Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GATSBY
T he drive to San Jose is quiet.
Unlike Cory, Hux is an introvert.
I love the kid—he’s my brother—but sometimes he drives me crazy.
He avoids talking about his feelings. Okay, many of us do that, but he also bottles up his anger.
A strange trade since our family tends to be loud and even louder when we’re upset.
We fight a lot. The cold shoulder is his only way to show that he’s pissed at someone.
Can he just throw a punch and be done with it?
Contrary to him, I don’t like silence. It’s uncomfortable for me.
Maybe it’s because I grew up having Aslan and Lysander next to me all the time. When there’s no one around, I like to have background noise. I need music, the news, or a mindless show in the background to feel relaxed.
Huxley isn’t even humming. I can’t help but be the one breaking the silence. If not, I’m going to go insane. “There’s a lot of traffic for a Friday afternoon.”
He doesn’t say a word.
“Are you working tonight?”
“Read the fucking room,” he mumbles.
“Oh, I thought we were in a car and that this was an audiobook. I’ve been waiting for it to start playing,” I joke.
“Shut up,” he growls.
“Well, you’re in a mood.”
“You fucked our deal.”
I grin because this is what I like, for people to say their problems out loud so we can fix them. I’m not a mind reader.
“I wish I could say more than I’m sorry.”
“Why would you do it?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time. Aslan, Lysander, and I were concerned. What if Maia wanted to take over your company and leave you hanging? We had to take action.”
“Of course, it was the dream team thinking that you know better than us. How often do we have to remind you that we’re not kids anymore? I appreciate everything you did after Dad died and Mom checked out, but it’s time to let us go. We’re not your kids.”
“We understand, but this is different. Maia could snatch the company from you, and then…what would you do without it?”
There’s a long pause before he asks, “Why would she do that?”
“That’s what she does. She’s taken so many companies from me and…I don’t even know what she does with them. Dismantle them and make money?”
He shakes his head. “You’re wrong.”
“Believe me when I say that she’s not doing this from the kindness of her heart.”
She’s at least making a profit, isn’t she? If they let us help them, we would do it for free.
“Are you sure? I spoke to Jason, and he mentioned they’re a reputable investment company that only works with young companies.
Sometimes, like in our case, they just become business partners.
Will they be getting their cut for handling our products?
Yes. They aren’t a nonprofit. They get that and exclusivity for two years.
There’s no crazy hidden agenda. You’re just jaded. ”
Am I?
If I knew Maia’s ulterior motive, I wouldn’t be concerned about their company or mine. Well, I’m not worried about mine at all. I just need to know her fucking plan because it’s driving me crazy. If I lose the company…what then?
I can’t just let it go. Not to sound dramatic, but that’s literally all I have going on in my life other than my overbearing and all-consuming family. And that sounds too fucking pathetic.
“Your branch here in San Jose is just a few blocks from MarkTech, is that coincidence? Or is this Maia trying to assimilate you by copying everything you do? Maybe you should grow up and try to make a new friend. Then you’ll finally leave us the fuck alone,” Huxley suggests.
He slows down as we enter the parking lot. “How did you say you know this chick?”
“I didn’t—” I pause when I spot a funny-looking car that’s upside down.
“Where is your car?”
I’m scanning the area. It’s gone. “It should be next to that green Rivian R1S.” Did they tow it away because I left it overnight?
Hux snorts. “Do you mean the clown car with cow spots that’s tipped like…well, a cow?”
It takes me a couple of seconds to understand what’s happening. My car is where I left it. It’s just… “You have got to be fucking kidding me. What the fuck happened?”
I get out of Hux’s vehicle even before he comes to a complete stop. I walk around the car and almost cry. Someone tipped my precious silver Aston Martin Vulcan.
It’s tipped , like a cow on a farm.
Who the fuck does that?
Hux snorts. I realize he’s next to me, studying my car. “This is the best thing that’s happened to me this week.”
“My car is dressed like a fucking cow and upside down, and you think this is the best thing that’s happened to you?” In what world do we live in?
And the asshole is taking a picture of my car or maybe of me. I swear if he sends it to our siblings, he’s a dead man.
He points at the big eyelashes. “She’s a beauty. The headlight stickers make her glamorous, and the hoop earring…well, she’s a fashionista. I mean, you can take off all the stickers and just…well, I have no idea how to turn the car over.”
When I touch the cow spots, I realize they’re painted and not stickers that I can remove as soon as I get home. They fucked up the paint job. Once I figure out who did this, I’m going to make them pay.
“Call the police while I go into the building. Their security guard should know who did that.”