Page 50 of Trust Fall
“Perfect!” Ivy replied, leaning over and kissing Cleo briefly before starting her own lunch.
Chapter 42
Ivy
“Idon’t understand,” Cleo said as she pulled her car up in front of the location which they had an appointment to view.
In front of the building was a large double-sided sign that simply read “SOLD.”
“I thought you said it wasn’t listed yet. How could it already be sold?” Ivy asked as she stared out the window at what wasundoubtedly the most perfect location for her franchise. Even from the outside, she could just…tell.
“It wasn’t, it shouldn’t be. Let me call Alice and see what she says, maybe the sign is old, and a previous sale fell through or something.” Cleo picked up her phone while Ivy got out the car to take a closer look at the building.
The windows were floor to ceiling but with black strips imbedded in the glass to break up the solid pane. As the building wasn’t operational, she took a few more steps and cupped her hands against the glass to let her look inside without the glare of the late fall sun stopping her. Inside was a mix of exposed brick walls, industrial pipework along the high ceilings, with short windows running close to the ceiling the entire way around the other walls. The natural light flooded the space, and Ivy wanted it. She really wanted this location forherfranchise.
A few minutes later, Cleo got out of the car. She closed the door with force and let out an exasperated breath to obviously try and settle herself before she walked over to Ivy, a defeated look hung like a shadow on her face.
“It’s sold. I’m so sorry Ivy,” she said, her face tense, jaw set, and brow furrowed.
“Hey, that’s ok,” Ivy said. “These things happen. I mean,” she turned to look back at the building, “it’s absolutely what I’m looking for but,” she turned back to face Cleo and reached out, taking her hand in her own, “it’s not like it’s your fault. We’ll just keep looking.”
“It is though.” Cleo said with a heavy sigh.
“What is, love?” Ivy asked, confused.
“It’s my fault that it’s already sold. Alice, the listing agent, said it was bought last night by Copeland Conglomerate.” Ivy froze at the mention of the name.No. “I had been on the phone with Alice taking down the details of the location to give to you yesterday morning when their CEO, Jackson Copeland, cameinto my office. He must have taken the details down that I’d written because his fingers were flying over his phone screen the entire time he was there."
Ivy dropped Cleo’s hands like they were burning her skin and took a step back. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, it was pounding so hard. A cold sweat was quickly covering the back of her neck and a ringing in her ears was the marker that she was about to spiral. Badly. Trying to keep control of her voice she asked, “Why was Jackson Copeland in your office, Cleo?”
Cleo looked confused, but stood where she was, shocked by the reaction Ivy seemed to have at the mention of the man’s name. Wearily, she began, “He’s one of my clients. I designed his new home that’s currently under construction, and he’s been trying to get me to take on additional tasks for his company which I’ve refused. Ivy, what’s wrong, what am I missing?”
Ivy’s mind was spinning. Her thoughts were coming too thick and fast for her to process. Her body was reacting badly, anxiety rising, her breathing getting shallower by the second. She could feel her stomach churn and could nearly taste the bile in her mouth as she tried to catch-up with herself.
“I can’t believe you’d do this,” Ivy started softly, barely above a whisper that she wasn’t sure if Cleo was able to hear her. “I can’t believe you’re working for him. Forthem. Of all the people, Cleo.” Ivy was shaking now, and her eyes were darting, unable to focus on anything for long. Her hands were aching with the amount of adrenaline pumping through her body, hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the shaking enough to clench them into the fists she so desperately needed to.
Cleo took a small step forward and gently reached out a hand. As their skin brushed, Ivy pulled away, “Don’t touch me. Don’t youdaretouch me,” Ivy replied, voice breaking.
“Ivy, talk to me, I don’t understand.” Cleo’s looked so worried, and confused, laced with hurt at the way Ivy spoke to her.
“He’s mybrother,Cleo. Jackson is mybrother.”
Ivy watched as Cleo staggered back, she looked like she’d just been slapped in the face. Shock made the color vanish from Cleo’s face in the blink of an eye, realization hitting her of what had happened.
“As bad as my parents were, what he did was far worse. He was old enough to help me, to stick up for me. At the very least, make our parents listen to me. But instead, he just sat there with asmirkon his face enjoying every moment of watching me being torn apart and discarded by our parents. You know this. I told youweeks ago. How could you do this? Youknewwhat they put me through, and you continued to work with them anyway!” Ivy wrapped her arms around herself, taking breaths as deeply as she could under the restriction of her arms against her ribcage.
“Ivy, I swear, I didn’t know who he was to you!” Cleo pleaded, but Ivy shook her head, trying to get the ringing to stop in her ears as her blood pumped through her veins like a speed train. She had to get Cleo to stop. She didn’t want to hear her excuses. She just wanted to get away.
“How could you not know?! My surname’s Copeland, Cleo, it’s not exactly a stretch!” Ivy all but spit the words out at her. She needed to leave. She needed to make her feet move to get away.
“Ivy, please, you have to believe me, I didn’t even consider that you had the same surname, I didn’t question it. If I’d known who he was, I’d have stopped any communication with him immediately. Please, youhaveto believe me. I’d never do anything to hurt you, youknowthat.” Ivy’s eyes found Cleo’s. All she saw was tears. And pain. She couldn’t deal with this. Not now.
“I don’thaveto do anything, Cleo.Notwhen it comes to anything involving them.” Ivy could hear the ice in her tone. Shecouldn’t stop the words falling from her mouth. She had to leave before she said anything that she would seriously regret.
Ivy dropped her head, raised her hand to stop Cleo saying anything further, and took a deep breath. She slowly let it out, trying desperately to get some control over the reaction her body was having to this revelation. She dropped her hand and her voice.
“I can’t do this.” Ivy made her way past Cleo and pulled the car door open to get her bag, looped it across her body, and shut the door.
“I need to go.” Ivy’s feet started moving and she walked down the street.
