Page 5 of The Apprentice
You’re the future boss of the Company.
I was tired of hearing it.
Bitterness coated my tongue and left a bad taste in my mouth. I’d tried so hard to pretend my feelings for Daire didn’t exist. We spent too much time together already, and Sloan trusted us to get the job done, but when the world around us grew quiet, when I had time to think, all I could focus on was Daire. How handsome he was. How much I desired his compliments and touch. And then, I remembered the heartache of rejection.
My mouth twisted, anger beating in my chest. Sloan thought me and Daire were fucking, and while he was right, that was all it was.
Fucking.
Sex.
Physical, because I wasn’t worth more than that. Daire didn’t want anything from me.
When we fucked, I was his, but only until we came, and then I was nobody but his boss’s nephew again. I wasn’t good enough to be in a public relationship with him, and it was that knowledge that had me choking back tears in the dead of night.
How pathetic was I? So desperate for a man who didn’t want me in return.
“Why are you still here?” I snapped before I could stop myself, glaring at Lor. Taking my anger out on other people was easier than facing my own sadness. “Don’t you have a home to go to?”
Lor startled, turning wide brown eyes on me. “I . . . .”
“He was invited to stay atmyhome by me.” Sloan filled in for Lor’s panic, his eyes narrowed on me from over Conall’s shoulder. His lips pursed together in a decisively irritated way.
I flinched.
“He lives in the city, and it’s a long drive to the Hamptons for the work he does with Vail, so I offered him a room.”
“Stop being a jealous brat,” Conall teased with a wink.
“Stop being a—”Slut. I cut myself off before I went too far. Sloan would kill me if I actually said it out loud, and by the darkening of Sloan’s eyes, he knew what I’d planned on saying wasn’t anywhere near friendly.
“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you,” he warned.
I kept my mouth closed and bowed my head in respect, bitterness growing in its force to dominate my entire being. I’d been here longer than Conall and Lor combined, yet I couldn’tdo anything right in Sloan’s eyes, and that was the worst part of the entire situation. They got more attention from Sloan. Maybe Sloan was right, and I was making my jealousy too obvious, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted Sloan to look at me and smile with pride, then tell me I was doing a fantastic job. Was that too much to ask?
“Pet, take Lor out to the garage. I know I promised to take you both out for a late lunch. I need to talk to Fionn for a moment.” It sounded like Sloan was kissing Conall again, but I didn’t dare look in case I said something I’d regret. Tension seeped into my stomach, burning as I kept my eyes on the floor.
Echoing footsteps caused me to finally glance up at Sloan and lick my lips nervously. “Sorry, Uncle.”
Sloan raised his dark eyebrows and stepped in closer, crossing his arms. “Stop with the apologies. I’m sick and tired of them.”
I winced. “Yes, Uncle.”
“Everything I say to you is being ignored.” The disappointment in Sloan’s voice had acid rising in my throat. “I tell you to control your jealousy, and a moment later you nearly insult my pet. Again.”
“I’m trying.” I hated how small I sounded, but it was hard to be anything else around Sloan. He loomed over me and made me feel like a child again, tiny and naive. I wasn’t those things anymore, yet Sloan still scared me.
“No, you’re not.” Sloan heaved a sigh and fixed his suspenders, and my attention slid to his fingers and the way they worked the material. “Maybe I was wrong, and you’ll never be ready to be the boss of this company.”
My heart stuttered and I sucked in a deep breath. “Uncle, I’m s—” I swallowed around my apology, anxiety making me sweat. The thought of losing the Company had my chest squeezing until it felt like I couldn’t breathe. “I won’t fail you, I swear.” My voicewobbled and I gritted my teeth, trying to stop the fear that made me shake. “Iwon’t. This is my legacy.Mine.”
Sloan got in close to my face, baring his teeth so angrily that I thought he was going to hurt me. I knew better, though. He’d always threatened and made the men think he’d punish me, but he never did. “Then, earn it. Right now, you’re acting like a child. You might be an adult, Fionn, but if you want this, you don’t have time to act blasé about the Company. The moment you let your guard down, someone willkillyou, and I won’t have your death on my conscience, too. Not like your father. Do you understand?”
He straightened and took a deep breath, the coolness returning to his strong face. Any anger he’d shown had disappeared and the tightness around his sea-blue eyes loosened.
Shock had me frozen. “Uncle?—”
“Stop disappointing me,” he said sharply, startling me. “Tomorrow, you and Daire will start looking for that rat again. Get me results or I swear you won’t like the consequences. This has gone on for far too long. Daire has a new lead. Follow up on it.”
