My first instinct is to call T and punch the living daylights out of him because every bad thing that’s going wrong in our lives is his fault. I run my fingers through my scalp until the tremors wear off. El squints.
“Why?” She’s too calm. Too collected for someone who talked so much about wanting this. I will lose my shit if I have to reschedule the launch of Project El. Heck. I lose my shit each time I have to tolerate Jei’s arrogant ass. It is not my place to ask, not with our pending issue but I whisper, “Did something happen?”
“It’s one of the things we need to talk about.”
The phone on the heap of file pings. I ignore it. “Why can’t we talk about it now?”
She shrugs off her robe to reveal a black top that exposes her midriff. I lick my lips. That banging body is one of the many reasons we need to get back together. With the amount of stress I am passing through, the only cure is sex and cuddles with El. Kisses too. Lots of forehead kisses.
“Because.”
I huff. She squares her chin in defiance and my dick twitches. We become acutely aware of her presence like she just came on screen. It’s her top. When she leans forward to bend the screen, I glimpse her dark, beady nipples.
“Because what?” My voice is hoarse, I clear my throat. “What are you not telling me, El?”
“Because it’s not something we can talk about over a video call.” Another ping. I shift to adjust the bulge growing in my shorts. If she notices, she doesn’t act it. A lump forms in my throat when my gaze lowers to her chest. We have never had video sex, her shyness wouldn’t allow it. We are not cool enough at this point to be that freaky but I contemplate bringing it up when she mutters, “Please, pick up your phone.”
Phone? What’s a phone? Oh. The ringing device on the stool. The call ends before I pick. Jei’s text pops in. He’s waiting for me at a restaurant. I force a smile to my face, that guy calls at all the wrong times.
“We will talk about this when you get back,” I tell her. “I want to be the first person you call once you get here.” She nods again. There’s a lull as my gaze rakes her face and she assesses me. I love her but I swallow those words. “Pa will be fine.” El rewards my statement with a smile. “He will be feeling brand new in no time.” Her smile is jittery but my heart still somersaults at the gesture. “Take care of you, El.”
She holds my gaze, her lips part but in the end, she simply says, “You too. Take care, Brandon.”
“I love you,” I whisper to the blank screen after our call ends and hug my laptop to my chest.
We will talk. I will return her shares. I will learn to be more tolerant of her friendship with T. We will fix us. Our relationship. And the girls will no longer have to pull stuff like mistletoe for their parents to kiss.
After checking on the girls and Lydia, I leave the house. The ride to the restaurant is fraught with constant pings from an impatient Jei. His old contract is in a blue file atop the leather seat with paragraphs circled in red ink. A new contract is by my left. If we will move forward, we have to come to an agreement.
I flip through the pictures on my phone and stop at one with El. It’s a recent picture. My lips crack in a smile, I swipe right and the smile stretches into a grin. She sees me. She sees her baby daddy but does she see me, her husband? I curl against the door, counting the seconds until the car slows to a stop.
Enzo awaits further orders as I push the files into the briefcase with me. But my mind is too occupied.
“Stick around,” I tell him. He gives a curt nod and drives out of sight.
Head bent over my phone, I try to figure out the text Jei sent to me. I push the door of the restaurant open with my shoulder. The rug muffles my steps as I cross over to the counter to show his text to the receptionist. She dials someone and nods twice with a polite smile directed at me. On the wall behind her is the logo of the restaurant with its name written in bronze letters. She points to an empty hallway.
“First door by your right.”
Jei is sitting at a table by the window when I join him. I drape my jacket over an empty seat and take the closest to him. He motions for the waiter, I shake my head when he asks for my order. At his insistence, I settle for sparkling water and he sends me that disapproving look as if to say: terrible choice.
Screw him.
“This is the old one,” I start, wasting no time on pleasantries. I push the old contracts to him, then place the newer one on top of it. He frowns as I explain the addition to him. “Made a few corrections to it.”
And adjustments to suit kids in need. He flips through the first pages, snorts at the new models of car. My jaw clenches each time he snickers, I clasp my hands on the table and stare long and hard at him. It dawns on me, it settles in my soul. I don’t need his fucking money. Maybe I was—am a little mad at my parents but I don’t have to deal with this brat if I dip into the Stark funds that have always been mine. Funds I would have used if anger and resentment at the people who gave it to me didn’t hold me back
The waiter sets our tray on the table, Jei tucks his napkin into the collar of his shirt and digs into his ribs. I take a sip from my glass, bidding the time until it’s fair for me to leave. “You should try out their ribs.”
“Not interested,” I answer.
My gaze drifts outside. Nothing of interest to see. A boring day as usual. Life is boring without El.
The inside of this place is more or less the same as the outside. Boring with low hanging chandeliers, immaculate white tablecloth and dull music. El will never pick a place like this to eat. She loves music you can dance to even if she has two left feet.
Jei places a hand on the file. “What if we remove the wheelchair designs? Seems a bit extreme to me.”
Because he doesn’t have a daughter on a wheelchair. I want my consumers to enjoy our products and that includes parents with disabled children. I cross my arms, meeting his gaze heads on.
“It stays.”
“Everything?” I nod. He senses my tone, the air of aloofness that hangs over me. “What if I say no?”
“Your loss,” I say with a shrug. It’s interesting how fearless a person becomes when pride and anger is no longer clouding their vision. “Project El will be a success with or without you.” I start shoving the files into the briefcase at my feet. Next time he calls me, I will direct him to Ed. “What say you, Mister Jei?”
I rise to my feet at his silence, moving to stand behind my seat. I take one step away from him. “Wait.”
Hiding a smile, I pull my jacket over my shoulder. “You have five seconds to make a decision.”
Colour rises to his cheeks, he dumps his napkin on the table. “Don’t I need to run it through my lawyer?”
He does. But I don’t care. He has nothing but money to lose and I am far too determined to succeed at this to let his money go to waste. If it’s a flop, I lose too, more than he will but I will let him sweat this one out. He made me run around, waiting on him like a lapdog for months on end to set this meeting.
“Four seconds, Jei.” Irritation clouds my face, I cross my arm and grab an elbow. “Are you in or out?”
Sweat breaks out on his forehead even with the AC positioned at different corners. He wipes it with his forearm. His chair clatters to the ground as he stands so we are facing each other. I don’t back down.
Another moment of him inspecting me passes. “You are not kidding?”
“Two seconds.”
“Brandon.”
I shake my head and push the briefcase to the seat I vacated. “It’s Mr Stark to you,” I tell him. His brows draw together like I hit him hard. We cannot be friends. This investment doesn’t make us friends. I peek at my wrist. “Time’s up.” I produce a pen from my breast pocket and pull out the contract. “Yes or no?”
Jei snatches the pen to append his signature on the spaces made available for him. “This better be worth it.”
Tempted to ruffle his hair, I shove my hands into my pockets. “It is or you won’t be spending millions on it.”
As soon as the papers are signed, I stretch out my hand to seal the deal. He eyes it without taking it. “I need my copy,” he says and walks out without a backward glance at me, leaving me to pay for his meal.
The weight on my shoulders dissolves, there’s a bounce to my steps and the briefcase swings in my hand like a lawyer after winning his first trial. It is done. I am ready to change the world.
A figure hunched at the corner of the restaurant catches my eyes. I walk out through the door but retrace my steps immediately.
What the hell?
I blink to clear my vision but he is still seated there, looking dapper in his black suit and matching bow tie. He doesn’t hide the fact he was watching me. I scoff when he raises his glass to me in a toast and start for his table. We need to settle this once and for all. I need to know what he knows about Brianna.