Page 16 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

Fuck!I should have known that my sister wouldn’t keep that info to herself.

She was growing way too close to Shelby, and Tori had a tendency to share too much information with Chase’s wife, Savannah.

“That had absolutely nothing to do with it,” I said irritably. “I never knew I hurt her damn feelings, and she did call me a superficial asshole after the reception.”

Chase smirked. “So she actually told you off?”

My body tensed as I remembered that brief encounter. “Yes,” I said stiffly.

“What was that like?” Chase asked conversationally. “It’s probably been a while since anyone has stood up to you except for family.”

I hadn’t liked it. At all.

I was used to people never questioning me or calling me on anything, and I liked it that way.

“It was ridiculous,” I snapped. “I might be an asshole, but I didn’t do the things she accused me of doing. She thought I turned down the opportunity to meet up with her because she wasn’t my physical ideal, which is asinine. I had no clue what she looked like, but I knew she was Kaleb’s cousin. He sees Shelby as more of a little sister than a cousin. I wasn’t interested in being set up withanyfemale, much less a woman who means something to one of my friends. I don’t date. I don’t do romantic relationships. My relationship with Kaleb has always been solid and valuable. My refusal had nothing to do with the way she looks. Hell, she’s beautiful, but she definitely isn’t the sweet woman that Kaleb made her out to be.”

“Actually,” Chase mused. “She’s probably exactly the type of woman that Kaleb described. You just never got a chance to see that side of her before you pissed her off. Shelby has three cousins who are billionaires, but from what I understand, she’s never accepted anything from them but their affection. You know that Kaleb, Tanner, and Devon would happily set her up so well that she’d never have to work if she was willing to accept their help. She could be living in luxury. Instead, she works her ass off to make a living herself. Maybe I don’t know her that well, but I find it pretty admirable that she refuses to benefit from her cousins’ successes. I’m also in awe of the fact that no matter how busy she is making a living, she’s making the time to volunteer her cooking skills in a soup kitchen in the downtown area. A place that serves a lot of military veterans and elderly people who don’t have enough money to eat. All things considered, I think sheisthe sweet woman that Kaleb and his brothers adore.”

Despite my surprise, I tried to keep my expression neutral as I confessed gruffly, “I didn’t know about all that.”

I’d already figured out that Shelby was stubborn, and was obviously determined to make her own living, despite the fact that there was a lot of money in the Remington family.

Her apparent disinterest in the family money intrigued me, but I’d been unaware of the fact that she used her talents to help feed people who couldn’t afford to eat.

Chase shrugged. “Maybe you would have realized that she wasn’t like the other women you’ve met if you would have agreed to meet up with her a year ago. I happen to think she’s a woman worth knowing.”

“I wouldn’t know,” I said tersely. “She…doesn’t like me.”

“You might try being nicer to her,” Chase suggested. “No offense, but you do come off as a major jackass most of the time. Tori and I know you. We can see right through that bullshit, and maybe that cold, unknowable façade works well in business for you, but it doesn’t serve you all that well in your personal life.”

“I don’t have a personal life,” I growled. “Durand Industries is my entire life.”

“Whose fault is that?” Chase questioned. “We don’t have to give Durand all of our time or energy anymore. I admit, it was difficult when we had to travel back and forth to Paris all the time, but our permanent headquarters is here in San Diego now. Our travel is more limited. Yeah, I know we’re needed here in the office sometimes, but you don’t have to be here sixteen hours a day. We have very competent staff who can handle some of the things you still insist on doing yourself. Maybe you’re willing to give your entire life to this company, but I’m not anymore. I have a wife that I look forward to seeing every night. I love this company as much as you do. Dad built Durand into the powerhouse it is today, and I want to maintain the same ethics and quality that he did. But Savannah is my priority now, and I almost lost her not so long ago.”

“I don’t expect you to sacrifice your life to Durand,” I protested.

I wanted my brother and sister to be happy. Much as I couldn’t even begin to understand their obsessions with their spouses, that kind of life seemed to suit both of them.

As the eldest Durand, I’d promised my father many times that if anything ever happened to him, I’d look out for my siblings, and I’d kept that vow to the best of my ability.

They were happy, and I was finally content with the knowledge that I’d kept that promise to my dad.

“I know that,” Chase shot back at me. “But I want you to know that I don’t expect you to give up your life for Durand, either. It’s not necessary.”

I shot my brother a withering gaze. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don’t want the same things you do?”

Chase grinned back at me, completely ignoring the look of annoyance on my face. “Nope. I think you want more, but you don’t believe it exists. And the reason I know that is because I felt the same way not so long ago. I was happy investing most of my time and effort into Durand, too. So, are you attracted to Shelby?”

Since I wasn’t about to tell my brother that the woman made my dick hard whenever we were in the same space together, I responded carefully, “I’m extremely attracted to her food and the fact that she doesn’t seem to mind watching that demon dog living at my house right now. That’s it, Chase. Let it go. Not everyone wants to live a life obsessed with someone else’s well-being.”

I was a selfish bastard, and I knew it.

I wasn’t capable of the kind of tender emotions my siblings had.

I was a realist.

A cynic.

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