Page 7 of Chandelier Enthralled
He changed the subject eloquently by saying, “Mia’s spending the week with Bailey.” Cameron smirked. “Palm Springs.”
“Raif?” His son was the cutest baby on the planet.
“With Mom and Dad.” He grinned. “You know how much they love being grandparents.”
My eyes twinkled with mischief. “All this and an heir.”
That made him laugh. “Define your life your way.”
I rolled my eyes. That was all well and good until our mom wanted to share her opinion on what was best for us.
“Does Mom know you’re here?” he asked.
“Not yet.”
Cameron slid onto the couch cushion. “What happened with Hugo?”
“We didn’t have a future.”
“Do I have to hunt him down?” His eyes crinkled. “Say the word.”
This was a battle of wills.
“I don’t need you calling him.”
“Or flying out to personally deal with him? Because you know I will.”
“Cameron!”
He chuckled. “Eviscerating a man who’s hurt you would be my pleasure.”
To the world he had it all—a beautiful wife and son. A successful business. He was a man who impacted humanity with his soup kitchens for those in need. It wasn’t easy living in his shadow.
Hugo had done more than break my heart—he’d decimated it. All trust was gone, destroyed for any other man.
I just didn’t want to think about it.
Cameron gave me a sympathetic smile. “Talk to Henry, perhaps?”
Right, our older brother, who also set the bar impossibly high with his remarkable accomplishments. Taking over as CEO of Cole Tea had left him little time for anything else. As a military vet he still struggled with PTSD. Yet he outshined us all. I wondered how he’d react to me moving here.
Cameron pointed to the chess board; another thing he was great at.
“Not in the mood.”
“Tomorrow, then.” He looked over at me. “We can talk about Cole Tea.”
Which was code for saying how I’d play my part in the business. We were all sucked in eventually. One way or another. Either by ambition or fate.
While I understood what a privilege it was to glide effortlessly into a company, it would be hard to turn my back on journalism.
Cameron studied me. “You don’t want to work at Cole Tower?”
I avoided his gaze. “Well, I mean…”
“Have you shared that sentiment with Dad?”
“They don’t even know I’ve left New York.”
