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“You, Michael.” I rammed my finger into his chest. “I’m talking about you. Your father. Your brother. The minions who work for you. Everybody who does anything you tell them in order to get you what you want. Even if it means killing my grandfather to do so.”
He flinched like I had struck him. “Where the fuck do you get off saying something like that?” His voice was hard, but he didn’t yell.
“Pops could have died!” I screeched.
His chest was rising and falling, his breaths short. Just like they had been after we had made love. But now, the movements didn’t have the same meaning. Instead of passion and what I thought was love, they were the breaths of a conniving, two-faced piece of shit. I had been right about him all along.
“Siena. Wait.”
“No, Michael.” I held my hand up. “I’m not waiting for one more attack against my family. You, your brother, and your father can all fuck right off.”
He reached out to take my hand, his eyes looking lost.
“I’ll never forgive you. Never.” I turned and ran, leaving him standing in the flickering candlelight.
Michael
Sleep eluded me. There wasa ghost in the empty space. A ghost of someone who was very much alive. There was no point in even trying. I’d considered chasing after her, but I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere with her. Not now, anyway.
I agonized over whether she felt the same thing I was—gut-wrenching loneliness, unbearable emptiness. Despite being completely distracted by what happened between us, I tried to do some work. I needed something to keep my mind busy, to keep myself from going crazy. The silence in the space was excruciating.
Ten hours later, I was on a plane, heading to New York with my brother. Sitting in first-class brought back memories of the last time I’d been on a plane. With Siena. The seats were spacious, but I felt like a sardine crammed into a tight tin can. It was almost suffocating, even though last time, with Siena, I’d felt like there’d been too much space between us. Back then, just a couple of weeks earlier, I’d thought,“You should have booked regular seats. Then you’d be closer to her,be able to touch her easily.”
Matthew attempted to make small talk, but I stayed in my bubble, claiming to be going over our presentation. He knew something was up. I was disconsolate, unresponsive, distant. Instead of badgering me, he let me be, knowing I’d snap out of it when it counted the most.
Standing outside of Blaire headquarters, I inhaled a deep breath. This was it. Time to face the man who’d ruled over me my entire life. In his office, Allan Blaire, my father, sat tall and rigid in his executive chair, behind his enormous desk. It should have made him appear smaller. Instead, he seemed colossal. He owned the place, and in his mind, he owned the fucking world too. Confidence exuded from him, out of every pore. He carried the success of his business and his empire on his shoulders like a warrior.
And I carried the weight of his mistakes on mine.
Still, business was business.
And it was time to suit up.
Time to take charge of my own life, my own future.
Make a name for myself, out from under the shadows of Allan Blaire.
He grinned, showing no weakness, no worry. “It’s great to have you both here. Matthew has informed me that you have some things you’d like to run past me.”
Run past him?Like we were fucking hourly workers trying to pitch a new idea.
“After we’re done, let’s grab lunch,” he said, as the door behind me opened. My dad’s face lit up. “Steph, just in time. The boys were just about to fill me in on their next venture.”
“Great. Michael, Matthew, I’m so glad I could join you. Your father’s been keeping me apprised of all the progress.”
“Yes, and what a great way to get your feet wet. Start with people you know. Practice makes perfect.” He kissed her hand, then looked at us.
“What are you talking about?” Matthew asked before I even had a chance. Neither of us had any idea what was going on, and clearly, our father didn’t value our opinion enough to make us part of his decision making.
“I’m guiding her on how to branch out. She’ll be helping with Monarch.”
“Jesus Christ, Dad,” I huffed out in exasperation.
He held up an authoritative hand. “We are all family now. And Stephanie has some great ideas. Things I think will make a difference for E Enterprises and our future.”
What the hell?“You’ve been married for about five minutes. What are you thinking?” I couldn’t contain my anger. I was lashing out, and I needed to rein it in. I knew I did, but I was being pushed over the edge.
“I’m thinking that she is my wife, and we want to build a futuretogether. That means being a part of each other’s lives in every aspect. Thus, bringing her on board here.”
