Page 51 of Mister President

“Exactly.” The shrug and nonchalant tone he used was it for me. “I love our people and will always support us and lift us up. That’s what I did with you. But when it comes to my bloodline, I want different. I want better. I picked my son’s wife, and I will pick Fiona’s husband. Now I’m sorry if she led you to believe the two of you could be together, but that’s not possible. I hope you can respect that.”

My fingers slid down the corners of my mouth as I sighed. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at him. He felt foreign tome. This wasn’t the businessman I’d been admiring for years. It broke my heart in a way I didn’t think was possible. While I wouldn’t say I had Declan on a pedestal, I was proud to be associated with him because of the good he did for our people. I wouldn’t go as far as to say his personal preferences would negate all the good he’d done, but it did make me look at him differently.

“I’ll never respect it, but I accept it. You don’t have to worry about me and your daughter because I’m deading that today… and our working relationship too. Be well, Declan.”

“Elias, come on, man. Are you serious?” He chuckled. When he realized I wasn’t playing as I left his office, he continued. “Are you really going to end our relationship and miss out on millions because of this?”

“All money and connections ain’t good money and connections. I appreciate how you’ve mentored and helped me, but I can’t respect you the same anymore. Thanks for everything, but this is it.”

“Wow. Well, if that’s what you want to do.”

Not even bothering to respond, I continued out of his office. I knew Fiona was hiding something, but I never expected it to be this.

28

Amanda

Something was wrong.Between Elias’s scowl and rigid stance, it was clear he was upset. As he paced and talked on the phone, a part of me wanted to go and see what was wrong. Being here with Ryan was the only thing keeping me from getting up from the bench.

When Ryan asked me to meet him at a Caribbean food truck for lunch, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see Elias here. I’d been so excited to try the lamb, plantains, and cabbage, and now, I could only pray Elias didn’t see us. If he did, I hoped he wouldn’t cause a scene.

“You good?” Ryan checked, gripping my shaking leg.

“Yes. I’m good. I saw someone I know.”

His eyes shifted as he scanned the empty space. When they landed on Elias, he looked at me.

“That’s your baby daddy, right?”

Of course he remembered him from the pictures I’d shown him of EJ.

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to go speak?”

My head shook. “No. Maybe. I—”

Our eyes locked. His frown melted away…until he saw Ryan next to me on the bench. As Elias walked over to us, I held my breath.

“Wassup, Mandy?” He spoke, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

“Hi. This is Ryan. Ryan, this is EJ’s dad, Elias.”

Elias chuckled as they shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryan. I saw how you protected my girl. I appreciate you for that.”

“It’s all love.” Ryan looked at me with a sneaky smirk that made my heart skip a beat. “I feel like I should thank you for letting Amanda go so I could experience this great woman.”

“As long as you know it’s temporary.”

They shared a soft laugh; meanwhile, I was almost at the point of sweating and shaking. It seemed like things were going well though.

“I hear you.”

“I’ll see you later, Mandy.”

“Wait.” I stood as Elias turned to walk away. “Um…are you okay? You looked upset.”

“I gotta handle some shit after I leave here, then I’ll be good.”

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