Page 42 of The Grand Duel

It would be nice to have someone to curl up with every now and then. Someone to take me to dinner or to walk through the park with on a sunny day.

Once I find a flat, I could consider putting myself out there. Find a balance between the club, the office, and my personal life.

I purse my lips at my own lie, trying to ease my cheeks as they spread.

“Your last name is Elton.”

My smile fractures as he speaks. “Uh…yes, it is,” I say warily.

“Your parents…the chocolatiers?”

My face drops completely, and I can’t help but be thankful that he’s not looking at me.

I might actually be sick. I stare at the side of his head, unsure of what he knows of my last name. Being in his line of work, there’s a chance he knows more than I’d like.

When I don’t reply to him, he chances a glance my way, his blue eyes flaring before they narrow on me.

I turn my head to look out of the window as he had, letting my body follow as the dreaded feeling of deep shame takes root in my gut, making me feel even worse.

If he knows my last name and who my parents are, he’ll know I come from money.

What else does he know?

Everything?

Is that the reason he doesn’t want to talk to me?

I swallow down the mortification that builds, letting my eyes drift closed.

This is horrifying.

Charlie

I can’t remember everything, but I remember a story. I was young, in college maybe, and the tabloids went wild for the billionaire chocolatiers. A scandal of some sort that never came to be anything in the end. I’d have to look it up to see what it was, but there was definitely something.

She seems to give up after I question her name, and I finally have a second to grasp hold of my composure.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so rattled in my entire life.

She doesn’t try speaking to me again for the remainder of the journey to headquarters, during the meeting, or on our way back to the office, and to be honest, I’m grateful. It’s bad enough having the memories I have of her consuming my every thought without her talking to me.

I should fire her.

When we pull up outside of my office, I watch as she climbs out and walks in ahead of me, bypassing the reception and slipping straight into Ed’s office.

She’s upset. I’m not a complete idiot to see that. She was fiddling with the rings on her fingers the entire time we were in the meeting, those dark-brown eyes not holding with my own, her answers short and clipped—professional enough.

But I wonder if I should apologise.

I ignored her, pretended she wasn’t even there, and then went at her with her parents.

Fuck, I was horrible.

Curious.

Too fucking curious.

I linger in my office for over ten minutes, pacing. And then I hear her laughing through the walls and quickly walk to the door, listening as she and Edna natter on about something Luna did whilst we were out.