Page 121 of The Echo of Forever
“Of course,” I said, walking toward her. “Something wrong?”
She glanced at the front door and then stepped closer.
“Demetrius will think I’m giving you a hard time,” she murmured with a little smile. “So, I’ll be quick. My brother can be the one-track mind type. He’s had one goal his whole life, and that’s protecting the interests of this family. But he was never meant to lead us like Demetrius. My nephew moves strategically, and we all know he wouldn’t bring you here if he didn’t trust you with his life and ours. I say all of that to say, I hope you don’t take Arland’s concerns to heart. He means well.”
I nodded.
“I understand trust is earned, and thankfully, I don’t scare easily. Don’t worry, I won’t leave Demetrius high and dry over something like this.”
She reached out but dropped her hand and took a tiny step back.
“We’ve survived because we understand that unity doesn’t mean uniformity. Different perspectives keep us strong.” A smile touched her lips. “Besides, I’ve never seen my nephew look at anyone the way he looks at you. In fact, he’s never involved us in his love life.”
I took a page out of her book and backed away, not wanting to have a heart-to-heart this early in the morning. Especially about the way my man looked at me.
“Thank you for seeking me out. I hope we can get to know one another better.”
She nodded and turned, walked a few houses down, and then bent the curve until out of view. I pushed our encounter to the back of my mind and left the compound, heading straight for Destiny LaPorte’s office in my baggy sweats, hoodie, and sneakers.
“Do you have an app—Oh, Ms. James, I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you,” the receptionist said, though she hadn’t looked up until the question was just about finished.
“Let Destiny know I’m here to see her.”
The young girl, no older than twenty, typed out a message on her desktop and then looked up.
“She said to give her five minu—”
I rounded the desk and headed straight for Destiny’s office, entering without knocking to find her alone.
“It’s okay, Georgie,” Destiny said, waving her assistant, who’d hastily followed me back, off. “You couldn’t stop her even if you wanted to.”
I took a seat without asking and slid down in the chair, hands stuffed in my pockets.
“How’s your head?” she asked as if knowing about my headaches meant something significant. “Your mom mentioned they were getting worse the last time I saw her.”
She waited for me to respond, but I hadn’t come here to talk about my head or my mother. The longer I sat silently, the more antsy she got.
“Here’s the thing,” I started after a while, leaning forward. “I’m here as a favor to Kai. He figured you’d be more willing to settle your debt if I asked.”
Her gaze shifted, and I followed it with a smile.
“We both know you have the money,” I went on, deciding to sow discord for the hell of it. “Seo-Yeon seems to be holding you back. I’m sure she’s waiting for me and Jayden to make things official, probably told you as much.”
Our eyes met again as I stood and stretched.
The Carroways were banking on using my name for collateral, just enough to fund their separate business ventures.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re up to no good?”
I shrugged and walked over to the bookcase, purposely turning my back to her.
“Always best to go with your gut,” I mused, tugging one of the fake books from the shelf. “Per the contract terms, you have the option to split the balance between both parties. I suggest paying off your portion of the debt before the end of the day. Seo-Yeon won’t be able to hold up her end of the bargain.”
Destiny hummed as I slid a note into the book, pushed it back into its rightful place, and turned.
“Is this how you usually collect debt on behalf of your brother?” she asked, leaning back in her chair.
I smiled and returned to my seat.
