Page 51 of Midnight Secrets

Chapter Nineteen

Ash

Seth’s contact had an impressive setup. Samples of his craftsmanship hung in display cases in the room. Lucrezia wandered around examining all the items while he chatted to me in the background.

“We appreciate you seeing us at such short notice,” I said. “Her supplier pulled out on the instruction of a mutual acquaintance.”

He studied Lucrezia. “Seth filled me in. Nigel is a loathsome worm. I have a full schedule, but to annoy him, I am happy to accept a new client.”

We had stopped off at home before travelling here so Lucrezia could pick up her laptop with all her designs on it. I waved her over and she set it up to tell Harold what she needed. He nodded as she talked, pointing out issues that would need adjusted for the design to work.

“How long will it take?” I asked.

“How long do I have?” Harold countered.

“It’s for the International Jewellery Show,” I deadpanned, removing all emotion from the conversation. It was why Xavier tended to leave money negotiations to me.

“That’s a big order for a short time.”

“It is, but we’re a big company who supports their allies.”

He regarded me intently for several long seconds before slowly nodding. “Your businesses are well known, Mr. Blackwood. I could do with some help with investment advice.”

I fished my card from my wallet and handed it to him. “My secretary will schedule you in whenever you need me.”

His smile was feral and sent a shiver down my spine. I fucking hated getting into business with men I didn’t know, but I never wanted to see the look of defeat on Lucrezia’s face again.

“Then we have a deal.” He turned his attention to Lucrezia. “Do you need me to set the stones?”

“No, I prefer to do that myself.”

“Excellent. Download your graphic files and I’ll have mocks created for them. I’ll let you know when they’re ready, but hopefully the first pieces should be in production tomorrow.”

He knew my back was against the wall with the limited time we had to get this into production. I hated situations like this. Lucrezia had done all the intricate work on the mounts and the delicate central pieces, but we needed chains and bracelets created.

Nigel was becoming a problem that needed a hard solution. I let them sort out the technical stuff and WhatsApp messaged our group to bring Xavier into what had happened. His response was less than happy about Nigel, but then he focused on the fact that his cousin was here without his knowledge.

Me:Seriously, can we sort the real problem out. She has her own room and security guard.

Xavier:Why didn’t you tell me?

Me:Because I knew you’d react like this.

Jordan:I told you that he wouldn’t be happy.

Xavier:How the fuck did you know?

Jordan:He needed legal stuff sorted with the goldsmith.

Xavier:Uncle Lucas will roast your balls.

Me:For helping his daughter?

Xavier:Keep your dick away from my cousin.

Too late, he’d already visited several times.

Me:Piss off. She asked you for help, but you were too busy.

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