Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,19
afraid to.”
Bernice looked around the kitchen, then pulled him back into her office and pushed him down into a chair. “I’m sure it’s been hard coming back and suddenly being treated differently, but I want you to know that there are a lot of us who are happy to see you back,” she said. “Things are changing around here, Reggie; your brother’s death was just the beginning, and you might just be the one person who can stop the violence before it escalates into a full-blown clan war.”
Reggie sat back in his chair and sighed. “You’re the second person who’s told me that,” he said. “But I don’t think I’m the person everyone is looking for. I’m just an accountant, Bernice. I’m not a leader. I’m not a hero. I only came home because...well, it’s complicated, but I have to make sure that marriage contract isn’t reinstated, and then I’m going back to Stoney Bridge.”
She studied him for a long time. “The marriage contract is the least of your worries. You have to see that,” she finally said. “Whether you marry the girl or not, this clan needs you; they need you to lead them out of this dark place we’ve been in. Leader or not, Reggie, you are the one shifter who can stand up to the council. You can be our voice where we’ve had none before.”
He wanted to shrink from her words, but he felt them too deeply to ignore them, felt the certainty that she was right deep inside. Remembering how hard he’d tried all those years ago to put an end to the clan’s illegal businesses, it suddenly occurred to him that he’d planted the seeds of change without even knowing it. The weight of what he’d started threatened to overwhelm him, and he wished that he’d never come home.
Not feeling any better, he got to his feet. “I’ll think about it, Bernice, but you have to understand that right now, my only goal is to stop my father from making me marry Janice,” he said. “Do you know where he is?”
Bernice looked disappointed. “Have it your way, but you can’t run from fate, Reggie,” she said, shaking her head sadly. “You’ll find your father in his study.”
***Janice***
Janice woke to a soft knocking on her door and sat up in bed slightly confused for a second, then saw the torn wallpaper and peeling paint. Sitting up in bed, she called out, “Come in,” wondering who would be knocking on her door so early in the morning. Hoping it wasn’t her stepmother, she watched as the door slowly opened and a young woman wearing a maid’s uniform came into the room carrying a tray.
“Good morning, Ms. Janice,” the maid said. “I’m Josie, and I’ll be taking care of you while you’re here. I’ve brought you breakfast.”
“Oh, thank you,” Janice stammered, “but that wasn’t necessary. I could have come downstairs.”
Josie set the tray down on the little table by the window and began unloading it. “Mrs. Francisco always has breakfast in her room,” she said. “I thought you might like to as well.”
Janice was still uncomfortable, but the smell of coffee was hard to resist, and she found herself getting out of bed. “I’ve never had someone wait on me; it’s going to take some getting used to,” she said, sitting down at the little table.
Josie smiled at her, poured her a cup of coffee, then said, “Well, that’s my job as long as you’re here.”
“I’ll try not to be too much of a bother,” she said, returning the smile.
After studying her for a second, Josie nodded her head as if she’d come to a decision. “I’ll be back to get your tray later,” she said. “Mrs. Francisco would like you to meet her in the dressing room later this morning. I’ll come get you when she’s ready.”
Janice watched her leave, the smell of food filling the room and making her stomach growl, feeling just a little bit like a prisoner. Discarding the idea, she started removing the lids from the dishes spread around the table and discovered heaping servings of bacon as well a sausage, what must have been a six-egg omelet, as well as a huge bowl of fruit and a platter of nut-dappled pastries dripping with honey.
Along with the pitcher of juice and pot of coffee, there was enough food to feed a small family, and she was drawn back to the night before when she’d been equally shocked by the amount of food