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“With who?”
“Gabriel. He never should have involved you in this.”
I take her hand. She’s upset, and she has every right to be. The ripple effects that our parents caused affected her, too. “I was always involved. I just had the choice to walk away before. Now I don’t think I do.”
“Ugh.” Charlotte scoots closer to me so we’re side by side, looking at the fireplace together. “I think that’s the scariest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Same.”
She lets out a heavy sigh, and I can hear in the sound that she’s on the verge of tears. “I don’t know what to do, Elise. If Mason loses another family member to that damn consortium, it’ll break him. And if I lose you?”
Charlotte Hill, formerly Charlotte Van Kempt, the Sunshine girl, can’t bring herself to say what happens then.
9
GABRIEL
The bastard calls my office.
More specifically, Bettencourt calls my secretary, who asks me if I want to talk to him in a wary tone.
“Of course,” I tell her. She has no idea what Bettencourt is to me, or to my family, so it must be something else.
“Are you sure? He was…demanding.”
This fucker can’t even pretend to be polite to secretaries. How has no one put him in jail yet? “Put him through.” The lineclicks. “Gabriel Hill.”
“It’s time for us to go over the terms. Be at my office in twenty minutes.”
He hangs up before I can say anything.
I’ve always maintained that it’s easier to win someone over by charming them. Kissing them. Fucking them, if necessary. It’s a damn good thing Bettencourt is too unsubtle for that.
I spend thirty seconds going over my options. I could make him wait, but that would make me look less committed to joining the consortium. Now’s not the time for power plays. Now’s the time to be convincing.
I’m pretty checked out as it is, so it doesn’t make much of a difference to cancel the rest of my afternoon and have the valet bring my car. I took the SUV again this morning. It feels less like a target than the Ferrari. And if Bettencourt is watching, which I’m sure one of his people will be, it’s best if he gets the idea that there’s something he can offer me.
It’s an unfortunate development in terms of my revenge plot that I have almost everything I want.
I have Elise.
I have as much of Elise as she’s willing to give me, anyway. It’s a good thing she’s keeping her heart for herself. I’d only crush it.
My family? They might not be on the table. Jameson told me he didn’t want to see myfake brother bullshitat brunch this week. I ignored two calls from Mason and one from Remy. Even Charlotte texted me after I left Mason’s apartment.
They don’t understand.
They’re not going to understand.
I’m the one who has to make peace with that.
The Bettencourt International headquarters are about the last place on earth I want to visit. No part of me wants to go through the doors on the main floor. No part wants to take the elevator up to Bettencourt’s office.
Lucky for me, I’ve had quite a bit of practice doing things I don’t want to do.
I float near my body while I give his secretary just enough direct eye contact to make her cheeks flush, then lean in to murmur my name like I’m visiting royalty. It won’t help anything. I doubt this woman has any real sway over Bettencourt. But she’ll remember me when I’m gone. If he tries to smuggle out my dead body, she’ll be the last person who can put me at the scene.
Or, on a less morbid note, she’ll remember me if I ever have to call the asshole she works for.
