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Lilith’s bottom lip suffered serious abuse as he asked each person whose name he read to step forward. She realized with a start that he was using their sub names—a name she had yet to choose.
“Lastly, but definitely not the least, sub Ember.” Master Crow’s eyes on her nudged her to take a step forward. His explanation sounded brusque to her ear at her questioning look. “I chose the name since it’s how you glow after the fire of lust is satiated inside you.”
That same glow bloomed all over her cheeks at the reminder of exactly how he had assisted in burning out that flame… over and over and over again.
Chapter Nine
Lilith
Monday morning, DevelopMate Engineering offices…
“Coffee, cappuccino, latte, or espresso?” Jenny Gray, Lilith’s PA, singsonged the same tune she did every morning when she arrived at the office
“I need a double espresso this morning, please. Might have to keep them coming, too.”
“Oho, it’s going to be one of those weeks, right?”
“And then some.” Lilith lowered her head onto her arms the moment she sat down. The pounding headache had started directly after Master Crow made the announcement that she was in at the academy… and promptly ignored her thereafter. Master Scrooge had discussed the timetable and protocols, leaving them each with a portfolio to study.
Master Crow had been nowhere to be seen by the time she left.
Recuperating was the only activity on her agenda on Sunday. Sleep was a wonder cure, and she practiced it without any feelings of guilt—the tiny voice in her head that kept telling her it was also medicine for rejection was the cause of the cluster headache that wouldn’t dissipate.
The myriad of phone calls and messages she had ignored from Gustav would have repercussions this morning. Of that, she had no doubt.
“I noticed your eye ticking, so I brought you a breakfast croissant. You can’t swallow down those strong pain meds on an empty stomach.”
“Ugh.” The tired sound drifted in a lonesome whisper from her lips as she lifted her head, watching Jenny place the tray in front of her. “You know me far too well.”
“Your brother has phoned a few times already. He sounded highly agitated. Perhaps you should give him a call.”
“Gustav can wait. There’s nothing pressing to discuss. He’s just annoyed that I ignored him this weekend.”
“Ah, the needy twin syndrome.” Jenny placed the espresso and plate of croissants in front of her. “Eat. I’ll get you some tablets.”
Lilith stared after her. She never thought anyone noticed the disparity in their relationship. Not surprising since she hadn’t realized it until recently herself.
When they were growing up, Lilith had always been the protective one. Never having discerned just how demanding and overpowering her brother had been all their life, she now acknowledged that Jenny had hit the nail on the head. Needy—Gustav was needy in every aspect of his existence. Everything revolved around him—his needs and his desires. Hers came second, and since he was the firstborn by five minutes, their parents had always indulged him.
Sadness overwhelmed her as her mother’s face flashed before her eyes. She used to compare the two of them with summertime. In her view, they reflected the warmth of each other, passing it like a beach ball if the other felt sadness. Even the times when they fought, she claimed they were simply kittens learning how to be cats, and their ire evaporated as quickly as it came.
“She was our balance,” she whispered. “When Mom died… so did the equanimity Gustav and I used to share.”
His constant demand for attention, help, and affection was draining. Clever as he was, he knew just how to manipulate Lilith.
“I was too stupid to realize he used my empathy and love for him as a crutch to build an intimate empire where he is the king.” Wincing, as her voice floated through the office, realization struck. “An empire where I was nothing but the Joker, the one he and Rocco laughed at behind closed doors. The one doing all the hard work while they claimed the glory. God! How could I have been so blind?”
Here she was again. She’d fallen for the same trick—giving in to Gustav’s whiny demands and desires to be the undisputed leader in communication software development. No one could deny that he worked hard, but at the same time, he was always looking for shortcuts, ways to reach the top by skipping a rung or two. This time, he overreached.
“If only I knew why they were so keen on getting me on the inside of Hunter Sutton’s lair. Why him? Yes, he’s the best of the best. Ground Zero is indubitably the overall software development company in the States, but instinct tells me there is a particular reason for their interest at this specific time.”
Opening her laptop, she ran a search on all current communication software projects in development across the States, but nothing of substance jumped out at her.
“Ah, the edging queen has arrived.”
A chill raced down Lilith’s spine at the guttural voice sounding from the doorway. Rocco would never change. He would always be the same sanctimonious prick he always was. He had tried to justify his actions when she ended their engagement, but she had blithely cut him off. Nothing he said could sway her, and she warned him never to speak of it again and to stay out of her way. He took her warning to heart, especially since afterward she didn’t hesitate to snub him in public when he tried to approach her.
Now, he seemed to believe he once again had an open floor to ridicule her.
