AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Something like that.” I heard a slight smile in his voice. We were both similar in so many ways, but now, I hated noting those similarities.
“Any idea who this was?”
“It wasn't your brothers.” His tone was simple and final. He would accept no arguments on the topic.
I barely fought away the eye roll.
“I’m asking if it was you who did all of this.”
“No.”
“Okay, great talk. I’ll send you updated reports later.”
I stood up, straightened my jacket, and walked to the door.
“You have six months,” he called after me.
I slowly turned to look at him.
“In a hurry now, are we?”
“My company's value keeps dropping. Six months or I'll find someone more capable.”
“Yeah, good luck with that,” I said, stepping out of the room.
I descended the stairs, a lot of thoughts running through my mind, and found my new stepmother at the foot of the stairs, waiting for something. Not me, certainly? She beamed up at me, a practiced smile as false as her British accent. She was beautiful and appeared untouched by age, which was probably why Dad chose her.
“Daniel,” she greeted, that smile still plastered on her face.
“Anastasia.” I acknowledged, letting a slight, polite smile touch my lips. She was the fifth official stepmother I had had. She had been with Dad a year. Longer than most, yet shorter than some. The first woman Dad married after Mom stayed seven years.
“You never come to join us. You keep declining my dinner invitations.”
“I apologize. It's a bit hectic at the office.”
She smiled again. Was that all she did? I wouldn't be surprised. Dad always seemed to go for boring and beigely accommodating women. I hadn't even bothered spending time getting to know this one. She would probably be gone soon, anyway.
“Will you join us Thursday night, then?” she pressed. “Damien will be back from Australia.”
Damien, my stepbrother. The one novelty to this arrangement. I had half-brothers and a half-sister from Dad’s first remarriage, but none of the other women had brought their sons from previous marriages. He was actually smart, too, from what I'd seen. He worked at the company as one of its directors.
I started to decline politely when she continued to plead. “Florence will be here, too. She called to say she was coming.” That gave me pause.
“I'll see if I can make time,” I promised, “I'll get back to you.”
Chapter 12
Amy
Thesunstoodbrightin the sky. Its rays caught on rooftops and split into small prisms. Yet, I couldn't feel its heat at all. The temperature was cool this morning, adding a slow quality to everything. It was that feeling that heralded the coming of the rain. I was glad I took my jacket along with me.
I sped past rows of stores and open cafes, pushing Jennifer's poor Impala to the max, which wasn't much. The old thing had been around for some seven years and had suffered from disuse this past year and a half, gathering dust in her garage. That was why she insisted I took it when I got the message.
The message.
Jennifer was next to me when my phone buzzed with the most unexpected text. I had gone to her house to discuss the offer from Diana. She shared similar reservations as I did, but it was still amazing. Despite it being everything we had ever hoped for, we needed to take the time to think about it and make sure we were level-headed. Getting a text from another potential sponsor was just too much. It was like the heavens were finally smiling on us after so long. The text was from Evan Smith, and although he wasn't into anything biological, medical or even remotely scientific, it wasn't unheard of that wealthy people sponsored research just out of interest and for the potentially lucrative investment. I felt a little proud, too.
I steered the car into the valet line for the Riverview, slightly anxious now that I was there. He asked to meet at Riverview Hotel's restaurant. I had no idea why that choice was made. We could have met at his office or a more professional setting, but one would get nowhere trying to understand the motives of the wealthy. I walked in, giving my name at the door before being led to the table. It faced away from the entrance and gave me a beautiful view of the ocean through glass walls.
