1. Declan
The last time I saw her, I was a fool. A stupid, trusting fool who put my future in the hands of someone woefully undeserving. Seeing her striking face again brings it all back to the surface–the humiliation, the anger, the overwhelming need to tear it apart just to rebuild it better.
“Dec, are you watching this?” My brother’s voice interrupts my rage-fueled thoughts as he saunters into the room, flipping his baseball hat around to sit backwards on his brown curls.
I look at the phone he thrusts toward me. There she is again, impeccable as I remember. The video is paused a few minutes before the version still playing in my earbud. Linc looks down at my screen and grunts, pocketing his phone as he plops next to me on the couch and peers over my shoulder.
“Shane!” he hollers, eyes glued to the interview. He knocks my shoulder with his. “Pause it for a sec, yeah? Maybe start it over.”
My narrowed look goes unnoticed as he glances back over the couch and gestures urgently.
“C’mon, man, you gotta see this.”
Shane, my best friend and business partner, rounds the couch and takes the open spot beside me. His lean, muscled thigh bumps mine as he settles back on the couch, blue eyes piercing as he turns to me in question.
“Seriously?” I grunt, gesturing at the immense amount of space around me. “This fucking thing seats twelve. Why the hell are you two on my lap?”
“You’re fine.” Linc waves his hand at my phone. “Start it over, Dec.”
“Here.” Shane plucks the device from my fingers, ignoring my frustrated exclamation and tapping the screen.
Before I can ask him what the hell he’s doing, the video appears on the television mounted across the room.
“God, does she even fucking age?” Linc reaches up to resettle his hat, his eyes trained on the screen. “She’s even hotter now than she was three years ago.”
He’s not wrong. I immediately hate the thought, dismissing it as quickly as it appears.
“Have some respect, kid,” Shane barks, reaching across me to back-hand my brother’s chest.
I grunt, and try to make my wide frame smaller to get a modicum of distance, ready to tell them both off again. Laughter rings out from the television. We all still, watching the woman who tossed us out without remorse as she smirks.
“It’s an honor to have you both here.” The interviewer, Cass Thompson–startup and tech reporter for the Bayview Bulletin–smiles at the two women seated opposite her.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Preston Brooks replies. She’s a society darling and angel investor, well-known in the Bay. “I relish any opportunity to talk about the importance of women-led businesses.”
Lex Livingston, owner of Athena Ventures and arguably one of the most successful businesswomen in the country, dips her chin. “Agreed. Empowering female founders, particularly in the male-dominated tech space, is something I’m fiercely passionate about.”
Shane leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped loosely in front of him and ice blue eyes laser-focused on Lex. She’s radiant in a simple fitted suit the color of merlot, her blazer open over a loose-fitting black silk camisole. Even next to the modelesque Preston Brooks in her electric blue dress, Lex holds us all captive.
“That passion is well-documented, and a big reason why we’re so pleased to have you and Preston co-hosting our annual Bay’s Brightest luncheon to honor women in the startup community next week.” Cass tilts her head to the side, her brows furrowing minutely. “Your own path to success has had its own share of challenges, hasn’t it?”
Lex’s bright green eyes flash with something unreadable, and my gut tightens in response.
“It certainly has,” she answers smoothly, “And that’s a big part of why I’ve invested my time, energy, and funds into causes like these. I don’t want the next generation of female leaders to face similar hurdles.”
“Could you share an example with us?”
Lex’s lips twitch up at the corner as she glances down. “What I’ve always been most offended by, if I’m honest, are the women who climb up by stepping on others. While I’m not the type of person to preach sisterhood–”
Preston snorts, then covers her mouth with wide eyes as she holds back a laugh. Lex smirks and presses on.
“I do believe every woman who has a seat at the table should save one for another.”
“Preach, sister,” Preston agrees, raising one hand toward the ceiling.
Lex chuckles as she glances at her, then refocuses on their interviewer. “I’ll share a specific example from several years ago. My business partner, Van Costa, and I were waiting to hear a pitch from a promising young startup.”
“Oh shit, here we go.” The proximity of Linc’s voice is jarring, and I flinch away as he eagerly leans in.
“Why the hell are you still on top of me?” I demand, shoving away from him only to find Shane still hovering by my other side. “Seriously, you two have zero fucking physical boundaries.”
They glance at each other over my head, then shrug in unison.
“You’re both impossible,” I mutter, turning my attention back to the interview.
The three women are laughing, Preston’s eyes shining as she looks between the other two. “Sorry, Lex, couldn’t help it. Please, continue your story.”
Lex inclines her head, then turns back to Cass. Her expression hardens as she speaks, her features sharpening. “One of the four startup founders was a woman who has since made quite a name for herself in this community. She waltzed into the conference room as Van and I stood to welcome them, but she went straight to Van.”
Her eyes lose focus and she gazes into the distance, then huffs a laugh. “She shook his hand and introduced herself, then looked me dead in the eye and said, and this is a direct quote, ‘I take my coffee black and a water would be great. We’ve got a lot to cover with Mr. Costa.’”
“The hell she did,” Preston gasps, her expression murderous.
Cass clears her throat and shoots the mouthy brunette a pointed eyebrow. Preston winces in response.
Undeterred, Lex tucks a short lock of auburn hair behind her ear and continues. “She did. I’ll never forget it.”
“What did you do?” Cass asks.
The smile that settles slowly onto Lex’s face is cold, calculating. Something stirs in the pit of my stomach in response.
“I got her a black coffee, then sat down with Van and listened to her pitch. Neither of us said a word.”
“Oh, you’re good,” Preston praises. “You let her set up her own fall.”
Lex’s nonchalant shrug is impossibly elegant. “So to speak. When she finished, her business partners knew something was off, but she was too arrogant to notice.”
“Tell me you eviscerated her.” Preston leans forward.
“That chick is bloodthirsty,” Linc laughs. “I fucking dig it.”
“Shut up.” Shane snaps his fingers, then points at Lincoln, his gaze never leaving the TV.
My brother’s lips part, then draw into a frown as he crosses his arms and sits back against the couch with a pout. I am surrounded by children.
“I didn’t eviscerate her, no. But I was honest. Their tech was promising–incredibly so–but they didn’t have enough hard evidence to back up their claims. I was skeptical from the start, and shared that, but her failure to know her audience? That was unforgivable.”
“Say more about that. Why was that your takeaway?”
“She and her business partners came to my firm to ask for my investment. It was their job to know us and what we cared about, and tailor their pitch accordingly. She should never have stepped foot in Athena without knowing who I was. Mistaking me for an assistant should’ve been an impossible error for her to make. The fact she made it?”
Lex tuts. “It was lazy. And if you’re not willing to put in the effort, you’re not worth my time. Because if it’s easy, you’re doing it wrong. I don’t tolerate laziness or lack of preparedness because I’ve found both to be at the root of most avoidable failures.”
“You should teach a masterclass, seriously.”
Lex chuckles at Preston and shakes her head. “I don’t have time for that. But I make time to coach every female founder on our roster.”
“Sounds like she missed out on more than just your funding,” Cass quips with a wry smile.
“She did, but I doubt she’ll ever realize it. When someone is focused on their own success without consideration of others, their aperture becomes incredibly narrow. That’s risky for the business and society because people making decisions from a narrow perspective rarely make the right choice. And one terrible decision can negatively affect us all, especially when it brings a magnifying glass to a group that is anything other than white and male–female founders in the tech startup world, for example.”
Linc reaches out and slaps the back of his hand against my upper arm. “Dec, that’s our sign. If we went back–”
“Quiet,” I demand, refusing to look his way. I can’t tear my eyes from the screen, and I’m not ready to entertain the suggestion I know is coming.
“What would you say to her if your paths crossed again?” Cass asks.
The answer is immediate.
“Not a word. If she approached me to make amends, I’d listen. Otherwise, there are other women in this industry who are far more deserving of my attention.” She gestures toward Preston. “Take this brilliant young woman, for instance.”
The brunette basks in her peer’s praise for a moment, then grins at her. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to demure and say you’re too kind?”
“I hope you don’t. Own your brilliance, Ms. Brooks. It suits you.”
Preston turns to Cass. “You’ve given her all the best lines! It’s really not a joint interview at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I’m here for it. I’m basically president of the Lex Livingston fan club.”
As the women laugh and Cass turns to question Preston, I lean back against the couch. I can feel Lincoln’s eyes boring a hole into the side of my face, but I don’t turn toward him. A few years ago, we fucked up. I fucked up. And I want nothing more than to make it right and restore our business and reputation. Well, that and one more thing.
“Linc’s right, Dec. We should approach her.” Shane’s voice is steady and sure.
“I’m still not convinced.”
“What more do you need, though? A flashing neon sign?” Lincoln throws a hand toward the television as the women chat, the young brunette talking animatedly. “You know we can’t do this alone. We need help. We need her.”
“Like fuck we do.” I scowl at him.
“Don’t be blinded by your pride,” Shane intones.
I glance over at him, ready to defend myself. But he’s the picture of relaxation, arm flung over the couch and legs up on the coffee table. How is he always so goddamn calm?
“I’ll think about it.” I stand, needing space from them and the reminder of past failures.
“Think quickly.”
My eyebrows rise as I turn back to Shane. “What’s your rush?”
His eyes flash to mine. “The backstabbing bitch is close to launching. She goes live before we make our move, and it’s all for nothing.” He looks back at the television. “Who knows how many lives are at risk. And over a decade of work, Dec. Gone.”
I look back to the screen a final time. Lex is speaking again, but I tune out her words and study her face. Her light green eyes are fierce and glittering. Experience and knowledge are heavy in her gaze and in the intentional way she speaks. Frustration wells in me, and I huff, stalking from the room.
Time hasn’t dulled the sting of betrayal or the weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders. I’m reluctant to trust anyone other than Lincoln and Shane with our business, but the need for retribution is a persistent drumbeat in my skull.
As much as I want to focus on building our business into what we envisioned, I can’t ignore the siren song of revenge.