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He shrugs. “You won’t have to pay back anything. Just tie yourself to me and the company for the next twenty years.” He pushes a document toward me. “All you have to do is sign here.”
“Why do you already have a contract prepared?” I ask faintly, staring at the paper.
He smirks.
“Caleb…” I try not to sound like I’m panicking. “Can I at least think about it?”
He frowns. “What’s there to think about?”
I purse my lips. “Aside from being offered a slave contract, nothing much.”
He pushes the document toward me, urging. “Fine. Take this home with you. Think it over. Take a few days. I want an answer by next Monday.”
I pick up the contract with hesitant fingers. “Did Lucas help you with this?”
His lips curve.
15
Oliver
I stare at the screen, not registering the words on it, my mind on Lana.
I wonder what she’s doing right now, whether she’s holed up in her office, restructuring the SOPs I handed off to her this week. It’s been two days since she confronted her family. She’s been acting like she normally does, but sometimes when she thinks I’m not paying attention, there’s a strain on her face, a lost look in her eyes. In those moments, I want nothing more than to hold her to me and soothe away all her troubles.
With Nyla, it hadn’t been this way. Nyla had been someone delicate who looked like she deserved to be pampered, so I did. I had loved her and cherished because that was the role she seemed to have been born for,
a beautiful ornament. I don’t once remember raising my voice at her or fighting with her.
With Lana, it’s different. We fight, we argue, and we’re both stubborn to a fault. She hides her weaknesses, not wanting anyone to see her vulnerability. The walls around her are hard to tear down, but the more she resists, the more determined I get to clamber over them. The day Caleb texted me was the first time I saw her so broken, with no barriers. I saw the fragile woman underneath, and I fell even more impossibly in love with her.
I adore her professionalism, admire her ambition, and love her prickly attitude. It’s only when she’s in my hands that she unfurls like a severely displeased kitten, who is only allowing me to handle her. It’s delightful seeing her open up to me, even warily. Which is why her trust is something I can never break.
It’s also why she can never find out what I’ve done. Well, not until I have my ring on her finger and she’s completely in love with me. What I felt for Nyla pales in comparison to what I feel for Lana. Nyla was like water that slipped through my fingers, never truly mine. Lana is fire and heat, wearing her emotions on her sleeve, ready to face the world with a determination that is unique to her.
I can’t let her leave me. Once this particular assignment is over, I have no intention of moving back home. I’ve always wanted to set up a consultancy firm for corporate damage repair. Why not avail that opportunity here? I will be near the woman I love, and she won’t have to lose her home and her friends.
A sound from my laptop makes me glance up.
It’s an email I’ve been waiting for.
While Caleb may have his own sources to dig up information, I’m owed enough favors by people in top positions who can find out who this man is who has his sights set on my woman.
Matt Richards.
He’s from one of the wealthier families on this side of the country. Born into money, but he acts more like a loan shark than anything. Went to a prestigious private school. Graduated with honors.
Waste of education in my opinion.
Buried police files. Accused by women of harassment, violence, and abuse. His last girlfriend accused him of domestic violence before she went missing.
The man is bad news.
There’s a sharp rap on my door, then Val enters. “A Bryan Chadwick is on the phone for you, from Barclays.”
Nodding, I pick up the line. As she leaves, I speak into the receiver, “Is it done?”
Bryan is my personal accountant from back home. “The money should reach Mr. Starr in five business days.”
