make you a reckless loose end, Cecelia, which is really fucking bad for business. I told you when we met; you were loyal to them for the wrong reasons.”
“You mean love. But that reason doesn’t matter anymore. I’m moving on. I’m dating again. And you know that.”
He looks over to me, skeptical brows raised.
I match his stance and lift my chin. “Wait…that’s what this is about? Because I’m dating, trying to move on, you think that I’m going to spill your secrets to the next guy I sleep with?”
His silence infuriates me.
“Newsflash, I’ve been in far worse shape before now, I’ve been angrier, far more resentful and haven’t uttered a word. Not even to the people closest to me. Your logic is ridiculous.”
He doesn’t flinch. “You were still waiting. Therefore, you were still loyal. Think about it objectively for a second. If you were me, would you put the fate of your entire fucking operation in the hands of an emotional lit—” he rolls his eyes as my expression hardens, “twenty-year-old woman.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you—”
He shakes his head ironically. “Took your boyfriends away? You keep proving my point. And if we’re going by track record—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence! I’ve been insulted by you enough to last a lifetime. You’re a sexist pig.”
“Say what you will, but twice I’ve seen you let your emotions overrule your judgment, and I’m not willing to gamble on that.”
And then it hits me.
“This isn’t a conversation. This is a negotiation.”
He’s here to strike a deal.
Not once in my time here have I ever taken advantage of my position. But I’ve learned well that everything comes with a price. And I seem to be the only one who’s been paying it. Until now.
“You truly don’t believe love and loyalty go hand in hand?”
“Two separate words with two distinct definitions. But if you look up the synonyms for love,” his eyes lock with mine, “I’m sure you’ll find weakness amongst them.”
“And what exactly is it that you think you have to barter with? You took away the only—”
He raises his brows.
My inheritance. “My mother—”
“If I move in now, it all goes. All of it. But I can’t take that chance, can I?” He shrugs. “So, what’s a few more months.”
That’s his card. He’ll wait to move in on my father until I’ve signed for my inheritance. Sean told me he would try to hold him off, and I admitted to him just nights ago my purpose for being here, but no matter how he got the info, it’s leverage.
Fuck.
It’s time to show my card, but we already know what it is—my silence. If I speak up, I may be able to stop him from taking my inheritance, from getting his revenge. He sees it the minute I figure it out.
He lifts his chin. “Name your price.”
“You really don’t believe I’m capable of keeping my mouth shut without being blackmailed?”
“This isn’t blackmail. And your real question is, do I trust you? Fuck, no. But don’t take it personally.”
I open my mouth to snap out a worthy retort, but he raises his hand.
“Let’s save the insults for dessert. You need to really think about what you want.”
I want him to pay, that’s what I want. I want to strip him of some of his confidence, to humiliate him the way he has me. I want to hurt his pride and his feelings if he’s capable of having them. And that’s when the idea strikes me.
His eyes flare when he reads the price in my expression. “Cecelia—”
“Promise me my father’s safety.”
“You can’t be serious.” He curses and shakes his head disbelieving.
“It’s the only thing I want. Maybe he does deserve whatever you do to him financially, but you yourself said you were never going to hurt him physically, so what’s the harm in making you swear to it?”
“Like I said, he has other enemies.”
“And you know of them?”
Another nod.
“Even better. You’ll be the one to watch over him.”
“You’re putting way too much stake in your place, Cecelia. Either way, he’s going down. The when is up to you.”
I palm the counter and lean in. “You want to buy my loyalty? Then you wait until that money hits my bank account and guarantee my father’s safety.”
“You’re asking too much.”
“He’s my father, Tobias. Whatever he’s done, I assure you he’s paying for it. The man is bankrupt in life already. His company is all he lives for. You take that, and I guarantee you will