Page 5 of The Marriage Bid
“Nothing!” Fuck. I could not get myself to sound normal and not like a hysterical harpy.
Malaya frowned. “What have you heard? H&H is a good company, right? They don’t have skeletons in their walk-in closets or anything?”
“I-it’s not that.”
Malaya crossed her arms. “Then?”
I took a deep breath, trying to think of how I could explain that I wanted to work with anyone else other than the Hawthornes without telling her about my connection to them. “The Hawthornes are ruthless businessmen. Remember what they did to Astoria Crown?”
“Well, that was typical business competition. I mean, it’s a dog-eat-dog world. And Astoria kinda deserved it.”
“They destroyed a company that had been around for one hundred and fifty years in a couple of years. And what about Sterling and Vale? They basically stole all of their best employees.”
Malaya side-eyed me. “I didn’t know you cared that much about old New York real estate companies.”
“They’re too ruthless for my taste.”
“Too ruthless for your taste.” She said the words slowly, as though trying to interpret them. “If you know something about them, I will drop H&H like a hot rock. It would suck, but if it’s some serious rich people’s shit, I will let the deal go. You rich people have like a tight network and only share info amongst each other.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am no longer rich, and my family was never that rich.”
“Yeah, yeah. You were a hundredth and not a straight-up billionaire before your father torched your inheritance. But you know what I mean.”
I sighed, wishing I had a better excuse than the one I had. “They don’t have skeletons. At least none that I am aware of.”
“But?”
She was not letting this go, was she? And was there any harm in working with them? This was a big break for us, and we needed clients badly. Our last big client bilked us on the lastpayment, and we ended up getting half of the original quote because he didn’t like the color scheme. The color schemehechose, mind you. Then there were the bills. And the possible relocation to Queens. There was no way I was moving there. Yes, it would be cheaper, but so would be the clientele.
“You’re right. There’s nothing wrong with them. I simply didn’t anticipate getting good news, you know. I’m probably freaking out."
“Oh, Saff. I get your point. I didn’t believe it was him at first. I thought Ethan was fucking around with me, but the longer I spoke to Seb, the realer it got. Aaaah! I can’t believe it! We need to celebrate.”
“Sure.” I wanted to do anything but that.
That night, Malaya, Kayla, and I visited the most expensive bar on the block and ordered our favorite cocktails. The cool bar, styled like the inside of a wine barrel, was full, and yet the service was swift. I swiped the company card with one eye closed after we ordered, wincing when the swipe machine jammed and breathing a sigh of relief when the card was accepted. That was probably the last substantial cash left in our account.
After Malaya sent Sebastian our portfolio, he had promptly responded in the affirmative. He made no mention of me, which I am sure he would have since I was married to his brother and all. Surely, he must have done a Google search. But maybe he didn’t think it mattered. Even though we were married, the last time I saw my husband was on that fateful night. We existed as though we were single people.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Malaya said over the hubbub of the crowded bar, dragging me out of my musings. She knocked on the wooden round table. The red cocktail in her glass was almost empty, whilst mine was still full. Kayla was looking at me expectantly, her eyes bright with her third cocktail. Had they asked me a question?
I flashed a tight smile. “Nothing.”
“She’s been like this ever since I announced the H&H deal,” Malaya said to Kayla. “She doesn’t like the deal.”
“I love the deal!” I jumped in. “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us since… ever!”
“But she isn’t fond of the Hawthornes,” Malaya said again to Kayla.
“Ooooh. Do you think something happened between her and one of the brothers?” For an assistant who acted clueless sometimes, the twenty-something brunette was incredibly perceptive.
Malaya nodded. “I think our girl here dated one of them and doesn’t want to talk about it.”
I groaned. “I went to school with them.”
Malaya and Kayla gave each other conspiratorial looks.
“Which one?” Malaya said.
