Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 811(@200wpm)___ 649(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Lach will never find out about the name change, but I’m sure if he did, he’d force me to erase it. He’ll probably say I’m not worthy of it, or that I lost my chance, or that he doesn’t want me to have the same last name as his actual wife. Fuck, that hurts. I swallow and take a deep breath. I think about what he’ll say when he sees me again a lot more than I should. About what he’ll do. About whether or not he hates my guts, which is a dumb one, since Lachlan holds a grudge like no one else. I know he probably despises me, but maybe the time that’s stretched between us has made him more forgiving. Maybe he’ll wrap his arms around me and kiss me for so long, I’ll forget I was ever without him at all. Those are the stupid little glimmers of hope that keep me going. The reality is that if he does think about me, it’s probably a fleeting memory. Why wouldn’t it be? He’s fucking gorgeous, and now he’s gorgeous, popular, and rich. And even richer now because of his dad, apparently. So, yeah, I’m probably the last thing on Lachlan Duke’s mind.
CHAPTER 25
LACHLAN
“Delilah D. Guzman.” Liam slaps a file on my desk.
My desk. It’s so weird to say that. I’ve had enough time to prepare for it, so you’d think it would have hit me by now. It hasn’t. I’m not entirely sure it ever will. I never pictured myself in the corporate world. Why would I? A deal is a deal, though, and I’m a man of my word. The agreement with my father has always been clear — I’d play professional hockey for three years and then I’d retire to take over his evil empire. This isn’t even on the list of things I’m bitter about. I’m sure down the line, I’ll miss hockey, but I genuinely want to be here. I need to.
Duke Tech Solutions gives me access to anyone and everyone in the world. With a few clicks, I can find out every detail of someone’s life, down to what stores they shop at. It’s quite possibly the worst thing for someone like me to have access to. It would be like giving Lyla James access to the president’s nuclear football. None of us would survive her. Everyone would walk around with crippling anxiety, just waiting for her to push that button. In the contract I signed, I agreed not to use any information for my personal gain, so I’m not going to take advantage of Duke Tech. Liam went as far as making me swear on a bible, which was pretty stupid of him. Mom made us memorize half the passages in it, and to me, it’s just another book. I’m really not going to take advantage of the access I have. For this, I had to bend the rules just a little.
Technically it’s not for my personal gain; it’s for the future of the company. My father was the one who decreed this, so he can’t say anything about how I get the information. I feel my brother boring holes into the side of my head when I swivel my chair around to take in the view of the city. He’s pissed at me for this, but hey, that was the department he chose to be in. At least he knows what the fuck he’s doing. I don’t know how to be the CEO of any company, let alone a billion-dollar one with thousands of employees and four locations around the world. It’s fucking daunting. Sure, my degree is in business, but that paper could never prepare me for the real thing. For the time being, I was working closely with my father and only looking over contracts, making decisions alongside him. Technically, because of this little hiccup, I was working pro bono, which pissed me off. We’re meeting in his office in ten minutes, so the file Liam tossed on my desk arrived at the perfect time.
I look at him. “You’re late.”
He glares at me. “She was hard to find. As you know.”
As I know. Yeah, I fucking know. I’m also aware that there was no way I’d be able to find her on my own, and I didn’t want to outright ask my father for help with this — with anything. Accepting him into our lives fully has been enough of an adjustment without asking for help. Liam had no qualms about it. He’d even helped Mom move her things over to Henry’s estate. He’s too fucking nice.
I’ll never forget the day I agreed to this. I was lying in a hospital bed in Fairview, staring at the black roses sitting by the sink. It was the only arrangement there now. I’d made my mother take the rest home with her. She wanted to throw it away, but I wanted to watch every single petal wither. My father visited, which was already shocking enough, and then he made an offer that came with more zeros than the ones I’d been expecting to make before my life went sideways. It took me a few days to think about it. I added in the clause for the three years of hockey, since originally he wanted me to start at Duke Tech as soon as possible. I’ve managed to transfer all of my anger to Lyla. After all, it is her fault I’m here, to begin with.