Page 5 of Blackmailing the Mogul

Hilda drops her wine glass with a sigh. She folds her arms over her chest and cocks her head in the way she always does when she's trying to look imposing. "Maybe the narrative would have been different if you listened to me and provided evidence of his corruption to the media."

“I'm only protecting the company's image,” I reply simply.

“No, you're protecting Henson,” Hilda counters, rolling her eyes at me. “Because somewhere under all that indifference is a caring heart. You didn't want the public criticizing him so you're taking the hit all by yourself.”

“That's not true,” I say weakly but as expected, Hilda doesn't agree.

“You know… you're a lot like your dad in that regard,” she says, picking up her wine glass again. She looks towards the subset for a moment, a soft smile gracing her features. “He was stubborn and set in his ways, yet he had the softest heart,”

“The last woman in my bed said I didn’t have a heart,” I say, smirking when she makes a face at me.

“All that's a ruse,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

I pause, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at her.

"Why do I feel like you're trying to make a point here? This is no longer about Henry, is it?"

She chuckles lightly, taking a slow sip from her wine glass while watching me over the rim. I can tell she's stalling, waiting for me to confirm whatever thoughts are running through her mind.

“Can you get your head out of the clouds? I'm not going to miraculously fall in love with Jenna Henson. Apart from the fact that she's my employee, she's also sixteen years younger and that's just…”

“I didn't even mention Jenna,” Hilda says, laughing. “But look at you, rambling on about her, she must be something!”

“Ha ha! That's funny,” I say dryly but that only makes her laugh harder.

“How's Jack by the way?” I ask after her laughter subsides.

My question is a weak effort to divert the attention from me. Hilda knows that but she plays along, cocking her head to the side with a blank expression. “Jack who?”

I blink at her in surprise. “Did you break up with him too?”

"You say that like I break up with men every day," she says, leaning back in her seat with an obstinate smirk. "Anyway, he's in the past."

“What?” I snort. “He was your future just three weeks ago.”

Hilda rolls her eyes and waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, come on, Ryan. Three weeks is like an eternity in my dating world." She chuckles, clearly not taking the situation too seriously.

"Well, what happened?" I press, trying to get to the bottom of the situation.

Hilda shrugs, her smirk still firmly in place. "Turns out he's Amish."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

“He's kind of… conservative,” she says with a mischievous smirk. “He won't even kiss me! He says he has to keep things pure before marriage.” She shakes her head, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “At first, it was adorable but then I realized it wasn't just for me. Besides, I'm not looking to jump into marriage anytime soon.”

I sigh softly, shaking my head at her. “How can you be such a hopeless romantic yet so scared of love?”

“Look who's talking,” she says, her smirk growing wider. “At least, I try to put my foot forward. You, my dear, are hiding away completely. You know, this Jenna girl could…”

“Knock it off, Aunt Hilda,” I say with a soft sigh.

She tuts playfully, shaking a finger at me. “Don't call me that. I'm only two months shy of forty-seven.”

I arch my brow at her, raising my wine glass. “To being young forever.”

She raises her glass to mine, the sound of her laughter drowning the tinkling sound of the glasses. “Cheers.”

Chapter Two

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