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My CFO swallows roughly. “You’re the face of the company now, Alex. You have been since you took over the New York branch six years ago. You made time for things Henry would never have. You attend galas, fashion shows, and red-carpet events. You’re photographed with the crème de la crème of high society. You’re a celebrity in your own right, whether you want to be or not. If this footage makes the tabloids, it will do irreparable damage to your name—which is the brand that this company stands on.”
My stomach churns nauseatingly, and my vision grows spotty as his words sink in.
He’s right.
Fuck!
“You’re one of the most eligible bachelors in the Northern United States. You could have any woman you wanted.” Henry scrubs his hands down his face, clearly frustrated.
“When are you going to grow the fuck up, brother?”
His forehead is deeply furrowed, and for the first time in my life, I see a weariness on my brother’s face. Guilt cuts me like a knife at the knowledge that it’smewho’s put that there.
“Take the rest of the day, Alex—”
“No! I want to help. I can’t—”
Henry holds up his palms, and I immediately stop speaking, not wanting to make things worse between us.
“Take the day, Alex. That’s not a request. I need to run interference before the Board catches wind of this, and I can’t do that when I’m liable to say something to you that I know I’ll regret.”
CHAPTER4
REYNA
I shoota watery smile at Fred, not trusting my voice to bid him goodbye as I exit the building that houses Freemont Insurance, walking out onto a bustling Wall Street.
The rush of adrenaline I’d felt while facing those assholes dissipated almost immediately, and I came crashing back to reality with a bang.
My hands are trembling, and my knees feel more than a little unsteady. I lean against the side of the building, digging deep to find the will to keep moving forward, when my cell vibrates in my crossbody bag.
I slip it out, almost dropping it from my shaking grip, and my stomach knots when I see it’s Sunrise Harbor for the second time today.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry for interrupting you, Reyna.” Penelope’s voice seems loud, almost booming, in my ears. “I wanted to let you know that Mariana’s episode has passed, unfortunately.” My shoulders drop as she continues. “I just didn’t want you rushing back from work…”
Her words become white noise as a buzzing sound clouds my mind. I stare numbly into the distance for a long beat, my heart shattering beneath my breast.
“Thank you, Penelope. I’ll be by again tomorrow.”
Without waiting for her response, I hang up. My feet begin to move without conscious thought, and suddenly, I’m back at my car with no idea how I got here.
I glance around the parking garage, noting that Leonard is looking at me from his small glass office with a look of concern on his kind, round face. I glance down along my body to find that, somewhere along the way, I lost my half-size-too-big shoes.
My feet are filthy with grime from the street. I blink heavily, feeling as though I’m on the cusp of a breakdown, and I mentally scramble to stop my unwanted spiral.
“Reyna?”
My head shoots up, finding Leonard standing not ten feet away. He gestures to my bare, dirty feet, his hands encompassing my whole self in general, as he smiles softly.
“You look like you’ve had a rough twenty-four hours.”
I work my throat, but the words don’t come. Instead, my bottom lip trembles dangerously, so I suck it into my mouth to stop the rush of emotion.
“I’m not going to ask you to tell me any of it…but my ma always said that it costs nothing to be kind.”
He looks uncertain all of a sudden, his Irish accent becoming stronger with each word spoken.
