Page 48 of Save Me

For the first time, I wish my brother hadn’t married a woman as astute as Riley. She narrows her eyes at me.

“I love my job,” she says, surprising me. “I mean, love it. Thoroughly.”

“Okay.”

“But never have I smiled at my phone like that over anything work related.” She wraps her arm in mine. “I have, however, smiled like that over a man.” She holds up her left hand, showing her wedding ring.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She bursts out laughing because she knows I’m full of it.

“Keep it to yourself for now. I’m sure you don’t want to expose whoever has you smiling like that to your overbearing brother and father just yet,” she guesses correctly.

Her use of the word ‘yet’ reminds me of Dae’s insistence that I get used to his care.

“Dinner’s probably getting cold,” I say, tugging her toward the dining room.

I divert her attention to dinner and whatever our family discusses over dinner. Too bad my attention can’t be diverted as quickly. Despite not wanting to, I can’t help but anticipate the next time I get to hear Dae’s voice.

The brevity of our phone conversation left me wanting.

CHAPTER 14

Dae

“Gentleman, my business partners, Jersey and Taehyun, are here,” I say to the men seated around the table.

Again, I’m on the top floor of the Black Opal with the heads of the Global Group, the international realty company we’ve worked for years to partner with. This partnership will take our company to the next level.

And seal the fate of the bastard who tried to kill me. My father’s already dead, may he rot in hell, but Daniel Park is still alive.

Jersey is in the room with me while Taehyun shows on the screen mounted at the front of the room.

“Please excuse my inability to attend in person,” he apologizes. “But I have meetings here in Seoul.”

“We understand,” one of the potential business partners says.

After a few back and forths about time zone differences, I get to the point.

“We’re all aware of the reason for this meeting. Have you all come to a decision?” I ask.

The five other men in the room look at one another.

“Dae,” Larry, the first one to speak, begins, “this is not an easy or small decision to make. You and your partners have impeccable business acumen. The last business venture we took on with you has garnered our company a ten percent profit and climbing.”

“But?” I say, knowing it’s coming.

“The Blackmon situation,” another one of the partners adds.

“What situation?” Jersey asks, taking the question out of my mouth. “If it’s the PR, I can assure you that we pride ourselves on paying our employees competitive salaries with an extremely enviable benefits package.”

“That’s enough, Jersey.” My tone is more clipped than I intended.

She gives me a look of confusion but ends her spiel.

“Either our company is good enough to partner with, or we’re not,” I say.

“I second that,” Taehyun adds. He sounds almost as annoyed as I feel.

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