Page 99 of Until We Burn
“For that reason, my dad is moving the vote to the end of April instead of June.”
Six months.
That’s two months less than the original deadline. That’s all the time Diana has to get everything back on track.
All the time we have together.
“Kai?” Worry unsettles her voice. “A-Are you still there?”
“I–yeah.I was just…taking it all in.”I fidget against the railing. “Six months, huh? How are you feeling about that?”
“Horrible,” Diana groans. “I feel pathetic that I’m still trying so hard to clear my name and get back to the CEO race when everything keeps getting in my way.”
“Maybe…” I hesitate, rolling my hoodie string around my thumb. “I don’t know, Di. What if that’s saying something?”
“Saying what?”
“That maybe taking over the HMG might not be what you’re really meant to do? Instead there’s something more, something better for you out there?”
“But all I’ve known my whole life is how to be good use for the HMG,” Diana stresses. “Even if I did venture into something else, my father wouldn’t have it. He’d make sure we wouldn’t be able to thrive in any other path aside from the one he’s set out for us.”
“That’s not healthy, Di. You’re not a puppet on a string,” I fume.
Diana snorts. I can sense the bitter smile in her voice. “It’s confusing how much I’m scared of what my father puts us through, but I still want his respect.”
I rake my hands through my hair and shrug. “It’s not so confusing, actually.”
“It’s not?”
“Not really. I mean, I’ve always heard you say your dad’s pride becomes yours. He built and primed you to be that way. So, it feels like everything you’re made of binds back to him. It’s gonna take you awhile to realize that you have what it takes to cut the strings and become something you’re proud of without his approval.”
Diana scoffs. I can tell she’s doing that thing where she’s angling her head and smiling teasingly at me. “Are you always this philosophical after midnight?”
“Trust me when I tell you that philosophical Kai is better than conspiracy theorist Kai. He drives Rowan insane.”
Diana laughs. A smile breaks across my face as I take in the sound. I swear the city lights glimmer brighter because of it.
“Tell me that your night was better,” she implores. “How did your presentation go?”
My smile falls. I glance down at my socks that scratch against the concrete. “It was also a shit show.”
“Why? What happened?” Despite how gentle she sounds, her voice has an edge that promises broken noses on my behalf.
I tell her everything.
At the end of my rant, there’s a clang on the other line as if Diana had smacked something. “I’m so tired of people like Simon and his dad! They have all the money in the world and use it to come after people who are just minding their business.Make it make sense.”
“In Matthias’ defense, he had a few pucks chucked at him throughout his career. It’s very likely that he’s fucked in the head beyond reason.”
“Judging by Simon’s personality, it’s clearly genetic.”
I burst out laughing. What I love most about Diana is that she doesn’t hesitate to rage with me.
“I have a better idea,” she fires on. “Why don’t we tie him and Simon to Wallace’s zamboni along with my brothers? Then all of these horrible men can sweep the ice like a sausage link.”
The visual makes me double over. Diana’s laugh fills the other end of the phone, clashing with mine, and for a split second, it’s like she’s standing right here with me.
The dumbest smile still lingers on my face even when our laughter peters out.
