Page 6 of Discretion at Its Finest

“I’m fixing them,” Gregory replied, his tone coming out bitter.

“And I’m telling you that you can’t this time. You’re sinking. The board knows it. Investors know it. And if you don’t accept the reality then—”

“I said I’ll fix it!” Gregory snapped, slamming his hand down on the table hard enough that the wine rippled.

Eugene jumped, startled. My hand immediately went to his back, soothing circles as he looked up at me in an instant.

“It’s okay, Lovebug,” I whispered, kissing the crown of his head.

Raymond didn’t flinch. “Your pride isn’t going to fix what you’ve destroyed. We need an investor, and there’s only one person who can pull the weight we need.”

The fork stilled in my hand as my blood went cold.

“We don’t needhim,” Greg emphasized.

I could only listen in horror as Raymond shook his head. “Gregory…”

“He is not setting foot in this family again. I don’t care how much money he has. He’s not a Newman, he never was—”

Raymond cut him off, voice rising. “Reidis the only one who can save what you’re bleeding out. You think I want this? You think I enjoy crawling to him after what happened? This isn’t about you anymore. It’s about saving the company.”

My pulse was a drumbeat in my ears.

Reid.

Just hearing his name made the hairs on my neck stand. My fingertips felt numb. I was sure sweat beads started budding on my forehead. It was practically a miracle I hadn’t fainted yet. The room was shrinking. My breaths turned shallow, quick, barely pulling in air. My chest felt like it was caving in.

I tuned out the rest of the conversation. My hand moved without thought, combing through Eugene’s hair as if to remind myself that this wasn’t a dream. He chewed another bite of chicken, swinging his feet under the chair, blissfully unaware, no care in the world.

But I couldn’t hold it together. My body was betraying me. The tremor in my hands, the shallow rise and fall of my chest, the way my vision blurred at the edges until only my son was clear.

All I could hear was his name, over and over in my head.

The man I had loved. The man I had betrayed.

He was coming home.

It felt like everything I’d built was going to fall apart at the seams. Every lie, every secret, unraveling thread by thread. And I didn’t think there was anything I could do to stop it.

A few sleepless nights had gone by. Gregory came home late and left early the next morning for most of them. So for the most part, the house was quiet.

When I tucked Eugene into bed, his little hand curled around mine as if he knew I needed anchoring. I stayed beside him longer than I needed to. Watching his chest rise and fall. Memorizing the innocence on his face. Pretending, for just a moment, that everything was okay.

Soon enough, I slipped into my own room only to see Gregory already waiting, restless energy pouring off him. His tie gone, shirt undone, sleeves rolled up in a way that reminded me ofhim.

“Come here,” he murmured, reaching for me.

I went over, my hands wrapping around his head as he lay it on my chest, his hands caressing my hips as I stood between his legs.

“Another long day?” I whispered, and he sighed, his forehead pressing harder to my chest.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered, voice frayed. His hands gripped tighter at my waist.

I stroked the back of his head, murmuring soft, empty reassurances he needed to hear. “You’re doing everything you can, Greg. You’ll fix it. You always do.”

He exhaled deeply. I knew he wanted to believe me. Then his mouth pressed to the thin fabric of my nightgown, his hands sliding higher until he pulled me down into his lap.

“Stay with me tonight.” His words were a desperate plea disguised as a command.