Page 153 of Delilah In Discretion

“You’re going soft, Dad,” he muttered, and I rolled my eyes.

“I am most definitely not. I’m simply helping them build connections… and your mother said I need to be nicer, so this is me being nice,” I compromised.

He chuckled as we reached the lobby of the building. “Helping them? Actually listening when Mom tells you need to be nicer? Yeah, you’re definitely going soft.”

I held back my smile as we continued walking outside, but I stopped as I glanced at Calvin’s son once again.

He was staring at his phone as he read a few messages, and as if knowing I was staring, he looked over at me.

“Staring is rude, Mr. Russel. You should know,” he said, tilting his head.

I crossed my arms. “Seeing as you stared at me throughout the entire meeting, I’d say we’re even. By the way, you didn’t contribute much to it. I would think Lockwood would have sent someone who was able to do so,” I muttered.

He shrugged. “Well, there wasn’t much to contribute to. I’m surprised you took the time to do business with such a mediocre company.”

Zachary looked at me cautiously as my jaw clenched. “Oh, believe me, I could be the first to tell you that, but some would suggest that building connections and being nice is a better way to approach such a situation.”

Lockwood shrugged once again. “Well, facts override feelings, and the fact of the matter is we just wasted an hour listening to a company that’s begging for a Kickstarter to even get on its feet. Feel free to stop me if I’ve said any lies.”

“Surprisingly, you haven’t. Judging as you’re Calvin’s son, I’m impressed you can go this long without lying.”

“And judging by how you haven’t flipped a car into the road like a raging madman yet, I’m just as impressed that Mrs. Russel still has so much control over your anger,” he said.

I stayed silent, wanting to choke the living hell out of him.

Noticing my lack of response, he chuckled. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Russel.”

He walked in the other direction as his guards and car were waiting for him.

Zachary looked in his direction and tilted his head.

“He doesn’t seem a lot like his father to me,” he muttered, and I shook my head.

“Not at all. It was almost as if I was speaking to another version of myself.”

“And if he thinks everything is a competition like we do, then…” he muttered, and I groaned as I turned away and entered the car.

Then I just lost.

There is no possible way that I was just bested by Calvin’s son…in just a simple fucking conversation.

Chapter fifty-four

Delilah

“Marissa,” I whispered in pure shock, and she sighed.

“’Marissa’... hmm. Well, I guess I shouldn’t be angry. Brielle is your mom now. I’m assuming with you two and Killian playing family for the longest time… I was bound to get this sort of reaction.” She shrugged as if it wasn’t breaking me down as she was sitting across from me.

I stared at her for a moment as my brain couldn’t process what was going on....

No, honestly...What the actual fuck is going on?

First, Michael dies in front of me after trying to abduct me for ransom. Then Marissa sits across from me as if we’ve known each other forever. The woman who left me and Bribri. The woman who gave up her child of inconvenience and only tried to get her back when she realized her sister, who sacrificed everything to raise me, wasn’t struggling as she’d hoped.

The longer I stared at her, the more I could feel myself trying to catch my breath, trying to remain calm as my throat felt like closing up. My hands that were once still were now trembling as my heartbeat never slowed.Am I about to have a panic attack?

“If you’ve picked up anything from Brielle, I just know you are about to have a panic attack… or maybe you’re in the middle of one already. I can’t really tell,” Marissa muttered, confused, and I gazed at her wide-eyed.

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