Page 36 of Endgame

‘He’s only doing this because he’s got a thing for her. You can’t hand thirty-three per cent over to him!’

‘They did have a chemistry that made me pause when I met them last week.’

‘They were here together?’

‘Yes. We had a few Ivory Bow items that needed reconciliation.’

‘Like what?’

‘I’m recruiting a replacement for Harrison. I’d like you to be part of the process.’

‘No. I’m not leaving Singapore. Promote someone else.’ There is no way I am leaving Ariella alone with Dominic Miller.

‘I wasn’t offering you the job, but I could use your help. Your questionable sales aside, you brought in the most revenue while you were here and you’re the closest cultural fit to Harrison.’

I’m not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.

‘I’d like you to interview some candidates with me and, once we’ve hired them, I’d like time with you to be built into their induction.’

‘How long are we talking about?’

‘I think a week in London for when we interview and then another week once the selection has been made and the paperwork is complete?’

That doesn’t sound too painful.

‘As long as Ariella clears it, I don’t have any problems with that.’

‘Both Ariella and Dominic are happy with the plan.’

‘I bet they are,’ I growl.

She’s at the table with a glass of water in front of her. She looks thrilled to see me when I arrive. Initially.

‘Caleb, what’s wrong?’ she asks, reading my expression.

‘I just got told that Dominic owns a third of Ivory Bow and that you knew.’

I watch her sigh heavily, but I hold my tongue. I want to hear what she has to say.

‘I found out last week. I had no idea until my meeting with Christopher. It turns out that they had been talking to each other for a while.’

‘You know he’s doing this for you, right?’

‘I know.’

‘Are you going to do anything about it? And when were you going to tell me all of this?’

‘When we found some time to spend together. It’s been really busy with the wedding,’ she explains gently.

‘Ariella, he’s obsessed with you. It’s unhealthy.’

‘He’s not obsessed with me, Caleb. He’s my friend.’

‘That man is not your friend. Does he think he has a chance?’

‘No, he doesn’t. He knows that I’m still in love with you and he’s happy to be just friends.’

To hear her declare it after all these months makes me feel like I can finally breathe with some ease again, but then, for thefirst time, Ariella looks away and doesn’t meet my eyes. Fuck. I know exactly what that means.

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