“The contract was how you convinced yourself that what you're doing is part of a deal. If he lets you down, you can pretend you don't care, since it's just business."
"I hadn't thought of it from that angle."
"The problem with the way you act is that you can lie to everyone else but not to yourself. If he hurts you, you will suffer,even if you scream to the whole world that you don't give a damn."
"I don’t know what to do. When the subject of the contract comes up, I feel like a mercenary."
“Follow your heart, daughter. I think by now Zeus has shown that he's not messing around with you, and even if the relationship has no future, at least you've experienced it. The other alternative—hiding forever from love—is not healthy. One day you will look back and regret what you didn't do. Even to cry, we need to create good memories."
Zeus
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
"Any newsabout the damn one percent?" I ask Ares over the phone.
Odin and Christos weren't successful in acquiring what's missing, which seems like fucking irony, considering they hold fifty percent.
"No, but I have a plan. The girl's guardian is almost a hundred years old, and I think he fears for the ward's fate."
"And what do you plan to do?"
"Besides offering five times the market value, I'll secure a professional guardian for the little girl."
"Do you think he's worried about dying and leaving her helpless?"
"Yes. By offering to buy the shares for much more than they're worth and also solving the guardianship issue, she'll be protected."
"How old is the child?" I ask.
"She's not a child; she's a teenager. Seventeen, but according to what I found out, she can only access the inheritance attwenty-one, and only if she's married. Otherwise, she needs to wait until she's twenty-five."
"Her father was an idiot."
"I can't disagree, but maybe his intentions were good. The problem is he made his daughter incapable of managing her own life as an adult. If she were my girl, I'd also find it reasonable to impose the age of twenty-one for her to inherit the entire fortune, but not requiring her to get married."
"Sort this out, Ares. I can't wait to close the matter."
"Zeus?"
"Yes."
"How far do you intend to take things with Madison?"
"She's my girlfriend."
"Then why is she still working at the club? It's obvious she doesn't enjoy what she does, even though her performances are the most anticipated each night."
"Bunch of assholes!"
"Anyone can see you're consumed by jealousy."
"How would you feel in my place?"
"The same way. The point is: why haven't you resolved the issue yet?"
"She doesn't want me to help her."
"You don't need to fully support her. You told me you invented a position so you could present the contract to the social worker. Do that. Hire her."