Page 109 of Wicked Dares
“Trust me, it’s not.”
He’s not entirely wrong. We each come with our own…fine print. Knox and Dorian have only now settled because they’re married with children, but then there’s the rest of us.
“There’s another reason I wanted to speak to you.”
“What’s up?”
“With the situation in England,” he says, his brows knitting, “we need to step things up faster than planned.”
I think of the London branch, the restructuring, and the fucking fallout with my uncle. I’m not surprised we need to step things up. “What do you need me to do?”
Dad folds his arms. “You’ve done excellent work this quarter with Arthur, the hedge fund expansion, and the new contracts.” His gaze sharpens with pride.
A weight settles heavily in my chest. Praise from my father isn’t something that’s easily handed out.
“You’re one of my best,” he adds. “So, I want you to go to England for six months and stabilize the hedge fund division there.”
Everything inside me goes still. “Six… months?”
“I know it’s sudden,” he says evenly. “But I need my strongest people there right now.”
I get it but… Six months.
My mind immediately goes to Piper.
Six months.
Things have only just started to feel real between us.
If I leave for six months, I won’t be here to chase her anymore.
Dad keeps talking about England, strategy, expansion, and restructuring, but his voice starts fading into background noise beneath the sudden pressure building in my chest.
Because the idea of leaving feels wrong.
But I have to be realistic.
Piper and I only just crossed a threshold we’ve been dancing around for weeks, and no matter what happened last night, she still has her reservations. I have to respect that, and I guess I have a job to do.
“When? When do you need me to go?” I ask, cautiously.
“As soon as you wrap up things with Lockwood.”
A month.Maybe six weeks, after I sort out the contract and my other clients.
I nod once. “Alright, sure. I’ll go.”
My old man’s face lights up with pride, but my damn heart sinks.
Six months ago, I would’ve grabbed the offer without hesitation.
But for the first time in my life, success feels like losing something.
Now it feels like I’m being asked to walk away from the one thing I actually want.
Funny how success suddenly stops meaning much when there’s someone waiting for you at home.
Chapter Twenty-Three
