Page 104 of Gathered Sparkle

“I know,” Koen agrees. “I just… I’ve been thinking about that time a lot lately. I don’t know. I miss it. Miss him.”

I have no idea if he’s playing a part right now or if he’s genuine. Nobody could say, but his eyes tell me that at least the last part of the sentence was the full truth.

Hell, I miss Oscar, too, andIhadn’t spoken to him in years before he died.

I’m mid-sip when Veronica rises from her seat. My mind stutters as she takes a couple of steps to Koen.

She’s not…

Surely, she’s not…

But she does.She wraps him in a hug.

Koen’s eyebrows shoot up, his wide eyes meeting mine over her shoulder, and I nearly choke on my coffee. What the hell is happening?

Has sheeverhugged anyone that way?

“I’m so sorry, darling,” Veronica says softly, patting his back. “I know this is more than hard for you. But I want you to know I’m here for you, okay? Whatever you need. I meant it when I said we’d be family again. I’m here.”

Koen clears his throat, clearly as stunned as I am. “Thank you, Veronica.”

She steps back, smoothing her skirt as if the moment hadn’t just blown both of our minds. Just as she opens her mouth tospeak again, her phone rings. She glances at the screen, her jaw tightening. “Excuse me.” She picks it up while taking a few steps away from us. Her tone shifts instantly into sharp commands. There’s apparently a problem at one of the casinos.

She holds up a hand to us mid-conversation, muting the call with a press of a button as she steps back to us. “I’m sorry, boys. I have to go take care of something. Honey,” she says firmly, her eyes pinning me in place. “Will you talk more ideas out with Koen, please? Maybe you two could go out and grab something to eat? I bet Koen doesn’t want to be alone right now.” I open my mouth, but the sharpness of her gaze stops me cold. “Nicholas,” she reprimands, a warning in her tone.

Damn, I didn’t even want to protest.

I nod stiffly, turning to Koen. “How about the Chinese place we always used to go to?”

Veronica’s expression softens, and she squeezes my forearm, a surprising gesture of approval. Then she turns to Koen with an air kiss and heads toward the elevator. “Take care, darling,” she calls to Koen as the doors close behind her.

The silence that follows feels heavy, but Koen breaks it with a low chuckle. “What just happened?”

“I have no idea.” I shake my head, still reeling. “It’s not like I know what she’s even doing, only that she’s not fucking playing around.” I unbutton my shirt and carefully detach the wire from the underside of my collar. Koen lets out a low whistle, crossing his arms as he leans against the counter.

“Someone’s taking this seriously.”

“What are you even doing here?” I glance at him sharply. “And why the hell didn’t you tell me about it?”

Koen smirks, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “You know about it now, don’t you?” He chuckles at my glare and continues, “It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I need her to think I’m buying into this wholefamilybullshit. I want her totrust us, make her believe we’re a couple of desperate kids who long so much for a family we’ll fall for her manipulations.”

I scoff, folding the wire neatly and stuffing it into my pocket. “Well, you’re on the right track. She already thinks you’re a stupid kid.”

Koen grins, unbothered. “Does she?”

“Yeah,” I say dryly. “And she’s not wrong, Copy.”

He huffs, rolling his eyes. “Come on, now I really do want that Chinese food. We can grab some for everyone. I’m sure Novalee and the guys will be home soon, and we can debrief together.” He looks around the penthouse, his gaze lingering on the corners as if looking for cameras.

But there are none. At least of that, I’m sure.

“Want to check out her stuff?” I nod toward the kitchen island, where Veronica’s laptop still sits, the screen dark but humming faintly.

“Do you know her password?”

I sigh. “Nope.”

“It would be a waste of time then. We’d need Sylus for that, and like I said, this wasn’t exactly planned.”

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