Page 128 of Closer

They were both in on it. My knuckles whiten around the folder in my grip. “Are you certain?”

“I triple-checked. Looks like she is the link between your father and Marc, days before everything went to hell with you and Lil.”

“You think they were working together? To keep us apart?”

Connor’s silence is answer enough.

All this time, I thought she fucked me over. But it was them. They played us both. And like a fucking idiot, I fell for it. I let them get in my head, let them poison what we had. I pushed her away, treated her like she was the enemy when all along, she was as much a victim as I was.

Fuck, I’m such an asshole. She didn’t deserve any of this. She didn’t deserve me turning my back on her, not when she needed me most.

“Well, they sure as hell succeeded back then, didn’t they?” I pause. “Kept us apart for years with their little scheme.”

“But you’re back together now,” Connor says. “Despite their best efforts.”

“Yeah, no thanks to them.” I rub a hand over my face. “Fuck.”

“There’s more.” Connor hesitates, a rare occurrence. “Do you remember how easy it was for me to find out about Lil’s engagement and the e-mails?”

“Yes.”

“It’s kind of the same now. The information… it was almost too easy to find. Like it was left for us to discover.”

I stand up and pace back and forth. “You think my father wanted us to know?”

“Maybe. Or maybe he’s getting sloppy in his old age.”

I scoff. “Not likely.”

“What’s the plan?” Connor asks finally.

“Do we know where the assistant lives?”

“No. But we will, eventually. I’ll dig deeper.” Connor rises from his seat. “In the meantime, you get some rest. You look like hell.”

“I can rest when I know they’re not scheming anything.”

“What if that’s your father’s plan all along? Keeping you busy with work and this wild goose chase to destroy your relationship with Lil. Didn’t you say some deals fell through that you had to save?”

I rub my temples.

“He’s always been against you two. And now, when things start to look up, he suddenly agrees to give her a chance, and we find out about a loose connection of his assistant to Marc Edmunds.”

Emily pokes her head into my office, interrupting our conversation. “Mr. Barron, you have a meeting in five minutes. And there’s an emergency that needs your attention.”

Lil will be waiting, and I’m late. Again.

“Speak of the devil.” Connor grins.

I shoot him a glare before turning to Emily. “I’ll be out shortly.”

She nods and disappears, closing the door behind her.

Grabbing my phone, I type out a message as quickly as my fingers can manage.

Sebastian: Can’t make it home for dinner tonight. Big deal that needs my attention. Sorry, princess.

Connor stretches his arms above his head. “Duty calls, huh?”

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