8 #4
I burst out laughing. There were Jean’s claws. She could only be nice for so long before she had to use them or she maybe broke out into hives or something? I wasn’t sure but fuck, it was honestly funny.
It really was. My sister was such a bitch.
“Jean, Taylor Reid owns a huge, successful company and is the eldest child of the head of the council,” I finally managed to say in between gasps. “He’s not my fucking subordinate. We have a contract with his company. Come on.”
“I suppose that’s fair, but I’m not sure laughing was needed.”
“It sounded that absurd,” I defended. “Isn’t he older than you and I’m eighteen? Like… Perspective here? I appreciate you treating me as a real head of the family and CEO of Familiar Treasures—I genuinely do when so many underestimate us, but it just sounded so, you know?”
“I suppose,” she accepted after a moment. “Either way, I wanted to hear it from you that what he brought up was real and not some trap. I won’t blindly trust them any more than they will me.”
I snorted. “No, you’re not stupid, though I will tell you they aren’t coming for you. They’ll never like nor trust you, but they hope you really will turn things around.”
“Yes, well, my feelings won’t be hurt by people I find completely incompetent and allowed Father to become the monster he did just as much as Grandmother and others,” she said with hostile amusement.
And honestly… I couldn’t argue with what she said. I really couldn’t.
It was best to move on though. “If it’s about Hughes, then yes.
I want to go on the offensive more—let you too so they start eating each other and stop attacking us.
Mostly us here, but if it helps you, fine.
I told Taylor to get with you and handle it however he wanted as general or whatever of that part of the war. ”
“And that was all you said?” she hedged.
“Yes, just this afternoon at lunch. Why?”
“Did Tracey have a plan or work something else out?” she pushed.
“No, she doesn’t like the idea of going on the offensive and risking me. Jean, why?” I demanded.
“Then I’ve looked down on Taylor Reid and been unfair to the man because he is impressive,” she admitted.
“All of the Reids are honestly impressive, and while you’re not wrong in your assessment, Mrs. Reid isn’t wrong either that they were busy staying alive when psychos like Father were always in the shadows ready to turn their family to dust. Always keep that in mind.
The grass was fucked on both sides in our world. That’s what I’m always learning.”
“You are not wrong there, baby sister,” she sighed and for once didn’t call me that in a condescending way, not even seeming to realize she’d said it.
“He wants the Shaw family and our guards to commit heavily to your blanket project for orphans and the underprivileged.
Community service, and that is the lead-in to bust Hughes and blow this all open.
“The backstory if you will since right now the breadcrumbs could lead directly to you and Winter since Hughes’s right hand already has hooks in Winter. It’s honestly a genius idea that covers a lot of bases and closes a lot of open tabs for all sides here.”
“Give me a moment, it’s been a long day,” I muttered as my brain rushed to catch up. “Mr. Reid and the council are sentencing your guards. This is the community service they could do and most of them were in that position so it’s personal, sheds light on the problem.”
“Correct.”
“Shaw family redemption arc,” I drawled. “As long as you handle Mother.”
“You’ve missed the announcement that she’s being treated in an undisclosed location for her mental breakdown learning that her mate was such a monster and given the initial assessment, it will be a long stay,” Jean purred.
“Or?” I asked, having a feeling I knew the answer.
“Mother went too far this time and I had no love left for her long ago. Let’s leave it at that.”
I snorted. “You get no judgment here, Jean. I’d offer you land to bury her if you need after she let Alex abuse me because they couldn’t sacrifice me for him.”
“I always forget you’re not the sweet doll they painted you as,” she mumbled. “I’ll keep your hate of her in mind.”
Fair enough. I focused back on the Hughes situation and mentally winced. “You’re also going to try and make amends with Familiar Treasures this way and get off the blocked list.”
“Taylor said it is a bad look, but he wouldn’t push you or Tracey given the history he doesn’t understand. He simply thought it was important I put more than my words to the media out there or something like that,” she confirmed.
“If we stay on the path, I will keep to what I said and take you and those who work for you off the blacklist, but don’t ever ask for the extra stuff that others don’t know about, Jean.
The sessions and whatnot. I don’t see a world where that can happen.
There has to be a level of trust that I cannot ever see us having. ”
“A confirmation that removal from the blacklist is enough for today,” she accepted.
Fine, it was enough for today, and maybe soon we could land some hits on Hughes.