Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,196

the business, though we need more capital.

“Let’s get down to it,” he insists, taking his spot at the table. “Show me your numbers.”

By the end of the meeting, my staff scurries out like lost puppies, leaving only Lex and me. Outside the window, darkness falls, and just like I had predicted, we dragged well into the night.

“I’m going to agree with you. I see the potential and want the full scope of this merger by the end of the month. You deliver what I need, and the capital is yours.”

I breathe a sigh of relief, confident I can do that. I only learn from the best, and there’s no chance in hell that Lex will allow me to screw this up.

Standing up to stretch my legs, I open the cabinet and pull out a Scotch bottle I store in there, handing a glass to Lex. We cheer on our proposed deal, then both let out a relaxed breath.

“Change of topic,” Lex says, taking another drink. “Amelia has started at Yale.”

“Yale? Impressive.” I nod, despite being a Harvard man myself. “What’s she studying?”

The truth be told, I haven’t seen her since she was a kid or maybe four years ago when she was in middle school. It would’ve been one of our family dinners, and given our age gap of ten years, we had nothing in common. My memories of her are this annoying little girl who would pester me to do dangerous things in her backyard on my visits, like jumping off the roof and into the pool.

“Law, like mother like daughter,” Lex professes while smiling fondly. “I wasn’t exactly thrilled when we found out.”

I laugh, pouring more Scotch into our glasses. “Lex Edwards, billionaire tycoon with four daughters. Why am I not surprised?”

He snickers, enjoying my dig at his protective persona. “One day, you’ll have kids of your own, possibly daughters, and then you’ll know.”

“Please…” I roll my eyes with boredom. “The last thing I want is marriage and babies. I’m quite happy being single despite what my mother believes.”

“Your mother believes you can’t keep your dick in your pants. Hence, why she keeps having to deal with different assistants when trying to call you.”

“Hmm… gossip travels fast.” I smirk playfully behind the glass. “No one understands my lifestyle. They either want on my cock or in my pocket. I’m twenty-nine, too young to worry about settling down. I’ve got an empire to build, not pussy to chase.”

Lex shakes his head with a knowing smile. “Aren’t you the epitome of a young Lex Edwards? But a word of warning, one day you’ll wake up and realize that being alone is a punishment, not a blessing.”

“And until then, what does it matter if my bed is warm in the morning from some chick who can get me off quickly?”

“Why do I not believe you allow them to stay over?”

I throw back the rest of my drink. “You have me there, old fella, just trying to paint me as a considerate lover.”

Lex points his finger at me. “You, Will Romano, are a selfish man, as was I once upon a time, but look where I ended up? If you’re to follow in my footsteps, I expect some woman to own you very soon.”

Laughter escapes me. “I recall the upsetting memory. You stole my favorite aunt and whisked her away to have babies in LA. I’m happy to prove you wrong. Wager, if needed.”

“Now, now, don’t get so cocky. Mark my words, son, it’ll happen to you. And all this…” he points around my office with an arrogant grin, “… will mean nothing if you can’t have her.”

With a dismissive nod, I raise my glass. “It’s time to prove Lex Edwards wrong.”

6

Amelia

Nothing anyone could have said would’ve prepared me for my first few months of college.

It was even better.

Being surrounded by intellectual students who want to learn is vastly different from high school. Our lectures often turn into discussions, which I thoroughly enjoy, giving me a chance to interact with my peers on a non-social level.

I frequently find myself immersed in reading, and studying has become so much more challenging than in high school. At times, the pressure mounts, yet I quickly learned that I thrive on it. It pushes me to work harder, and if I want to make a career out of the law, I need tough skin and a strong work ethic.

Aside from the girls in my dorm room, it hasn’t taken too long to make friends with those