“Absolutely nothing,” he says, the glee in his voice clear and obvious.
“And why not?” I ask, counting to ten. But instead of calming my racing pulse, it quickens.
“For fuck’s sake, Caleb. Can you be serious for once in your life?”
His expression hardens.
“I didn’t lie to the board, only you did that,” he says, his eyes narrowing. “And technically, you didn’t lie either. You just weren’t in possession of all the facts.”
I close my eyes and inhale deeply.
“You better start talking and fast, before I call security and have you thrown out.”
Caleb leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“Such gratitude,” he says, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t lie, because Jaxson has, in actual fact, agreed to work on the project.”
“Impossible,” I say, before I can stop myself.
He wouldn’t.
Tension builds in my muscles, and my head begins to pound. At this rate, I’m going to be calling Carla again.
“Not impossible. I spoke to him. We reorganised his schedule, and now he’s free to work on this.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and inhale.
“Look, you need him.”
“No, I don’t.”
Actually, that is technically not true, but we’re talking about Jaxson Lockwood. We can barely stand being in the same airspace, let alone working on a project of this magnitude together.
“I beg to differ, and you were the one who invited me to be a member of the board.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Jaxson and his firm are the best qualified for this job, and you bloody know it.”
I open and close my mouth.
“And what’s this I hear that you never even approached his firm?” Caleb tuts. “I’m sure Sadie Tripp would have had a field day with that little nugget of information, if it ever came out.”
“Are you blackmailing me, little brother?” I ask quietly.
“Would I steep that low?” he says.
I harrumph, and he chuckles.
The fact is, Caleb is telling the truth, Jaxson is the best qualified.
“I can’t work with him,” I tell him sharply.
“Then don’t. He can deal with the team running the project.”
I harrumph again.
“That’s the problem, you idiot. I am the one running the project. This is my baby.”
It’s Caleb’s turn to look surprised, as the colour leaches from his face.
“But you’re the CEO,” he says.
“Yes, and so are you. You’re also hands-on with all your projects.”
“That’s because I’m a property developer. I have to be.” He runs a hand down his face. “You run a chain of hotels. Don’t you have your fingers in enough pies to keep you busy?”
I straighten the pile of papers on my desk. Caleb’s eyes track the movement.
“This is my vision…”
“Delegation. Ever heard of it? Vision or not.” His brows come together. “I know you’re a workaholic, sis, but this is too much, even for you.”
I sigh and drop back in my chair.
“I won’t run it forever. Only until the initial designs have been finalised, then it will be handed over to Elliot and a team, I will handpick.”
We stare at each other.
“Shit,” he says. “You’re serious.”
I ignore him.
“Now, back to what I said before. You caused this problem. How are you going to fix it?”
“I can’t. You saw the board, they’re thrilled Jax is on board. I thought Doug was going to hyperventilate with excitement.”
I shake my head as my brother once again fails, or chooses to ignore the enormity of what he’s done.
“What part of we can’t work together are you missing?” I snap. “We can’t even be in the same room as one another.” Then I’m hit by a thought. “How the hell did you get Jaxson to agree to this fiasco?”
Caleb leans back and crosses his arms, his left ankle resting on his right thigh, the picture of calm.
“Elijah and I were having dinner with him…”
“Elijah’s in on this?” I say open-mouthed, my body temperature rising suddenly. “Does Pen know, April?”
“Er… they heard the conversation about Moorland, but not the rest.”
Caleb’s eyes shift away from mine, and I smirk.
Oh, you’re in so much shit when your wife finds out what you’ve done.
“That still doesn’t explain how you got Jaxson to agree?”
Caleb’s shoulders slump slightly, and he looks at me sheepishly.
He sighs, suddenly dejected.
“I lied,” he admits.
“You lied?” I raise an eyebrow. “So Jaxson hasn’t agreed?”
I almost sigh in relief.
“Oh no, he’s agreed to work on the project. That isn’t a lie.” His throat bobs, and he swallows. “The lie I told was that you were on board with the whole thing. You were desperate, and he wouldn’t be working with you directly, just your team.”
Well, that explains the whiter shade of pale he turned when I said I was running it.
I drop back hard in my chair, the back flexing underneath me, making my heart race.
“You told Jax I was desperate? I should—” I seethe.
“Look,” Caleb says, sitting forward, both feet now firmly on the ground, his elbows braced on his knees.
“Jax is the best person for this job. I know it, you know it.” He raises an eyebrow, and I want to smack the smug look from his face.
“If it wasn’t for that enormous Jaxson-sized stick you have wedged up your arse, you’d be thanking me. ”
I freeze. “Thanking you?” My voice drops to a hiss. “Watch it, little brother, you’re very close to overstepping and really pissing me off.”
“Bullshit,” Caleb gets up and starts pacing the room. “If you weren’t so pig-headed.”
“Insults…nice. Keep digging,” I say, sitting back and folding my arms over my chest, watching him pace.
“As I was saying, if you weren’t so bloody pig-headed, you’d agree with me. You need to get over yourself and suck it up. If it were me sitting in the chair, you’d be telling me the exact same thing. Jax is perfect for this job.”
He sinks back down into his chair, panting as if he’s just run a marathon.
“Have you quite finished?”
Caleb’s eyes lock on mine, and I’m surprised when he refuses to drop his gaze.
He’s right, not that I’ll ever admit it.
Jaxson Lockwood is the perfect architect for this project.
I do know this. His firm is world-renowned, having won an obscene amount of awards.
His speciality is in line with what I’m trying to create with the new hotel complex.
However, working with him… My visceral reaction to the man is not normal.
He rubs me up the wrong way. Just looking at him has my body temperature rising, breathing the same air as him makes me want to up-sticks and leave.
I close my eyes and draw in a deep and steady breath.
My biggest problem. My family bloody adore him.
If only they knew.
Then Jaxson Lockwood might not be quite as cocky and confident. Walking around with his playful, flirty grin and that mischievous glint in his eye.
But they don’t, and it’s a secret I’ll take with me to the grave.
I drop my head back and close my eyes. I have a choice to make.
If I want this project to go ahead, I’m going to have to suck it up, as my brother so beautifully put it. If not, it could be years before I get the board’s approval again. Sadie will see to that.
Opening my eyes, I lock them on my brother.
“Fine,” I say. “But don’t think you’ve won.” All credit to my brother, he keeps his expression neutral. “But you can deal with Jaxson. Collect the brief from Michael on your way out, he should be back by now. And let’s see what Jaxson’s got. He still has to convince the board.”
“Fair enough,” Caleb says, offering me a genuine smile. “You know, you won’t regret it.”
“Let’s just hope I don’t, little brother. Let’s hope I don’t.”
Caleb lets himself out, and I sink back into my chair.
I stare blankly ahead, my limbs heavy, my head pounding.
I’m exhausted.
The past couple of months have left me drained. I’m struggling to sleep despite being physically exhausted, my usual mental sharpness has dulled, and I’m regretting past choices.
I pick up my phone and dial.
“Hey, Harp,” I say.
“Hey, Kat.”
I hear her moving around.
“What are you doing?”
“Just getting ready for work.”
I look at the clock. It’s seven thirty in the morning in New York.
“How’s the new job going?”
“It’s good… however, my boss is an arse, but which bosses aren’t?”
I chuckle. “I’m sure my employees say the same thing.”
“Never.” Harper laughs.
“But you’re enjoying it?”
“It’s okay. I’ve been assigned grunt work, but I’m the newbie, so I suppose that’s to be expected.”
“Has anyone…”
The question hangs open.
“No, no one has twigged I’m The Infamous Frazer.” She laughs, but the sound is hollow. “At least not since I spoke to you yesterday morning.”
“Sorry, it’s just I hate you being so far away,” I admit.
Growing up, Harper was my baby sister, prize pain in my arse, like the twins. But in recent years, the gap has closed.
Harper is silent. “I miss you too. How’s Mum?”
“Haven’t you spoken to her?”
“Yes, just before you,” she laughs. “But what she tells me, and what’s the truth, are two different things.”
“She’s doing okay. We all miss you, little rebel.”
“I miss you too, I really do.” Harper pauses.
“But Kat. I think this is going to be good for me. Teach me to stand on my own two feet. Here, I’m Brooke Feldmann, a small-town nobody.
For the first time ever, I can be whoever I want to be.
I’m not constantly worrying about letting anyone else down, of never measuring up.
” She sighs. “I’ve never truly known who I am, only what I was expected to be.
I’ve spent most of my adult life rebelling, especially after Dad.
..” She pauses. “I know it’s probably difficult for you to understand. ”
I wipe a tear as it tracks its way down my cheek. Goosebumps rising on my arms.
It’s like hearing my inner thoughts all those years ago.
“No, I get it,” I say, forcing my voice to remain steady.
Probably better than most.
“Harps, you have never let us down. This is not your fault, but I get wanting to find yourself. Being a Frazer… We’re all hard on ourselves.” I exhale. “It seems to go with the name, it’s why we stick together, look out for each other.”
It is, after all, what Elijah and Caleb have just tried to do for me.
“Kat, are you okay?” Harper asks suddenly. “You spend all your time worrying about us. What about you?”
“You know me,” I say, chuckling, although the sound is flat.
“You need a break,” she says. “After everything you’ve been through.”
“I wish I could,” I admit. “But work—”
My eyes catch an incoming message.
Maldives Report - potential issues.
“Hold that thought,” I say, suddenly. “I may check out our new acquisition in the Maldives.”
I make a split-second decision.
“Really?” Harper laughs. “Not quite the break I had in mind, but a working holiday… that’s a start. Make sure you send me plenty of photos. It sounded amazing when you were telling me about it before. Wish I could come with you.”
We both fall silent. “I do too. Next time, rebel.” I say, closing my eyes.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
I smile because, knowing Harper, she will.
“I love you, sis, but I really need to go. As I said, I’m working for a grumpy old fart. He really needs to lighten up.”
“Well, if he’s working with you, I’m sure he will. Love you, little sis.”
“Love you, big sis.”
We disconnect, but the hollow feeling in my chest remains. If Leonard Crawley wasn’t dead, I’d murder him myself for what he’s done to Harper. But I can’t.
“Michael,” I say, picking up my mainline.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’ve decided to make a semi-surprise visit to our new acquisition in the Maldives. Can I leave you to organise it?”
There’s a pause.
“Of course, I’ll get straight on it,” he says, always Mr Efficient. “And just so you know, I gave your brother the brief he requested.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
There’s another pause.
“You’re welcome.”
I disconnect the call and open the email that’s just landed in my inbox.