Will Pacing implied a lack of control. A visible crack in composure. An outward sign that something wasn’t going as planned. Before all this, I’d rarely paced. Now, however, it seemed to have become my default setting. “You’re currently unemployed and you’re getting married in a couple weeks.” Jesse was sitting in one of Alex’s boardroom chairs like he was waiting for a drink instead of having been called to a career intervention, and he didn’t even flinch. “I’m between opportunities.” “You’re between reality and delusion.” Alex sat at the head of the table with his hands wrapped around a cup of coffee as he watched us, just listening. Given that he and Dad were the ones who were so desperate to bring Jesse back into the fold, I’d have assumed he’d be fighting tooth and nail for this, but nope. “How about sales?” I stopped pacing to look directly at my twin, dressed, as usual, in jeans and a casual T-shirt. “You’d be great at it and it’s a perfect fit to start.” Jesse frowned. “I don’t want to work in sales.” I exhaled a heavy, frustrated breath through my nostrils. “That’s unfortunate.” “I’m serious.” He leaned back in his chair. “You’re talking about putting me in the most r eplaceable d epartment in the company.” “Or you could see it as earning your way in,” I reasoned. “We’ve all had to do it.” Jesse rolled his eyes. “I could see it that way, but I’m going to look at it as punishment instead.” “Bullshit.” I scoffed and raked a hand through my hair. If I k ept doing that, he and I were going to wind up with identically messy hair, but I was so fucking frustrated with him that messing up my hair was the least of my worries. “None of us started out in the big chairs. Not even Dad or Harlan. It’s not a punishment to have to learn the game before you become the coach.” Alex finally spoke, his tone calm but decisive. “This is an opportunity, Jess.” Jesse glanced at him, unimpressed. “I should’ve known you’d take his side.” “I take the side that makes sense and today that’s not yours.” He leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. “The fact is that you have to start somewhere and you haven’t been around for years. You need to learn exactly what we’re doing nowadays. How we operate. Things have changed a lot since we were kids.”
He snorted. “Yeah, I know. You two and Nate have made some huge, ballsy moves, but that doesn’t mean you can stick me in any d epartment you want.” “On the contrary, that’s exactly what it means. Until you actually catch up to the way things are done now, you won’t know enough to be able to help us make any future moves. On top of all that, you’re getting married soon. You should be focusing on your fiancée too, which means I can’t put you in a position that’ll take up too much of your time.” Jesse waved him off. “My fiancée isn’t taking up much of my time at all. I can—” “That’s only because right now Will is doing what you should have been doing all along. He’s picking up your slack. Again. While still staying on top of his job.” I groaned, seeing the moment the comparison hit my twin. It was the one thing that never failed to set him off, and Alex had just launched that grenade without even thinking about it. Jesse let out a sharp laugh, pushing himself out of the chair in one swift movement before he scoffed. “You want me to be more like him, don’t you?” Alex frowned. “Yes, Jesse. I do.” His jaw tightened, his pulse suddenly hammering under his jaw as his fingers rolled into fists. “You begged me to come back here. Hell, you fucking paid me, so here I am, but I didn’t come home to do your bidding and have you talk shit about me. If you don’t like the way I am, then I’m happy to just fucking leave.” “Don’t be a brat,” I said evenly. “All he’s really saying is that he wants to be able to count on you. When you start working here, you’re going to have to prove yourself before you climb the ladder. We can’t put you straight into a corner office when there are people here who are more qualified, more reliable, and more experienced.” The tension in the room snapped tight enough to be cut with a blunt knife. Jesse turned to glower at me. “If you have so many people who are so much better than me, why am I even here?” “Because they’re not better than you,” I snapped. “They’ve just been here longer, and you’re family. You should be—” “Enough,” Alex said, not raising his voice but ending the escalation anyway. “This isn’t a debate. It’s a decision.” Jesse looked like he had about ten more arguments lined up, none of which he was particularly interested in making constructively, but then there was a sharp knock at the door. We ignored it, still too busy glaring at each other to react, but a moment later, Alex’s
assistant appeared, looking apologetic for interrupting, but not enough to actually leave. “I’m sorry. There’s a woman here to see you and she’s not taking no for an answer.” Alex shook his head. “Does she have an appointment?” “No.” “Then send her away,” he said slowly, like it should’ve been obvious. “I don’t take walk-ins—” “I tried, sir. I’m afraid she’s simply refusing to leave.” “So call security—” Before he could even finish the sentence, Eugenie Roderick walked in, her stride so confident that it was like she thought she had every right to be here, interrupting our meeting. To be fair, given her general attitude to reality, that was probably exactly what she thought. She stopped once she was inside the room, then twisted to wave the assistant away. My eyes widened as I watched her, seriously struggling to believe that anyone could be that arrogant. “Run along now. We won’t be needing you any longer.” Alex rose slowly. “I’m sorry. Do we know you?” She smiled directly at me before arching a brow at Jesse. “Long time no see, lover.” He groaned under his breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She strolled in like this was a long overdue social call and she’d been invited to join us. “Oh, I’m not kidding. I did have that exact same thought when I realized what you were up to, though.” “What are you talking about?” He sighed, annoyance tightening his features as he held her gaze. “Seriously, Eug—” “Imagine my surprise when I found out my little sister is marrying Jesse, but it was Will there instead. That’s what I’m talking about.” Alex arched an eyebrow at her. “Eugenie Roderick, I’m assuming.” “You assume correctly.” She glanced at me. “Did you really think that you could fool me?” I let out a slow breath. Although I’d suspected that she’d recognized me back in London, her being here now was a variable I hadn’t accounted for. It didn’t bode well, but I couldn’t let her see shock, surprise, or worry from me. Regardless of what she knew, at the end of the day, Eugenie had always been self-serving. If she’d come all the way here, it wouldn’t have been simply to help her sister find a wedding dress or to come say hi to her ex. That much, I knew for sure, and that was what I needed to focus on. Not my feelings about being caught in the act. “You came here with a purpose. What is it?”
Her smile widened. “Oh, I like you.” “That’s nice, but I didn’t ask for your approval.” “Pity.” Alex’s arms came up to cross over his chest, his patience visibly thinning. “What do you want?” Eugenie clasped her hands together, focusing on him now as yet another smile spread on her lips. “I want to help.” Jesse made a noise that suggested he didn’t believe it for a second. “You want to help? Yeah, okay. What exactly is it that you want to help with, and what do you want in return?” “I’ve discovered your little ruse,” she continued, glancing between us. “Of course, I’m willing to not say a word.” “For a price,” I concluded, sighing. “You’re incredibly predictable. How much do you want, Eugenie?” She didn’t hesitate. “Two hundred million dollars.” Alex choked on his coffee and my extremities turned to ice, but Jesse just rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to be joking.” “I never joke about money.” He smirked at her. “I do, but this is too ridiculous to be funny.” I finally managed to find my voice, shaking off the shock and getting straight to the point. “Why is that your number? What could you possibly need that much money for?” Her smile didn’t falter. “My boyfriend is in a bit of trouble with some investors in Dubai and I need the money to make up for some unfortunate debt tied to his crypto company.” “You mean crypto scheme.” Alex shook his head. “Absolutely not.” “See, that’s the problem with you,” Eugenie said lightly. “You say no before you’ve even considered the upside.” Alex sniffed. “There is no upside.” “There is,” Jesse cut in, drawing both mine and Alex’s attention as he shrugged lightly. “Give her the money.” Alex arched an eyebrow at him, looking completely baffled for once in his life. “Over my dead body.” Jesse sighed. “It solves the problem.” “Sure, but it creates ten more,” Alex argued. “You have to realize that.” Jesse shrugged again. “It ke eps her quiet for now. That’s better than worrying about problems that don’t exist yet.” “It encourages her to come back every time she needs a dollar.” Jesse motioned toward her. “She’s already here. Give her a few extra dollars now and have a contract drawn up that this is it.” Alex exhaled sharply, clearly done entertaining the idea. “No.” Jesse sighed, then turned to me. “Fine. We’re at a stalemate, so let’s ask the one person in the room who actually
understands risk. What do you think, Will?” What did I think? I thought this was exactly the kind of mess Jesse created and I ended up managing. I thought two hundred million dollars was an absurd number to attach to silence that wasn’t going to hold anyway. But mostly, I thought that paying her off was simply an admission of guilt, leverage she didn’t have right now to force us to comply with all future demands she was definitely going to make. “I think she’ll talk either way,” I said. “Regardless of whether we give her what she’s asking for.” Eugenie tilted her head, like she appreciated the honesty but not the implication. “That’s a little cynical.” “It’s accurate,” I said firmly, holding her gaze without wavering. “It doesn’t matter how much we give you now, you’ll be back. That’s how blackmail works.” Alex exhaled quietly, like I’d just confirmed his position, but Jesse didn’t look convinced. I wasn’t surprised, though. To his mind, paying her off solved the problem now and we could figure out future problems when they arose. Alex and I, however, were different. “Why would I do that?” Eugenie asked, the sickly sweet innocence in her tone not fooling anyone. “Because you’d be able to,” I said. “Giving you what you ask also provides you the benefit of leverage and let’s be honest, you don’t actually care about the outcome beyond what it gives you.” She tried to fight a smile, but it didn’t work. “That’s unfair.” “Have you ever cared about Eliza?” I asked instead of commenting. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re willing to break your sister’s heart just over money.” Eugenie looked me right in the eyes, the cool expression making my stomach turn. “Do I care about her? Let me explain it in terms you might understand. I often forget she exists, Will, and it’s not only me. Everyone does.” She said it unapologetically, like it was the easiest thing in the world to admit. God, she really is an absolutely terrible person. “It doesn’t matter to me, but Eliza is in love. With Jesse.” She pointed at me with a cruel, cold laugh. “It’s written all over her face and the worst part of it is that she’ll never forgive you once she finds out, but she’ll go through with her marriage to the real Jesse anyway.”
She paused for a beat, a smug smile spreading on her lips. “Eliza always does what’s best for the family, despite the fact that we don’t even see her when she’s the only person in the room. Since this is what’s best for the family and for her precious estate, she won’t back out. No matter how—” “Enough,” I ground out, my voice dangerously low. “Get the fuck out of here.” Eugenie just blinked rapidly at me, like she was trying to decide if she’d misheard. “Excuse me?” “You heard me,” I said firmly. “Leave.” She rolled her eyes, turning toward the door like this had all been part of her plan. “Oh, relax. I’ll give you until ten tomorrow night to deliver the check.” “What happens if we don’t?” Alex asked as she reached for the door handle. She looked back at him over her shoulder. “I’ll go public in a way that will embarrass all of you, your family, and most of all, my sister.” Deliberately knocking over a stack of papers on the side table on her way out, probably for dramatic effect, she opened the door and left. It shut with a loud snap behind her, the room completely silent in her wake. Alex was the first to recover, speaking calmly as he motioned at both Jesse and me. “Sit down.” When neither of us moved a muscle, he sighed. “Just sit down so we can think this through.” “I have thought it through,” I said. “She’s going to talk no matter what we do.” “Which means we need a strategy,” he said, holding my gaze before motioning at my chair again. “We’re not going to come up with that while you’re standing there, looking like you’re considering putting a hit out on her.” “She is the strategy,” Jesse muttered like this was still somehow manageable. “Eugenie loves money. Just give to her.” I turned on him. “She’s a liability, is what she is.” He sighed. “So are you, apparently.” “Let’s not lose perspective,” Alex cut in just as my muscles coiled to spring into action. “Eliza can’t tell you two apart. Let’s not forget that. Eugenie can say whatever she wants, as long as you—” Something in me snapped. I’d had so much more than enough that enough and I weren’t even in the same ballpark anymore. “I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to, but I’m done. If this goes badly, just know that I will never forgive you.”
I didn’t say things like that. I didn’t make it personal. But they’d pushed me too far and I was done being the doormat. Done being told what to do for the good of the family who just k ept talking at me and planning around me without ever taking either me or Eliza into consideration at all. It was just enough. Alex held my gaze with something unreadable passing across his expression, but he didn’t argue or push. Meanwhile, Jesse was watching me like something had finally clicked into place. I wasn’t fucking around when it came to her, and unless I was very much mistaken, he’d just realized it. I held his gaze for a second, nodded, then turned and walked out. Right now, I didn’t care what they planned on doing about Eugenie. I didn’t care what either of them thought. The only thing I cared about was Eliza, and I was going home to her while I still could.