Page 43 of Oblivion

“I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”

“What?”

“I don’t tolerate the people I care about being treated badly. Drew Merrick and his father cast Sammy aside in favor of nameless and faceless voters. I will not allow him to do anything to disparage her reputation or hurt her again. I have spoken to Drew and informed him that he is no longer a part of Sammy’s life and what the consequences of him trying to contact her would be. While I respect your friendship with him and his family, I urge you not to encourage his trying to maintain any kind of relationship with her.”

“John Merrick is the mayor. He has influence over the allocation of work contracts?—”

“Mr. Hartley, do you golf?” I ask with a wide smile.

“I do, yes, but?—”

“My father and some of his associates have a regular game in a few weeks. They’ll be in Washington, DC, to play at the Congressional Country Club. Perhaps you’d like to join them?”

Blinking, he stares at me. “What?” Then he nods. “I would…Yes, that…I’d like that a great deal.”

“Perfect, if you give me your contact details, or that of your PA, I’ll have my father’s PA contact you with the dates,” I say, offering him a blinding smile.

“Well, yes?—”

His rambling, shocked reply is interrupted when the door opens and Sammy’s mom strides confidently inside, carrying a silver tea tray.

“Elizabeth, let me introduce you to Evan Morris. He’s a friend of Sammy’s from school. His family own Morris Enterprises.”

Pushing out of my chair, I rush to Sammy’s mom and take the tray from her hands. “Please, let me help you.” Placing it down on the desk, I turn back to her and hold out my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mrs. Hartley. Sammy has spoken about you very often.” It’s another lie because, beyond mentioning that her parents like her to dress conservatively, she’s never mentioned her mom in detail.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you too,” she says, her accent thick with a melodic Southern twang.

“Evan came to let us know that Sammy has decided to finish her degree at Kingsacre with her friends,” Mr. Hartley says, flashing his wife a pointed look that silently lets her know he’ll tell her the details later.

“Well, I…” she gasps, then trails off.

“Mr. and Mrs. Hartley, beyond letting you know about Sammy’s change of plans, I also came here to officially ask you for your permission to pursue a relationship with your daughter and hopefully convince her to marry me. Given your knowledge of my family, I can assure you that I am in a more than comfortable position to be able to ensure Sammy a happy and fulfilled life. I know we’re young, but I know that Sammy is meant to be my wife, and I hope to make her mine as soon as possible, assuming you give your consent.”

Honestly, I don’t give a fuck about their permission, but I refuse to allow anyone to get in the way of me claiming my woman, and if that means sucking up to her parents and helping her dad find some business connections, then I’m more than happy to do it. It’s certainly easier than having them hate me the way Starling’s dad hates Sebastian.

“But she’s engaged,” her mom says.

“I’ll let your husband explain the details, but as of a few hours ago, her engagement ended, and I’ve accepted her return to Kingsacre as her giving me the green light to explore our relationship.”

Mr. Hartley glances at his wife before he focuses on me again. “Yes, I’m happy to give you my permission to pursue her. You seem like a nice boy, and I’m aware of your family’s reputation. But I’d like to speak to my daughter, perhaps even visit her in California?—”

“I’d be happy to arrange for my family’s private jet to bring you to California whenever you’d like to come. I just ask that you give Sammy a few weeks to get settled back into school.”

Clearing his throat again, he says. “She gave up her place at Kingsacre…”

“Please, don’t worry. Dean Livingstone is a personal friend, and I’ve already spoken to him about her coming back.”

“Well, okay. I’ll arrange a check?—”

Lifting my hand, I cut him off, “Her tuition for the rest of her degree has already been taken care of, and as our house on campus is privately owned, there are no housing dues.”

“No, that’s?—”

“Sir, it’s already been taken care of,” I assure him. “All I needed was your blessing.”

“Have you eaten? Can I make you something?” Mrs. Hartley asks, her expression a mix of bewilderment, anger, and awe. She may not know who I am, but she understands the power that comes with wealth and privilege. She may have been looking forward to Sammy and Drew getting married and living vicariously through their success, but she’s a smart woman, and although I’d guess part of her wants to tell me to go to hell, the other half recognizes that I could be a very valuable asset.

“No, thank you, ma’am. I actually need to get back to the airport. The jet is waiting to take me back to California, and I’meager to get home. I’ll have Sammy call you as soon as she’s settled. It’s been lovely to meet you both,” I say, shaking her dad’s hand before I lift her mom’s hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. “I look forward to seeing you again when you visit. Let me leave you a card, and you can send me your PA’s contact details to schedule those eighteen holes,” I say, pulling a business card from my pocket and handing it to Sammy’s dad.

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