The Other Side of Greed (The Seven Sins #5) - Lily Zante Page 0,120

the pockets of her jeans. Kyra beckons to me, waving at us to come over.

“Here,” I pull out a pen from my shirt. “You could get him to sign your arm.”

Emma takes the pen. “Him? I want them both.” And off she marches.

This has taken some getting used to, Emma in jeans and casual clothes. My polished and efficient PA is now doing a stellar job working for Kyra, but everything about her is different. Her face is softer, she laughs more, she glows.

Kyra said the same about me a few days ago. She told me she'd noticed a change in me. When I tell her that she was responsible for the change, she refuses to take credit for it.

Neville loathes me and my new business ideas, which isn't a problem for me. He says it’s just as well that my father has stepped away from the business otherwise he would die of a heart attack.

I don't keep the old man appraised. He's far too frail, and not always with it. My mother looks after him, but he also has private nurses to tend to him. He's not the sharp and astute man he used to be. I don't allow myself to get angry at him for what he did to us, to me and Kane, by keeping us apart.

But what I can do is reach out to Kane and try to make up for the lost years between us. A thought pinches the edges of my brain, leaving a sharp pain to cut through me.

What if Kane isn't here anymore? What if he ...

But that's as far as I'll let myself think.

He is alive. He has to be.

I will find him and we'll be together again.

Fredrich swipes a hand over his face before sniffing his armpits.

“They're not going to kiss you all over,” I tell him. “They've both got boyfriends.” I assume he's salivating over Elias' girlfriend and sister.

“Emma,” Fredrich murmurs. “She's single, isn't she?”

My eyes threaten to eject from their sockets. “Emma?”

He nods slowly.

“She's a few years older than you,” I tell him, not that age matters. Or social strata.

I glance at the group of people he's staring at, but all he can see is Emma. And all I can see is Kyra, even though there's a heavyweight champion and a Hollywood movie star in that group.

“You were supposed to be getting all set up in the new warehouse, not making eyes at her, or planning your next move.” I pat Fredrich on the back.

“I was,” he growls back.

“We should go over,” I suggest but he shakes his head, surprising me. This huge hulk of a guy is too shy to be around Emma. I would never have guessed.

People didn't surprise me before. Not even the Jessicas of this world. I had them all figured out; the ones who surprise me are these people I prefer to be around more than anything—the Redhill crew. They surprise me, and always for good reason.

We've also recently learned that the fire started because a gas line connected to the factory ruptured and a tiny spark must have set off an explosion which caused the fire. It was nothing to do with Neville at all.

“One of us needs to go over. It doesn’t look good.”

Elias glances in my direction as I walk towards him. He reaches out with his hand. “Good to meet you,” he says, as Kyra introduces us.

“Great to meet you.” His handshake is everything I would expect from a heavyweight champion. I'm about to shake hands with the movie star next when someone tugs at my shirt from behind.

“Brandon.” It's Stefan.

“Hey, buddy.” I turn around and we high five each other. It's been a while since I've seen the kids because they don't come to the food nights anymore. The outcome of the fire could have been so much worse, and we were lucky they got out alive. They should never have been there that late at night in the first place. After what happened, I insisted on getting Yvette help. Now she has a childminder whenever she needs it. I've also helped the family to move into a bigger place, somewhere nicer and safer.

Kyra tells me that I can't get too involved, and that we’re doing all we can to help people, but how can I not get that involved when it comes to children?

The guilt I carry with me is like a chokehold, slowly taking my breath away. Helping Stefan and his family is my way of