Chapter 7
AIDEN
“I want the keys to your Aston Martin for the weekend.”
Cillian said even before he had closed the door behind him, his voice cutting through the relative silence of my office. He didn’t even bother with pleasantries, because that wasn’t his style. It was always straight to the point with him, like a battering ram of s
smug energY-
He waved the file in his hand before grabbing a seat in front of me, making himself comfortable like he owned the place. It didn’t matter that this was my space–Cillian always found a way to take over any room. That was his charm, I supposed. I had asked him to get me a few details on Freya and a whole check on her boyfriend.” Even the thought of some other man beside her left behind a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, one that curdled. in my stomach the more I let it linger.
“How about I run you over with it?” I offered dryly, already anticipating his grin before it spread across his face. There it in his eyes that made him seem younger, though he was only a few years my junior.
s, the mischievous glint
Not like he was short of luxurious cars or anything–Cillian was never lacking in life’s finer things. He didn’t need my car. He did it solely to annoy me, to press my buttons. That car was a limited edition model, one I had painstakingly acquired, and I hadn’t let anyone behind the wheel Ever. That’s what motivated him to ask for it as payment every time I needed a favor from him.
“Nothing comes for free, brother.” He leaned back in his chair, hands linked behind his head, the grin still plastered on his face. God, he was infuriating. But this was our dynamic him pushing, me resisting, A constant tug–of–war of wills.
“1 agreed to the dinner, didn’t I?” Even mentioning the dinner gave me a bad feeling in my mouth, like I’d bitten into something spoiled. Throughout the year, I avoided my family like the plague. I couldn’t stand the pretenses, the forced smiles, the small talk that danced around the ever–growing chasm between us.
But then there was Cillian. He was hellbent on reuniting us at least twice a year, dragging me back into the fold like some overzealous shepherd tending to his scattered flock. It made me want to fucking kill him. But I couldn’t. He was the only family I had left–the only family I cared about,
anyway.
“Fair enough!” He nodded, finally relinquishing the file he’d been waving in my face like a victory flag
I stared at the cover for a second longer than necessary before flipping it open.
Freya Wilson
Thirty years old.
Five years younger than me. Not bad. It made sense now, why she seemed to have this youthful vitality about her that was magnetic. Even through the haze of my jealousy, I could admit that.
Owns a bakery–Meringue
I had to check my smile at that I could imagine her in a white apron, her hair tied up messily, a bit of flour on her face as she leaned over a cake, putting the final piece of decor in place. Her lips would purse in concentration, and then she’d step back, admiring her creation with that little smile I’d seen her give when she thought no one was watching. The image was oddly domestic, far removed from the world I inhabited, but it warmed something inside me that I didn’t realize had gone cold.
But the amusement dimmed, snuffed out like a candle’s flame, with the next piece of information.
Freya has a daughter.
I stared at the words, feeling a sudden weight drop into my stomach Noah. That had to mean Noah was the father, right? My jaw tightened at the thought, my fingers gripping the edge of the file as if it might somehow change the truth If Noah was the father, then this was over before it even started. That would put an end to all my plans, wouldn’t it!
“Aww, big bro! Don’t cry Judging by your face, you’ve reached there.” Cillian’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts, pulling me back into the present. I glared at him, but that only seemed to amuse him more, his chuckle grating on my already frayed nerves. Siblings really did get off on each other’s distress.
“Noah’s not the father, Cillian said, after letting me stew in my thoughts for a good few seconds,
My head snapped up, eyes locking onto his face. Did I hear that right? I scanned his expression, looking for any sign of a joke, but there was none. He was being serious
“Then who is it?” I asked, my voice lower, more controlled now that hope had sparked back to life.
1/2
Chapies 7
on that m Gillian shrigend, a nonchalant motion made me want to throule him. “Didn’t find that. Didn’t dig too deep either. You told me not to.”
He was right. 1 had told him not to dig 100 deep. Freya was her own person, and there were lines I wasn’t willing to cross. Yet.
But this This I could live with. The father wasn’t important if he wasn’t actively in the picture. The hope that had been withering inside me moments ago now flared back to life, brighter than before,
1 had the bases about her. The rest, I planned to find out from Freya herself. She wasn’t going to make it easy for me–I could sense that already. But that was fine. I’d never been one to back down from a challenge. And this? This was one I intended to win. Noah didn’t stand a chance. Freya was mules out of his league, and deep down, 1 think she knew that 100.
Seemed like I was going to visit Meringue soon enough.
SEND GIFT
