5. Declan #2
My chin drops to my chest, a dull pain throbbing behind my left eye.
All I want to do is go find my wife, crawl into bed with her and sleep for a week.
But that’s clearly not in the cards. I’m juggling too many balls and the moment I let one fall, it’ll be Lily that has to face down the consequences.
And that’s something I can’t allow to happen.
“Thank you, Adam. Give me two minutes,” I tell my assistant, and then lean back in my seat. “Send your evidence as soon as you get back to your desk,” I tell Carter. “I want everything my father has done or is planning to do.”
He scrunches his mouth to the side, understanding what I’m not explicitly stating. “You gonna make some waves?”
“Make some waves, or burn it all down,” I say, not realizing how true the words are.
After several hours of talking more than one board member down, I hear a squawk from outside my office. “Excuse me! You can’t just walk in there!”
“Of course I can, Aiden.” The superiority of the tone, as well as the absolute confidence in the wrong name, has me rolling my eyes, just as the door bursts open.
Silvia struts into the room, stilettos digging into the plush carpet I’d paid an exorbitant amount of money to have installed when my name had been nailed to the door.
One of the reasons for it had been the idea of listening to shoes like hers tapping obnoxiously on the original hardwood flooring, and my aching head was grateful for that choice now.
Even popping more pain pills than recommended hadn’t taken the edge off, and it isn’t easing now as I watch Silvia round my desk.
“Silvia, I’m busy,” I tell her, focusing back on my laptop.
She ignores me, perching her ass on the edge of my desk, looking down at me with a smile. “You’re never too busy for me,” she remarks confidently.
I roll my chair to the side, putting a few more inches between us as she crosses one long leg over the other. I avert my gaze when her skirt edges up.
“Darling,” she says, red lips pursing as she flashes me a concerned look. “You look wrecked. Was the honeymoon so bad?” She laughs softly, and it scrapes against my nerves like a bristle brush on silk.
I eye her with a frown. “My honeymoon was fine.” She knows I don’t like her talking about my wife like that, but she takes the dark look in stride.
“Well, I have to admit, I’m surprised you’re back so soon.” Her sculpted brows lift high. “I’m a bit put out that you didn’t call me as soon as you landed.”
“I cut it short for work, Silvia.”
She smiles slyly, as if I’m saying one thing and meaning another. “I bet Lily had some questions about that.” Something flashes through her eyes, but it’s gone with a blink.
“How did you even know I was back?”
She swings her leg casually. “Daddy told me, and I just knew you’d be holed up in here, so I figured I’d drag you out for some food.”
Her smile softens, reminding me of the little girl that I’d grown up with. The one with gangly legs that always tried to keep up with me, even when I wanted nothing to do with her.
I sigh, knowing I have too much to do and that I should turn her down, but my stomach rumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten today.
She must see the reluctant acceptance, because she hops off my desk. “Come on, darling,” she says playfully. “You need the break, and we need to catch up. Let’s go to Café Bellezza.” She names a cafe just around the corner. “It’ll be quiet before the dinner rush.”
Unwilling to argue with her, I make quick work of tidying my desk and shutting my laptop away in a locked drawer. Once I’m finished, I follow Silvia out of my office, Adam’s mutinous glare already fixed on us.
“Bye, Alex!” Silvia waves gaily at him and as soon as she passes him, his eyes roll into the back of his head dramatically. I bite back a smile, letting her get a few steps ahead.
I call back over my shoulder to Adam, “I’m going for coffee. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Cool,” he calls back cheerfully. “I won’t be here, so have fun with that.”
I glance down at my watch, realizing it’s already almost five. “Alright. Thanks for your help today, Adam.” I’m close enough now that Silvia can hear me and, hopefully, the emphasis I put on his name, like he hasn’t been my assistant for close to two years now.
The elevator slides closed, and Silvia presses a sharp fingernail against the button for the ground floor.
“I think the power has gotten to your assistant’s head.
He knows who I am but is always trying to stop me from seeing you.
You should give him a warning—he’s been here long enough to know better. ”
“Don’t presume to talk to me about my employees, Silvia,” I retort, just sharp enough that her head jerks towards me, eyes wide.
I know it’s a consequence of how we grew up, but I’ve never liked the way she treats people she believes are beneath her, and I’ve made no bones about it.
She reaches out to touch my arm, a reconciling smile on her face. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m a little hangry, I guess.” She giggles, the sound at odds with her usual countenance. “You know how I get.”
Her fingers linger on my arm, and I look at her in bemusement before shaking it off, mind firing back to some of the conversations I’d been having throughout the day.
My father thought he was being subtle in his attempts to sabotage Hi-Tech, but all he’s done is brought attention to the divide between us and how we do things, especially when the board was already fully aware of my proposal to purchase the company.
I feel like I’m trying to play chess blind, about to move pieces when I can’t see what move my opponent has just made.
Silvia seems to sense my distraction because she doesn’t break the silence until we take our seats at a small table next to the front window and the server has taken our order.
She sips her water, watching me over the rim. “Daddy wanted me to ask you to come for dinner next week.”
My mouth twitches, unable to imagine anything worse. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” She laughs again, but a divot appears between her brows.
“Silvia, I don’t even like going to my family dinners. So, why does your father want me at one of yours?”
She purses her lips, eyes flicking around the cafe. “I don’t know, Dec. You’d have to ask him. I’m just the messenger.”
I hum thoughtfully, my instincts flaring. “Is my wife invited?” I ask, watching her closely and catching the flinch I would’ve missed otherwise. She covers it up by flashing me a bright smile, but it falls flat, not reaching her eyes.
“Of course she’s invited. Lily’s family, isn’t she?
” Her tone is too forced to feel genuine.
“Declan, I’m worried about you. Every time we talk, it feels like you’re getting more and more involved with Lily.
” Her expression is drawn, her eyes sad.
“It feels like you’re forgetting why you started this in the first place. ”
Fuck.
I shift in my seat, thinking my words through carefully, knowing I’m walking a tightrope of what I can say to her and what I need to protect. “I know what I’m doing. Leave it alone, Silvia.”
She shakes her head, a strand of blond hair flying free. “Talk to me,” she pleads, reaching out and gripping my arm firmly. “You know I’m here for you, right? I always have been. But you need to let me in.” Her smile is tremulous, eyes overly bright, and guilt surges.
I don’t want to lie to her, but I also can’t tell her the truth.
“The other day you told me to trust you, right?” she continues doggedly. “And I do… but you’re back now, so you and her… it should be over, right? Your dad said it would be.”
And there it was.
“Silvia—”
“This isn’t going to end well,” she predicts, tone hardening from a plea to something brittle, her mouth pressing into a firm line.
“Lily has been so unkind to me, even when I welcomed her into our circle with open arms. Every time I told you about it, you brushed me off, reminding me this was all temporary. But you’re married, Declan.
It doesn’t feel temporary now!” Her face falls, a lone tear streaking down her cheek, and my stomach drops.
“I don’t understand why you had to take it all this far. ”
“This has nothing to do with you, Silvia,” I gently remind her.
She leans across the table, her nails digging into my arm even through my suit jacket. “I thought we were family,” she whispers, her words harsh and damning. “You’re treating me like some kind of outsider.”
My mouth drops open, confused about how she can go from appearing heartbroken to angry so quickly. “What’re you talking about?”
“You’ve been with Lily for a year.” There’s the slightest sneer to her mouth when she says my wife’s name. “A year, Declan. And she’s used that time wisely, pushing me further and further out. And you never see it.” I shake my head, ready to refute what she’s saying, but she’s not done.
“She’s horrible to me as soon as your back’s turned.
” The anger falls away back into sadness.
“She was gloating before the wedding that I was going to be cut out of your life permanently.” It doesn’t sound like something Lily would say, but Silvia’s mouth trembles, another tear escaping and I falter.
“We’ve been friends our whole lives, Declan, and you’ve let her come between us.
You’ve let her ruin us.” She sniffs delicately, looking out the window, whispering brokenly, “I don’t have anyone else. ”
“That’s not true, Silvia. None of it.” Her hand is still on my arm, and I place mine over top of hers, squeezing reassuringly.
She glances down at them, before looking up at me through spiky wet lashes. “We’re reaching a breaking point,” she says. “A point I don’t think we can ever come back from.”
I frown. “What are you saying?”
She looks down at the table, teeth sinking into her quivering lip. “I can’t do it anymore,” she says quietly. “You need to choose.”
“Choose?” I echo. “Choose what?”
Her chin lifts stubbornly, shoulders straightening as she looks me dead in the eye. “Me or her.”
I stare back at her, uncertainty filling my chest. “She’s never had an unkind thing to say about you, Silvia.”
“Of course she hasn’t.” The laugh is quiet, fragile, and I wince. “She would never want to let you in on what she’s doing, not if she thinks it will threaten the hold she has on you.”
“It’s almost over,” I say. “Just keep trusting me.”
She’s right when she says we’ve been friends our whole lives, and no matter what else is going on, I don’t want to see her hurting, especially if it’s because of me.
She pulls her hand away, using a napkin to wipe her face until she’s picture perfect again.
“I knew you’d understand,” she murmurs, and my brow furrows. “I knew I just needed you to really listen.” Her hazel eyes shine at me, still wet but happier. “Will you let me know when it’s done? Will you tell me when it’s really over?”
My chest feels too tight, but I smile anyway. “Of course,” I promise, the words bitter on my tongue. “You’ll be the first to know.”