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She nodded, though she looked hesitant as well.
I kissed her again. “This is all going exactly how I planned. It won’t be long now.”
We arrived at the house, and the sense of relief at being home eased some of my tension. I quickly went to Sebastian’s office to brief him on the new development, then I went in search of Sofia. At last, I found her in the family room with Mariah, playing on the floor as the sun streamed in through the windows. I stood in the doorway and watched them, my love for these two girls stronger than ever. All I wanted was to have a life full of moments like these.
There was still much to do, though, and after cuddling Sofia and covering her with a dozen kisses, I found myself pacing the living room while she got back to playing.
“Evan, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor at this rate.” Mariah looked up at me, reaching for my hand as I passed by. I paused, and she pulled on my hand. “Why don't you sit down and relax for a minute?”
Relaxing wasn't exactly my strong suit, especially with everything at stake. All I wanted was the news that’d signal the next phase of our plan.
But I knew she was right, too. I had to keep my head clear and focused, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
I took a deep breath and settled back down beside her on the couch. "I just want to hear something."
"Patience, Evan," Mariah whispered, resting her head on my shoulder. “We've come this far. Like you said, everything is coming together.”
We sat there for a while, watching as Sofia played with her toys, but after a bit she became fussy.
“Okay, little one," Mariah said, standing up off the couch and scooping Sofia in her arms. "Time for your nap."
I stood and walked to the back window, staring out over the endless stretch of land. More than anything, I wanted to hold my girls close, protect them from the coming storm. We were making headway, but there were still battles to fight, and our future together depended on the success of our plan.
Sebastian appeared in the doorway a few moments later. “Evan, we have news.”
I spun around. “Good or bad?"
“Come up to my office and decide for yourself."
I followed him up the stairs and down the hall, my mind racing. Had Tomas discovered our game? Or was our plan falling apart when it’d barely begun?
Sebastian closed the office door behind us and walked to his computer, clicking on an audio file. The sound of Tomas’s voice filled the room, his fury palpable as he raged at someone on the other end of the line.
"What the hell is going on?" he demanded. "Why are my stakeholders dropping like flies?"
Another responded, wary and placating. I could only assume he was one of Tomas’s advisors. "I have no idea, sir, but it's not looking good for us. I suggest you call the other stakeholders and butter them up so they don’t follow suit. The last thing we need is more disinvestment."
My heart thundered as I stared at Sebastian, the weight of our situation bearing down on me. We’d set the wheels in motion, but it sounded like this had taken on a life of its own. The structure Tomas had built his empire on was crumbling.
"Jax sent this.” Sebastian clicked the mouse again. "Tomas is starting to feel the pressure."
"Good," I said, clenching my fists. "He deserves to feel it tenfold for everything he's done."
"Agreed. But we can't let our guard down, Evan. We're walking a tightrope here, and one wrong move could send us plummeting."
Our plan was going exactly as we’d hoped, but we were far from safe. We had to be on the lookout for anything Tomas might throw our way.
"Let's keep pushing forward. Tomas won't know what hit him."
Sebastian nodded, gesturing to his computer again as he clicked a few more times. “He’s already feeling it. Look at this, Evan. Word is already spreading that the casino’s losing major backers."
I studied the screen: the declining stocks, the news articles on the subject. His numbers were plummeting.
“I can't believe this is working.”
"Money talks," Sebastian said, a grim smile on his lips. "The world is a greedy place. People pay attention when it comes to their money."
“Do you think he knows it’s us yet?”
