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The guests departed one by one, and I quickly made my way to Dillon’s office, leaving Arnoldo behind, still visibly shocked. I hadn’t been here for long, but it clear this building was more than just another business plan to him. It was a lot closer to his heart.
To see Dillon cancel the deal so abruptly was surprising. But, based on what Nico had recently shared with me, I could now understand why. His grandfather was a highly sensitive topic for him, and the casual mention of his name had clearly rattled Dillon, leaving him feeling tested and uneasy—an unusual and uncomfortable experience for someone of his stature.
“Hey,” he said, rubbing his temple, “are you alright?”
“I’m fine, but are you?”
“I’m not so sure,” he admitted. I could see the turmoil in his expression, a look I knew all too well.
“What’s troubling you?”
“The quickest way to get under my skin is to mention my grandfather. Eric pushed my buttons the wrong way,” he said, his frustration evident in his tone.
I struggled to find the right words. “Were you genuinely interested in that deal?”
“Mara was,” he confessed, “when we were kids, we used to play there, and I wanted to give it to her as a gift. But Eric made it nearly impossible.”
There it was—the Dillon I yearned to understand and connect with. The kind, tender side he had. That’s the Dillon I longed to know better. But building that connection would take effort on both our parts, and I hoped he was willing to work alongside me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said as I entered his office. “You know what’s best for your business. If I can help with anything, please let me know.”
“What are you doing now?”
“I have lunch with Bryce. He texted me to meet up and oh, I’ve got therapy tonight.”
“See me after your lunch? I have a free 1 pm.”
“I will.”
I flashed a smile, feeling the intensity of his gaze as I swayed out of the room.
Bryce had messaged me to meet at “La Esquivel” for lunch.
“Azzaria,” he called out when I neared the table, “how are you?”
“I’m good. Why are we here, Bryce?” I wanted to cut to the chase and get this over with.
“We’re here to talk. I hate seeing Halley like this, and I don’t know what to do,” he sighed, visibly distressed. As I suspected, it had to be about her.
“Continue.”
“Her father showed up, and now she’s just empty.”
“How am I supposed to fix that? I don’t understand.”
He went on to telling me how much she’s changed since we stopped talking and how much she misses me. This is all shit I’ve heard before and quite frankly, things I don’t have the time for.
“Bryce, if you came here to bitch on her behalf, you chose the wrong day and the wrong person. She had her chance and now I’m over it.”
He looked at me with shock and I walked out. There’s nothing I could do to help and I truly just stopped caring. If it’s not worth my time, it’s not worth it.
I stopped at the sandwich shop and grabbed my favorite bite before heading back to the office.
Dillon was busy writing in his journal when I approached him. He didn’t seem startled by my presence and continued writing. I got the hint that he wanted me to leave.
“Where are you going?” he asked without looking up from his desk.
“You seemed busy, so I was heading back to my desk.”
