Page 79 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

"I'm implying that you're losing focus." He straightens his tie. "Just like your brother did before?—"

"Don't." The word comes out sharp enough to cut. "Don't you dare use him against me."

"I'm trying to protect you."

"No, you're trying to control me." I gather my things. "And I'm not James. I never was."

I leave him there, stalking through Clearwater's halls like I can outrun the weight of expectations. Of comparisons. Of everything I'm supposed to be.

The elevator opens just as I reach it, revealing Ariana deep in conversation with Yasmin.

"—and then he tried to recruit the entire dialysis center," she's saying. "Something about protein powder changing lives..."

"Your father does understand that multilevel marketing is basically a pyramid scheme, right?" Yasmin asks.

"Bold of you to assume he understands anything about marketing." Ariana sighs. “His PowerPoint did have surprisingly good clip art..."

They both freeze when they see me.

"Mr. Reeves." Yasmin recovers first. "The venture capital meeting is in ten minutes."

"Cancel it."

They blink at me.

"Sir?"

"Cancel everything." I step into the elevator. "I need to handle something."

"Connor..." Ariana starts.

“Ms. Bristol, thank you for the update in the meeting. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

The doors close on her expression, and something in my chest twists.

I make it to my private floor in record time, stripping off my tie like it's strangling me. Rain streams down the windows now, matching my mood, and for the first time in years, I let myself really look at what I've built.

The perfect office. The perfect view. The perfect illusion of my independence from everything.

All of it empty.

My phone buzzes:

GRAYSON: Dude

GRAYSON: We gotta talk about the bachelor party. We’re split between Vegas and Monaco. Could our old asses be anymore of a cliché?

GRAYSON: Also, your mom called

GRAYSON: Something about a "chakra cleansing ceremony" for the IPO?

I ignore him, moving to the window where I can just see my reflection. Gray-blue eyes, silver-streaked hair, the face of someone who's spent his whole life trying to be what everyone else needs.

Perfect son. Perfect CEO. Perfect everything.

Except...

Except Ariana never required perfect from me. She only seemed to want real. Genuine. Everything I'm terrified to be.

---