Page 26 of The Tempo of Truth
Win grunted his approval; I felt, rather than saw, him turn his head to look at me.“I know you aren’t a kid anymore, Winnie.You’ve done a brilliant job raising Lowe, and you’ve worked hard to prepare for the challenges you’re going to face as you move forward.I don’t care if you drag Halliday Inc.through the mud or send all those grumpy board members into cardiac arrest.What I do care about is your well-being.You’ve never been able to think straight around Kyser Kent.Do you know what you’re doing where that man is concerned?”
I turned my head to the side until our eyes met.His gaze was serious, and I could see deep concern for me between each blink.
“Hmm…I’ve always known when it comes to Ky.”I’d been in love with him since I was a teenager, and nothing had changed.“I want to be with him.I want Lowe to get to know his father.I want Ky to realize his life doesn’t have to be over just because he isn’t playing soccer anymore.”I knew I was very greedy where Ky was concerned.
“Did you come home for the company or Ky?”Win’s tone held a touch of accusation.
I smiled at him, gently waving away a puff of cigar smoke that the breeze blew in my direction.“I came home because everything and everyone I love is here, and I want Lowe to finish growing up here.”
Win sighed heavily and asked, “How can you trust that guy, Winnie?You still don’t know if he conspired with your granddad to kidnap you.Have you considered what you are going to do if someone else with money comes along and offers him a chance to get back into a club?You’re doing business with corporations and families who have just as much money and influence as we do.If they want Kent out of the picture because they think it’ll make you easier to deal with, what guarantee do you have that he won’t be swayed by whatever they offer him to leave?I’d hate to see you and Lowe end up heartbroken because Kent chose his first love over you.”
I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them.I wiggled my bare toes that dangled over the edge and quietly said, “That’s a risk I have to take.For what it’s worth, I don’t think he will walk away from Lowe, regardless of the situation.If he weren’t ready to have a relationship with his son, he would’ve never agreed to my ridiculous rule that he could only have contact with Lowe if he didn’t ask for money.Do you know how rare it is to find someone willing to ignore a Halliday handout?”I contemplated seriously before telling my uncle, “He picked his mother over his first love at a critical moment.I wouldn’t underestimate how much Ky values his loved ones.”
Win chuckled.“I do know how rare it is to have someone in your life who isn’t interested in the family fortune.The reason I forced your aunt to marry me was because she didn’t want anything to do with any of my money or connections.”
I rested my cheek on my knee and stared at the man who raised me.“Idohope Ky finds his way back onto a football field.I want the person I care about the most to get the chance to do what they love.But I won’t pave his way.You did that for him the first time around, and it ended terribly.He’ll have to figure it out on his own.”
Win arched his eyebrows and asked, “What do you love the most, Winnie?”
“Lowe and the rest of the family, obviously.”I smiled at him.“I also love changing what it means to be a Halliday.You started the trend when you walked away and began using your inheritance and personal funds to bankroll major charity projects, and when you welcomed Uncle Alistair into the family, even though he’s only half Halliday.And let’s not forget how majorly you shook things up when you married Aunt Channing.Really, I’m just doing my best to follow in your footsteps.I want the generation coming after me to see that they can succeed on their terms and that there is more to being a Halliday than living up to expectations that have been placed on us since the Revolutionary War.”
Win set his glass down so he could reach out a hand and ruffle my hair.“If I don’t say it enough, I’m proud of you.Your aunt and I truly appreciate the young woman you’ve become.I trust your judgment on family matters and within the company.”He gave me a pointed look.“For the most part.”
“You’re worried about how reckless I act when it comes to Ky, aren’t you?”Tonight was a prime example of letting my desire overrule my common sense.
Win grunted his agreement and picked up his drink again.“I worry about anything that can be leveraged against you.As much noise as the two of you have been making since you returned to the city, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know your weakness.Lowe is much harder for adversaries to target because he’s a Halliday.Ky doesn’t come with security or any type of strong backing.It’s a good thing he knows how to fight.But I question how willing he’s going to be to play punching bag for competitors who want to use him to get to you.”
“I think he’ll be all right.The only time I’ve seen Ky falter is when his family is involved.He would never have ended up back here, doing what he’s doing, if he weren’t trying to protect his mother.He never would’ve thrown a game if it wasn’t something hehadto do for her sake.None of the hardships he’s had to face were his fault.”Not even the night I was kidnapped.If Ky had any part of that scheme, it was because he was manipulated and played by my grandfather.We all were.
He didn’t ask to have absentee biological parents or a weak, criminally inclined adoptive father.And while Julie Kent did her best and loved Ky unconditionally, he never asked for her to turn his life inside out, while she lost her way trying to find herself in an unfamiliar world.Ky had always done the best with what he was given.
“I’ve always admired his refusal to fold, but the fact you wouldn’t tell him about Lowe right after he was born tells me you had reservations about building a life with him back then.It’s wise to remember why you were so hesitant.”He placed the now-empty glass down and dropped the stubby cigar end into it.He rose to his feet and stepped behind me, stooping so he could drop a kiss on the top of my head, just like he did when I was a little girl.“Whatever happens, don’t forget I’m right next door if you need me.”
“Thanks, Uncle Win.Tell Aunt Channing I said good night and that I apologize for getting back later than planned.”
He laughed on his way back into the house.“No need.She would have encouraged you to stay the entire night at the hotel if she had her way.No one loves riling up the top one percent more than your aunt.Next thing you know, she’s gonna have me running errands without a shirt on toreallyget the board of directors frothing at the mouth.”
I chuckled at the image that followed, not bothering to show him out since it was technically his house.I sat outside, running through everything that had happened throughout the evening until I started to feel sleepy.Once my eyelids felt heavy, I dragged my tired body inside to take a much-needed shower.The warm water did little to wash away the marks Ky left on my skin, but it made me realize I had carpet burn on my butt and elbows when they started to sting.I regretted being too impatient and not taking a few extra seconds to take our adult activities to bed.What a waste of a free hotel room.We should’ve destroyed every surface with wild sex.That way, the staff would have something interesting to report back to Oliver since I was sure he kept tabs on me after I left the bar with Ky.
I was fine with the hotelier trying to pursue me as long as it remained respectful and unobtrusive.I thought I could string him along while we negotiated the deal between our companies because it was good for business and those damn optics everyone but me was worried about.Having an appropriate suitor to offset the troublemaker who clearly had my heart should be enough to keep the wolves at bay.However, as soon as Oliver started asking about Lowe and questioning Ky’s influence on his son, there was a line crossed that I couldn’t see a way back.
No one was going to use Lowe as a bargaining chip in their corporate games.If they tried, I had no problem showing them just how far the name Halliday could reach.Or how much I’d retained from growing up at my grandmother’s side.There wasn’t a more ruthless woman than Colette Halliday, and she’d taught me everything she knew.
Thinking of Oliver’s persistence, I sent a message to Helio, asking him to do a more thorough background check on my new business associate.He was a touchtooeager to get close to me, and way too invested in starting a personal relationship with me, despite my obvious disinterest.He might be after a marriage alliance—something not entirely uncommon in the world of the ultra-wealthy—but if that were the case, the Byrd family would need to bring so much more to the table than a merger and a handsome son-in-law.
I understood my value very well.
Just as I turned off the light next to my bed and was getting ready to call it a night, my phone started vibrating with a call.Typically, I would’ve ignored it since it was late and I’d had one hell of a night, but once I saw it was my assistant on the other end of the call, I knew I had to pick up.
I turned the lights back on and swung my legs over the side of the bed.“What’s going on?”I didn’t waste any time on pleasantries.
Jeremiah sounded exhausted when he replied, “The head of PR and our media manager called me in for a midnight meeting.There’s a picture of you coming in and out of a hotel with that guy you picked up from the hospital and met at the park.The images are pretty provocative.The media department is having a meltdown.They want to try and bury everything to protect the company.I told them I needed to get your permission before we started any sort of media play.I know you wanted to keep your personal life off the table in terms of manipulating public opinion, but we’re backed into a corner here.The company and you have to say something.”
I swore and rubbed my tired eyes.“Our media department knows that I’m not a celebrity, right?”It was wild that there was so much focus on who I was spending time with.The constant scrutiny made me miss the tiny Italian island I left behind.
“You’re basically the second coming of Princess Diana.You’re a different sort of celebrity, like it or not.”
I swore again and punched my mattress in frustration.“Make a statement that I was at the hotel for a retirement party.Our stance around any image of me and Kyser Kent is that we’ve been friends since we were teenagers and have a close relationship.It shouldn’t be shocking for us to be seen together.Be sure there is always messaging that Lowe has a good relationship with his father, and so do I, even if we’ve yet to disclose a name.I want to pave the way for declaring his role in Lowe’s life, so that when the announcement is made, there will be less shock and limited room for speculation.People are going to put two and two together regardless of what we say.You can let anyone asking for a statement know I had too much to drink at the party and requested Ky to join me and pick me up.Say that he came from another obligation, which is why he was dressed so outrageously.Emphasize that he stayed with me while I sobered up and made sure to hand me off to my security team for safekeeping when it was time to return home.”
