Page 100 of Notorious Park Avenue Prince

He looked down at the numbers I’d written and ran his finger over the paper. “Thank you.”

Zac dropped his arms from East and took a step back, giving him some space, and East turned to walk out of the room. Zac watched him until it was clear he was out of earshot and then blew out a breath.“What the hell is happening?”

I pulled out my phone, tapped the screen, and handed it over to Zac to let him read one of the articles himself.

The situation was bad. I wouldn’t sugarcoat it. Niles Easton was in a shit-ton of trouble that his wallet wouldn’t be able to get him out of. It was clear from East’s reaction that whatever business dealings his father had, he hadn’t been privy to those, otherwise none of this would come as much of a shock.

But he’d been assuming he’d take his father’s place, at least by his side before his old man retired, so had Niles really only shown his son the façade of what he’d be running?

“Shit.” Zac ran a hand over his jaw and shook his head. “Seized assets? Like…?”

“Property. Money. Personal belongings.”

“Oh my God.” He started to pace, glancing back at the doorway East had disappeared through. “So, what, they lose it all? Even East and his mom?”

I nodded. “Everything that could’ve been obtained illegally or through funds received illegally.”

“What if they didn’t know?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Zac stopped moving. “This is gonna kill him, King. What’s he going to do?” He didn’t wait for an answer before his eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. “Wait,didyou know?”

“No. Like I said, there have been rumors for years, but I didn’t have any reason to look into what he was doing.”

“But if you were considering East for recruitment for whatever this is, you would’ve. Right? I can’t imagine you got to where you are without finding out every little detail of the people you surround yourself with.”

That keen mind was exactly why Zac had piqued my interest in the first place. “You’re right. I planned on having my team do a deep dive when we returned. But one thing I want to make clear is that I’d never punish someone for the sins of others. East is his own person. I trust he’ll make his own decisions that don’t align with those of his father.”

Zac took my measure, tilting his head in a way where I could practically see the wheels turning. “My mom always said no one becomes a billionaire by playing entirely by the rules. Is that true?”

“It might be.”

“King.”

“Yes. But the number one rule is, don’t get caught.”

He was quiet as he let that sink in, reading between the lines—probably deciding whether he should even stay another minute in my home or if he should cut ties and get out now. And though I’d give him that freedom if he chose, I found myself hoping he’d make a different choice. That he’d stay.

It felt like a lifetime of silence as we stood there with the truth between us, but then he finally lifted his head.“Do you think East is going to be okay?”

“I do. He’s tenacious, driven, and isn’t willing to accept anything other than greatness for himself. For that reason alone, he’ll survive. But he has to admit hewillneed help, and despite what you think, you are a source of comfort for him.”

“So are you.”

“Well, it looks like we have our work cut out for us, doesn’t it?”

Zac looked in the direction East had disappeared to, a thoughtful expression on his face. “And at school?”

I’d known it would come up, the fact we were all due back at Astor tomorrow morning, but that was a problem for then, not now.

“How about we focus on one thing at a time? You go check on East while I get some food delivered. You two have to be hungry.”

Zac nodded and started off in the direction East had gone, but before he got too far he stopped and looked back at me, those blue eyes seeing way more than I should’ve let him.

“Making good life choices tonight, are we, professor?”

My words from the day I’d caught him and East sneaking out of an empty room had never felt more appropriate. But as he turned and walked out the door, I realized that from the moment they confessed to wanting me, I’d never actually had a choice.

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