Chapter 16
No matter how much Czar Tech grew, my office still felt the same. Glass walls. Two monitors. One custom tower humming quietly under the desk. City view. Coffee half-finished to my right, untouched salad to my left.
I was supposed to be on my way to lunch.
Instead, I found myself doing what I always did when my brain needed a soft place to relax. Checking Sevyn’s feeds.
It was midday lull, so there was no classes right now.
I went to back out then the audio watermark lit in the corner.
Low voices.
I flicked the volume up a notch, frowning.
The system wasn’t supposed to broadcast like that unless you intentionally opened the audio channel. I checked the settings. It was still in admin mode from an earlier diagnostic. One tap had left it active.
Kasey’s voice drifted through the speakers.
“I swear to God, Sev, I had no clue all those years ago that man had a whole relationship,” she was saying. “Like, none.”
The view from the front lobby showed the two of them behind Sevyn’s reception desk.
Sevyn was half perched on the counter, leggings and an oversized tee, hair in a bun. Kasey on the other side, elbows braced, Starbucks cup in hand.
I froze.
I shouldn’t be listening but I did anyway.
“How you not know?” Sevyn asked, brow raised.
Kasey shook her head, braids swinging. “‘Cause he came at me like he was single. We was messing around off and on. Then one day I’m scrolling and boom—some ‘happy three-month’ post. Him, you, and Serenity at the pumpkin patch or some shit.”
Sevyn grimaced. “Wow.”
“I damn near dropped my phone,” Kasey said. “I was like, ‘Oh. Cool. Love that for me.’”
“That sound on brand for Troy,” Sevyn said dryly. “I didn’t know you existed until my baby was damn near two and he dropped it on my lap. Talking about some, I was gone tell you eventually.”
Kasey snorted. “Eventually when? At graduation? At y’all wedding?”
“Exactly,” Sevyn muttered. “Man really had a whole other baby across town and thought I was never gon’ find out.”
“Meanwhile,” Kasey added, “I was sitting here thinking I was the only one he was lying to.”
They both went quiet for a second.
My jaw clenched.
I knew the headlines of this story.
Not the details.
Watching them now, two women linked by the same man and the same two little girls made something in my chest go cold and hot at the same time.
“Anyway,” Kasey said finally, shaking it off. “We here now. The girls love each other. He the one that gotta live with being the common denominator.”
“Mhm,” Sevyn agreed. “He the reason my daughter and your daughter share a forehead.”
They both cracked up at that.
My tension eased a fraction hearing Sevyn laugh.
The conversation shifted.
“So,” Kasey said, taking a sip of her drink, “speaking of them…you realize the birthday gauntlet about to start.”
“Don’t remind me,” Sevyn groaned, dropping her head back against the wall. “Kori first, then Serenity. My pockets already crying.”
“Kori the third,” Kasey ticked it off on her fingers. “March third. My little Pisces princess.”
“She a terrorist,” Sevyn said fondly.
“Says the woman raising Aries chaos,” Kasey shot back. “Serenity April eleventh, right?”
“Yeah.” A soft smile touched Sevyn’s mouth. “She been talking about her birthday since Christmas. She want a mermaid-unicorn-ballet party. I don’t even know what that mean.”
“It mean you got money to spend,” Kasey said. “We doing something joint? Or separate and just each other show up?”
“Joint this year, I think,” Sevyn said. “Less fighting with Troy over dates. Plus they gonna be offended if one got a party without the other.”
“True,” Kasey agreed. “We can do Kori’s at my mama house, then Serenity’s at your studio or something. Let them run folks ragged in leotards.”
“Studio might be cute,” Sevyn mused. “Little kid mats, balloons. I’ll talk to Kasen.”
That was my cue.
I shouldn’t have heard any of that, but I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t.
I cleared my throat and tapped the admin mic, switching to the lobby camera so they could see the tiny red light.
“Hate to interrupt,” I said, my voice coming through the Studio speakers, “but Sev…have you eaten today?”
Sevyn jumped a little, then glared up at the closest camera.
“Oh my God,” she said. “Batman, why you listening to girl talk?”
“I logged in for a diagnostic,” I lied smoothly. “Audio was still hot. That’s on me.”
Kasey looked up too, squinting at the lens. “So you heard all that?”
“Enough to know Troy is still Troy,” I said. “And that my niece and Serenity about to bankrupt y’all in March and April.”
They both laughed.
“Stay out of women business,” Kasey said. “And send your card number if you feel so strongly.”
“I already contribute,” I said. “You forget who bought those princess dresses.”
“Mmm, fair,” she conceded.
Sevyn crossed her arms, eyes narrowing playfully at the camera. “You still didn’t answer your own question, Mr. Reed. Did you eat?”
“I’m at my desk with a salad,” I said. “About to take lunch.”
She made a face. “A salad not lunch.”
“Says the woman who probably had coffee,” I replied.
Kasey snorted. “He got you there.”
Sevyn sucked her teeth. “I had a granola bar.”
“That’s not lunch,” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ll eat.”
“Text me a picture,” I said. “Verification.”
Kasey whispered loudly, “He real boyfriend-y, huh?”
“He real annoying,” Sevyn muttered, but she was smiling.
My chest warmed.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” I said. “I needed to check on you.”
“Get off my speakers, Batman,” she said. “We plotting children’s parties and getting depressed about pricing.”
“Yes ma’am.”
I clicked the audio off, the office going quiet again except for the hum of electronics.
On the screen, I watched for another second as the two women went back to talking, hands moving, heads together.