Page 148 of Lessons In Grey
He nodded, giving me a small smile. “I want to know it all.”
39
Emily
December 21st, 2021
No, look,” I tried, pointing at my notes. “The publishing market is crashing.”
Jeremy shook his head. “It can’t be, there are books being published every single day. How can the publishing market be failing if there are books being published every day?”
My eyes widened in absolute disbelief. “Grey, I didn’t know Malachi hiredblind peopleto do his work.”
Grey looked over from where he was cooking dinner, amused. “He doesn’t. Jeremy, pay attention to the graph, she’s right.”
Jeremy sat back, exasperated. “She literally can’t be right. Thousands of books are released every day!”
“Not by publishers,” I argued just as the elevator dinged. “People are self-publishing. Not only that butlook.” I shuffled through the stacks of papers I had spread across the table, finding the one I was looking for after a few seconds. I shoved it over. “That is a list of all of the independent publishers that have opened up just in the last six months.”
Jeremy picked it up, flipping to the next page, his brows pulling together. “There has to be over 200 names here.”
“236,” I answered, folding my arms across my chest.
Jeremy looked over, finally seeing how impossible this was.
“Hey, what’s happening?” Ash asked, both she and Syn carrying duffle bags and dress bags for the charity event tonight.
In the last two weeks, all four of us, including Sirius, had settled into a good routine. Jeremy was over when Grey was gone. Ash and Syn came to spend the night on the weekends, Grey and I had our evenings together and our mornings during the week. I had started going back to school, and everything was settling.
No more leads on the guy who had kidnapped me, but Grey didn’t seem worried. In fact, he seemed relaxed. Our sex life was beyond healthy, the East Wing and his desk and car, were covered in memories of our cries of pleasure. The school knew about our relationship, and Diamond and Eris remained where they were supposed to be on the ladder of the crime world.
Everything was good, but today was difficult.
“Emily is going through options,” Grey answered as they set our things in the living area. “She received a letter today from her father. She will be taking over the company, it’s just a matter of time, so she’s talking herself out of being a publisher. You can still be a publisher,” Grey told me as Ash walked over to the table.
The letter stated that now that I had killed Jordan, I would have to take over the company, but I was always going to have to do it. Jordan wasn’t blood, and the contract my great grandpa had written up when he started the company stated only blood could run it, but he was angry, and he was lashing out.
“There’s no point,” I muttered as Sirius jumped up onto thetable. “It’s too much competition.”
Ash fell into the chair across from me. “So, your dad sent you a rude letter stating that you’re doomed to take over the Glass empire, and now you’re giving up the second thing in your life that you personally chose to aspire towards?” She pressed her lips together. “Nope, fuck that. You’re going to be a publisher, Navarro is going to be the hot serial killer you write about, I’m going to be your publicist—”
I gave her a look.
“And Syn will be the hot girl on my arm at all the red-carpet events,” she finished with a smile. “I’ve got it all planned out.”
“Where do I fit in?” Jeremy asked pointedly.
I rolled my eyes and shoved myself to a stand. “Syn is arguably the smartest person in this building,” I muttered, turning to the balcony. I wrapped my arms around myself, staring out across the cold world. Fog was overtaking the city. It should snow here tonight or tomorrow, but the weather was acting strange.
I didn’t want to take over the company. I wanted nothing to do with the name. I didn’t want to be a Glass anymore. I chewed on my lip. Was I even allowed to sell it?
Dad would be angry, but who cares? It wouldn’t be his choice when he handed it over, it’d be mine, right?
I turned to Grey, who was seasoning some meat now. He always made the best meals. “Do you know anything about contracts?”
He studied me for a moment before nodding towards his hip. “Come pull my phone out.”
Without question, I mindlessly obeyed. Well, I suppose it wasn’t mindless. The need to please him was still prevalent. We had even talked about it a few days ago. I had wondered if it would ever fade, this need to obey him like a dog.