Page 67 of Delilah In Discretion

Chapter twenty-one

Luca

Iwatched with a smirk as Archer stormed out of his father’s office, fuming. With a satisfied sigh, I headed to my office. As I walked in, Natalia, my new personal assistant, looked up from her desk. I deemed her presence more beneficial these days, given the fact she easily fed my ego and delusions, as she would say.

“It seems as though Calvin is trying to force Delilah and Archer to work together,” I muttered, and she sighed.

“I still don’t see why you don’t just bring this to Russel’s attention. Just hearing this will make the man snap… why wait?” she asked.

I leaned against my desk. “Because, my dear Natalia, I’m not interested in just making Killian upset. I want him enraged, driven mad by the thought that his daughter is hopelessly in love with someone he despises.”

Natalia raised an eyebrow. “Wait, so you actually want them to get together?”

I sighed, frustrated. “Why does everyone seem to misunderstand my intentions? Of course I don’t want them to be together.”

Her confusion only deepened, so I rolled my eyes and elaborated.

“Delilah’s relationship with Archer can be used as leverage. I’ll blackmail her into being with me by threatening to expose her relationship to her father. If she agrees, then I will deal with Killian myself, and we will live happily ever after.”

Natalia seemed unimpressed. “Andwhenthat plan doesn’t work out?”

“Ifthat plan fails, I’ll resort to more drastic measures,” I said with a hint of dark amusement. “What’s the saying? If I can’t have you, then no one can? Never thought I’d actually use that one…”

Natalia tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. “If you’re going that route, Crawford, you might be going a bit soft. Or maybe Delilah is becoming a soft spot for you.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t go that far, Natalia.”

“Then take it up a notch,” she said, her tone a mix of challenge and disdain. “You’re starting to seem a bit pathetic to me.”

I chuckled, unfazed. “Don’t worry. My plans will come to fruition, and everything will fall into place.”

Chapter twenty-two

Delilah

Ihad gotten back home a few hours ago, and Calvin’s proposal was still fresh on my mind. Did Archer know about any of this? Did he know what his father was planning all along and didn’t even tell me? Or was he in the dark just like I was?

Cutting my questioning short, my baby brother stumbled in, still learning how to walk. Giving him a soft smile, I picked him up and placed him on my lap. He probably escaped Benjamin and Reginald, but the smile on his face told me he’d do it again ten times over. He started getting overly excited and began to say my nickname in his little raspy voice.

“Dee, Dee, Dee.”

I chuckled and stroked his hair. “Yes, baby, Dede’s right here. No need to get too excited.”

I walked out of my room with him on my hip and made my way downstairs to see my father glaring at Uncle Blaine, who looked like he was going to piss himself.

“What are you hiding from me, Blaine?” he asked after a few moments, and Uncle Blaine chuckled nervously as his eyes glanced over to me for help.

“What’s going on?” I asked, and my father looked over at me briefly before glaring back at Uncle Blaine.

“It’s quite coincidental that the moment my anger peaks, Calvin withdraws himself from the very thing that started this all. I don’t know why the hell he did it, but he wants out of the contract.”

I tilted my head in “confusion,” though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Isn’t that good news?”

“Of course it is, but this motherfucker hasn’t spoken to me all day, and he usually calls me at least three times to annoy the hell out of me. The only time he doesn’t is when he’s done something wrong—”

Tyler had caught his cursing slip-up. “Da, bad word,” he stated, and my father looked over at him for a split second before feeling a little tug on his pants. He looked down to see Trinity holding a cute plastic piggy bank that was pink and blue.

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