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“Nothing too traumatic.” I exhaled. “I just have to stop worrying about Angus.”

“You did your best. If there’s anything I can do to help…”

I shook my head. “It’s all good. Being here is a godsend. The pay’s too generous. I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”

“So, we’ll see you later today for the party at Merivale.”

Savanah sprang to mind, and confusion swept through me again.

If only she weren’t Declan’s sister.

“You did get my invitation, didn’t you?”

I nodded. “Sorry I haven’t had time to respond. But sure. Why not? Merivale’s always a pleasure to visit.”

“Ethan will be happy to see you.”

“I guess I should hire a suit or something.” I stared down at my watch.

“No need. Come the way you are. It’s a party. All kinds of people are coming, including local farmers and friends of Mirabel’s.”

“That sounds colourful.”

“Never a dull crowd or moment at Merivale.”

I chuckled at his dry tone. “Can’t wait.”

We hugged and headed off in opposite directions.

SinceMerivalewasonlya mile or so away from the village, being a nice evening, I chose to walk to the party. As I travelled down the vibrant green leafy lane, I breathed in a lungful of cool sea air, feeling energised.

The walk gave me a chance to switch to social mode. I thought about the superrich with their clipped and well-rounded words and how they sounded like stage actors. I had to watch myself in case I swore. For most of the part, I just nodded, smiled, and opened doors for the ladies.

Savanah made me nervous though, which, in a way, made me laugh. Since when did I run from a beautiful woman?

Damaged or heavily intoxicated women were the only females I avoided. And although Savanah didn’t strike me as damaged, I suspected she suffered from emotional malnourishment. An army counsellor once described me as suffering from that, by suggesting—despite my grumbling to the contrary—that I lacked the emotional strength to trust in my heart. Pretty general stuff, I thought at the time.

I entered through the iron gates into that Disneyland world where the bushes looked more like sculptures than the usual messy randomness of nature. Everything was in its right place, manicured to perfection, and one could have played snooker on the grass.

Dressed in standard black, Drake, along with another guy, stood cross-armed at the entrance. Soon as he saw me, Drake’s rigid stance eased, and his hardened, security-guard expression turned friendly.

“Hey, they’ve got you working around the clock.”

“The pay’s good. I’ve just put down a deposit on an apartment.” He brimmed with justified pride.

Was this the same boy who’d arrived at Reboot two years ago, freshly out of jail, with enough attitude to get himself locked up again?

“I’m really pleased for you. Well done.” I patted his shoulder. “Saving’s not easy these days. Too many temptations.”

“I don’t smoke. I hardly drink. I don’t like to gamble.” He smiled shyly, as though admitting to wearing girls’ underwear.

An earsplitting giggle caught my attention, and when I turned, I saw a girl of about eighteen with long dark hair, a short skirt, and serious high heels, sashaying towards us. Not that I was looking, but her boobs were hard to miss as they ballooned out of a low-cut top.

Reynard Crisp joined her, which had me wondering if they were a couple, despite him looking more like her grandfather. But in that rich scene, it wasn’t unusual to see older men courting young, beautiful women.

“Here we go,” Drake uttered under his breath.

“You know her?” I frowned.

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