Chapter Nine

My eyes snapped open at five in the morning. The decision from the night before still weighed on me, but as I stared at the pale morning light beyond my curtains, I realized I didn't want to go to the cemetery. I had visited my mother's grave recently. Today, I needed somewhere else. Somewhere that still held pieces of the life my mother had once lived.

The conservatory.

I quickly changed and left my bedroom. I was halfway down the rear hallway when a bedroom door opened behind me.

“Lucy?”

I stopped. My father stood in the doorway, still wearing his robe.

“Why are you awake so early?”

“I couldn't sleep.”

His eyes moved toward the rear entrance. “Where are you going?”

“To Mother's conservatory.”

His expression changed slightly. “That place hasn't been opened in years.”

“I know.”

I lowered my gaze. “I just want to spend some time there.”

He studied me for a moment. “I'll come with you.”

I looked up immediately. “No, Father.”

His brows drew together. “Why?”

“I just want to be alone for a while.”

He remained silent. I forced myself to hold his gaze.

“I need some time with Mother's things.”

Something in my expression made him hesitate. Finally, he nodded. “Fine. But don't stay out there too long.”

“I won't.”

Before either of us could say anything else, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen before answering. “Yes?”

His expression changed as he listened. “What happened?”

I watched him walk toward his study. “Don't approve anything until I get there,” he said firmly. “Have legal and finance prepare everything. I'll be at the office shortly.”

He ended the call and turned toward me. “There is a problem with an important deal. I have to go in.”

“Of course.”

My father gave me a final look. “Don't wander too far from the house.”

“I won't.”

He headed downstairs. I waited until I heard the front doors close. Only then did I release the breath I had been holding. I hadn't wanted to deceive my father again. But I needed the privacy.

I slipped outside and crossed the quiet grounds. The old conservatory stood at the far end of the estate, almost hidden behind overgrown hedges. I unlocked the door and stepped inside. Dust covered the shelves. Dry vines curled around the iron frames. Empty pots sat on the old wooden tables. My mother had once filled this place with life. Now it was almost forgotten.

I walked toward the workbench. I ran my fingers across its dusty surface. For a moment, I remembered my mother standing there, carefully tending to her plants. A small smile touched my lips. Then it disappeared.

My thoughts returned to Brian. I remembered the way my father had spoken about people who didn't belong in their world. I remembered the way Brian carried himself at the company. Quiet. Respectful. Careful. He never acted as though he expected anything from me. And that was exactly what made him different.

I moved toward the windows. Brian had told me that practicality had to win. Perhaps he was right. But that didn't mean I had to accept the circumstances surrounding him. My father saw a poor sales representative. That was all.

Pero what if Brian could become more?

I frowned as the thought took shape. What if he had the opportunity to build something of his own? What if someone gave him the resources to turn an idea into a business? I didn't need to make him wealthy overnight. I didn't even know what Brian was capable of yet. But I could find out.

I folded my arms. I could learn about his background. His education. His skills. His interests. Anything that could show me what kind of future he could build for himself. The idea felt reckless. But it also felt possible. I had access to money most people could only dream about. I had resources. And for the first time, I was thinking about using them for something that wasn't chosen by my father.

I looked at my reflection in the glass. “What if I give him a chance?”

The question lingered. I imagined Brian standing in the same lobby years from now, no longer treated as someone beneath the Davidson name. A man with his own company. His own success. His own place in the world. A man nobody could dismiss simply because he had started with nothing.

A slow smile appeared on my face. I didn't want to change who Brian was. I wanted to give him the chance to show the world who he could become. And perhaps, if he succeeded, my father would have no reason to object.

The thought excited me. Then reality struck. I didn't even know where to begin.

I walked back to the workbench and sat down. I pulled out my phone. My thumb hovered over the screen. I could search for business opportunities. Investment ideas. Start-up funding. Anything that could help me understand how wealthy people turned small ideas into major companies.

But I stopped. If I was going to do this, I couldn't rush. I needed to know Brian first. Not the version of him standing behind the sales counter. The real Brian. His dreams. His ambitions. The things he wanted but had never been able to afford.

I slowly lowered my phone. A plan was beginning to form. I would watch. I would listen. And when I discovered what Brian truly wanted, I would decide how to help him get there.

Outside, the morning sun finally broke through the mist. I looked through the glass at the estate stretching before me. I had come into the conservatory searching for my mother's guidance. Instead, I had found something more dangerous. An idea. And once I decided I wanted something, I do not let it go.