“Are you going to…?” I leave the question open, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Do what?” He asks with a level gaze.
I just stare back at him, waiting for him to answer the obvious.
Instead, he continues on. “Tell him that I plan on buying Conniver Media. It’s a billion-dollar conglomerate, and Ruben Bakker has been hinting at selling his majority interest in it for some time. It’s a perfect opportunity. I’ll be heading down to South Africa to visit the satellite offices there just to do my due diligence.”
“Are you really planning on buying it?” I ask, truly curious now. Either way, I know he plans on setting Gabriel up for insider trading, and rightfully so.
But is that it? It seems almost…uneventful. Especially for someone like Magnus Reinhardt.
He gives me an impassive look.
“So, your claim that you were done, that you weren’t buying anything was just…another bluff?”
“Perhaps I just changed my mind,” he says, his green eyes as sharp as points, directed my way with an accusatory edge to them.
Point taken.
“I’ll send a message later on today. I want you to type it exactly as written,” he continues.
“Wait a second, are you trying to frame me for something?” I say, back to focusing on my precarious circumstances.
Magnus’s brow lowers and anger blazes in his eyes. “I would never put you in harm’s way, Sloane, physically or professionally. When the dust settles, your slate will be clean—free even of me.”
The last part is like a dagger through my heart, twisting it so that the pain is even more acute. Now, Magnus isn’t just setting me free, he’s tossing me away.
I stare at him just as angrily now. Any notion I had of exposing how I feel about him—even now, as much as it kills me to tell myself—has evaporated.
“Very well, boss,” I say, just before standing up to leave.
Chapter Fifty-Four Magnus
I watch Sloane leave, still feeling the anger and disappointment poisoning my veins.
I threw down the gauntlet, certain she would claim it, even with what happened after the gala. There was a moment there in my office where I was almost certain….
Instead, she simply walked right over my offering, content to continue her life as it is.
I guess she isn’t the woman I thought she was.
I work to harden my heart, creating a steel shield around it, lest I succumb to such sentimental notions again. I tell myself it will be easy. After all, I’ve lived most of my life with the cold, dead heart of a shark.
But Sloane has managed to tap into that part of me that’s still human. I can still see the excitement and passion in her gaze as she stared up at me while we danced at the gala. And then that kiss….
I push those memories back into the same vault where the happier memories with my parents are secured. Now, more than ever, I need to focus.
The final two names on my list are this close to being crossed off for good.
But first, I have one more loose end to deal with.
* * *
I’m sitting in the same restaurant, at the same table that I’ve been conducting all my business lately. I’m early, and I’ve been nursing a glass of expensive brandy as I wait.
When I see them arrive, I set the glass down and watch as they approach.
Giorgio leads an obviously reluctant Estelle by the hand. His smile is encouraging, as though he wants this to happen more than anything.
He’s quickly winning me over.
Tonight will tell.
“Bonsoir,” Giorgio says, greeting me. “Thank you so much for inviting us.”
“Magnus,” Estelle says with a guarded look as he pulls out a chair for her, and she settles into it.
“Would you like anything to drink?”
“Actually—” Estelle says, her claws already out.
“Yes, I think that would be a nice idea,” Giorgio says, giving her an encouraging look that seems to draw in those claws a little.
After looking at the drink menu, a waiter immediately appears to take their orders. It takes less than a minute for them to appear at our table.
“How about a toast,—” Giorgio suggests, already lifting his glass in the air. “To family.”
Estelle rolls her eyes in an exaggerated way but lifts her glass all the same.
I smile inwardly. I have to give it to him for trying. I lift my glass to tap theirs.
“In that spirit,” I say, setting my glass back down. “I would like to apologize to both of you.”
Estelle blinks in surprise, then narrows her eyes. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch,” I say. “I mean it. I apologize, no strings attached.”
Instead of relaxing, Estelle just crosses her arms and gives me a hard look. “What is it exactly you’re apologizing for?”
I cede a smile. “That’s a fair question.”
She just nods with satisfaction.
I settle back in my chair to consider her. “Someone recently told me that I had to set you free. That trying to…control you the way I have been will only drive you away.”
“Smart woman. I assume it was Mona.”
“No, actually. Well, not only her.”
Her brow rises with curiosity. “Was it the woman you were with at the White Party?”
I give one slow, thoughtful nod.
A hint of a smile touches Estelle’s lips, and she tilts her head to assess me. “She’s right, though. I know why you do what you do. You’ve always been my big brother, looking out for me. And heaven knows I haven’t always made the wisest choices when it comes to men.” She smiles and turns to face Giorgio. “Until now.”
I turn to find him looking at her with just as much adoration.
“Not that either of you needs it, but…you have my blessings.”
She laughs and turns to give me a sardonic smirk. “Thank you, Magnus.”
I chuckle and sip my brandy. “As for school, can I at least get a reason why you quit?”
Estelle’s bright green eyes glow with pleasure, but it’s Giorgio
