“Because I said so. Novak is not a place for you to work. It was a bad idea letting you stay in New York City. I want you here with me.”
“Daddy…” she rubs her forehead. “I told you, I don’t like moving around. I want to live in one place and have one job for a really long time. I can’t have that with you moving every month or so.”
The line goes dead. She pulls her phone back from her ear to look at the screen. Call ended. Her father has always been protective along with paranoid. He always seemed to sleep with one eye open and was constantly checking behind him as if someone was following him. She began to worry about his health as she got older looking up his symptoms and fearing a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
For the first time she notices Alexander standing in the doorway of his office. Was he eavesdropping on her conversation?
“Sorry, I know I’m not supposed to take personal calls at work—”
“Who was that?”
“My father. I don’t get to talk to him much so when he calls...I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
The angry look on his face makes her feel as though she just blew her second chance.
“It’s fine. Can you run to the copier and make two copies of this document?” He hands her a piece of paper.
Quickly, she grabs the sheet and scurries off to the copier down the hall.
***
Alexander takes her phone checking her recent call. Unknown. The son of a bitch really goes to great lengths to not be found. For years his trail was hot, Alexander had hired private investigators find him, then it went cold. Up until recently things have been looking up when he found out the daughter of Gavin MacIntyre lives here in New York City. He followed her around paying off all potential job offers and with his own brilliant plan, he fired his secretary and left a flyer for the job in her mailbox.
Guess who applied for the job?
Scarlett Halloway.
He is one step closer to catching the bastard.
Next step: getting close enough to Scarlett so that she’ll tell him—unknowingly—her father’s location. Or hope someday soon Gavin will make a mistake and call his daughter from a traceable phone that leaves a phone number. That will be the day he traces it to his location and he’ll take his private jet to meet him.
The sound of heels tapping against the tile floor tells Alexander she’s just around the corner. He places Scarlett’s phone back on her desk before she could catch him snooping. She returns with a smile and a pile full of copies he didn’t even need in the first place.
Entering his office his shuts his door before throwing the documents in the trash bin in the corner of the room. He sits in his comfortable black leather chair and looks at the large oak wood desk neatly organized for the first time in years. He had to hand it to Scarlett, she did a great job at making his job easier.
When she came in late yesterday he never planned on firing her despite his you only won’t get another chance speech. He just enjoyed seeing her squirm.
There are two pictures on his desk. One of them is of him, his five other siblings and parents and the other is his favorite—him and Ellie when she was four years old. He loves all his siblings equally, all of them provide him with something different. Olive has always been there to talk him up and boost his confidence when he needed it. Liam has always been the brother he confides in and tells every secret to. Kai is the most sensible of the brothers, if he needs advice he goes to Kai.
Atticus, the fun brother, always brought joy to his life making him to do impulsive and reckless things. And Ellie was the one who gave him love and acceptance. She would always hug and kiss him and tell him how much he meant to her. She always made his heart feel full and when she died, she took his heart with her.
Not to mention he blames himself for her death.
His door creaks open and in pops Olive’s head. “Mom missed you last night.”
Sighing he leans back in his chair and watches his sister enter, inviting herself to sit in one of the seats across from him. Olive and him have always been close, they were so close in age that in school they were in the same grade. People always thought they were twins with their matching blond hair and green eyes. They’ve always felt like twins.
“I was busy.”
“You’re always busy.”
He presses his eyebrows together. “I’m the new CEO of this company. I have a lot of work to do.”
“What did you do last night when you went home from work? You mean to tell me you couldn’t make it dinner or went out with your siblings and I?”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he really doesn’t want to have this conversation. “I wasn’t in the mood, Olive.”
She opens her mouth trying to find the words to reach him. The words are caught in her throat as she shakes her head looking sad and disappointed. “I love you, Alex, but you’re unhealthy obsession is—”
“I don’t need a lecture,” he narrows his eyes.
“Apparently you do, because the past few years you have been unrecognizable. Where is the brother who used to be fun and used to talk to me about everything? I hardly know what’s going on in your life anymore. It’s like we’re strangers.”
Alexander won’t deny that he has been distant to his family. He finds it hard going back in his childhood house where his sister used to live. There are memories all over that house, on the stairwell where they used to slide down the bannister, pictures of her in the hallways, her old room, her empty seat at the dinner table…
It’s all a painful reminder he actively avoids.
“At least give mom a call...please.”
“Is that all?” He crosses his arms.
Olive stands her hands clenched at her sides. “Fine. That’s all. You can get back to work now since you’re so busy, boss,” she spits spitefully.
With a slam of the door, he’s alone in his office.
He attends three meetings in the span of six hours. The day consisting of signing, approving, and brainstorming. His stress levels have been high ever since he received the CEO position. The workload is unbelievable, his free time little to nonexistent, and his thoughts consumed with one thing and one thing only.
Revenge.
Staying late has become a usual for Alexander, sitting at his desk was better than lying awake at home. He has no interest in going to a club or a bar, but taking a girl home to his apartment for a quick fix sounds much needed. He’s always had his fair share of women since high school. Girls liked to throw themselves at him for many reasons. Some found his irresistibly handsome, others found his found money irresistibly handsome.
Walking out of his office door twenty minutes to midnight he is shocked to see Scarlett half asleep at her desk. “What are you still doing here?”
“You were still in your office, I didn’t want to go home until you did. I thought you might still need me for something. I overheard you saying how busy you are.”
Alexander sighs. “I should’ve sent you home earlier. You weren’t needed but I thought by nine o’clock you would’ve called it a day.”
Scarlett starts packing up her things and Alexander stands there waiting for her. She gives him a strange look. He watches as she pulls out a subway pass from her purse.
“I’ll drive you home, it’s late.”