Page 120 of Succumbed

Shane

“Shane, Linc, I’d like you to meet Dr. Jasper Still.” Lex waves us over to a tall, thin man with glasses half the size of his face. “He leads research and development for the Earthware Institute.”

“Oh, wow,” Linc eagerly takes the man’s hand for a vigorous shake. “I’ve been following your work in renewable energy storage for a while now. Real pleasure to meet you.”

Lex’s eyes sparkle as she watches Linc gush over Dr. Still, her gaze flashing to mine. She leans closer, her voice low.

“I’m not sure you’ll get a word in edgewise,” she teases.

I chuckle. We’re at the Summit’s closing happy hour, the marbled foyer full of people. Several bars and hors d’oeuvres tables are set up around the edges. Lex had been weaving us through the crowd all night, introducing us to business leaders and technology visionaries along the way.

“Do you know everyone here?” I whisper, smirking.

“These communities are small, when it comes down to it.”

“There are two thousand people here.”

She shrugs. “Sure. Half are investors like me, about a quarter are established companies looking to acquire or recruit, and the rest are hopefuls. Those lines get blurry when you’ve been in the game as long as I have; lots of the same faces show up.”

I scan the crowd. “Where’d you leave Dec?”

“I introduced him to Morris, the Greenstar Labs CEO.”

My eyebrows rise. “That’s…an interesting move.”

“They see the potential in your tech, even if they invested in the wrong person. Seems like a valuable connection for you all to have.” She glances over my shoulder, as though scoping out her next target. “Uh oh, look sharp. Livingstons incoming.”

“Livingstons? You mean–”

She sighs deeply, the corner of her mouth quirking into a rueful smile. “Well, hello again, Nate. Reginald.”

Anger settles in my belly as I turn to regard Lex’s family. Her brother made an impression the day prior, and not a good one. I can’t imagine her father will be much better, especially after the crumbs Lex had dropped about her childhood.

Nate and Reginald Livingston are moving as though they intend to walk right past us. It’s Nate who acknowledges Lex first. He slows, clapping a firm hand to his father’s shoulder to stop him as the older man attempts to ignore her completely. Fucking prick.

“Lex. How has the Summit been for you?” Nate asks.

I can’t imagine a more uncomfortable family dynamic than the one taking shape before me, and I grew up with an absent father and a desperately ill-equipped mother. Anxious energy emanates from Nate, while Reginald quietly seethes. Lex’s talent for remaining calm suddenly makes sense. Caught between these two, it’d be more survival technique than strategy.

“Enlightening,” she quips, her eyes glinting with equal parts mischief and challenge. “And for you?”

He nods slowly. “I’d say the same.”

Their father huffs. “I don’t have all day, Nathaniel. I’m sure you aren’t stupid enough to bring me here in an ill-fated attempt to facilitate some sort of…” he waves his hands aimlessly, “reconciliation.”

Lex laughs brightly, drawing the eyes of most folks around us. They answer her mirth with smiles before turning back to their own conversations.

“I wouldn’t dream of a reconciliation with you, Reginald. That ship sailed long ago, didn’t it?”

The words could’ve sounded pleading coming from someone else, someone less…composed. From Lex, they’re teasing and confident. Whether the men in her family can see it or not, Lex holds the power.

“And where’s Anne-Marie?” Lex asks, her expression suggesting she knows something I don’t.

Nate tips a brow at her in warning. “She caught an early flight home.”

Lex tsks, eyes sparkling. “Such a shame. I wanted to go a second round after Declan’s presentation. Would’ve been fun.”

I can see Nate fighting a smile. Maybe he’s not a lost cause.

---