Chapter 9

Seraphina called Cassian knowing she was about to piss him off.

“Ten o’clock tomorrow,” she said, skipping the greeting. “I’ve arranged a press conference to announce the partnership.”

“You arranged it.”

“I did.”

“Without asking me.”

“I’m telling you now.” Her voice remained even. “Just show up and do what you always do, Mr. Devereaux.”

“And what is that?”

“Look like you’re in control of things,” she said without missing a beat. “You’re very good at it.”

Cassian said nothing.

She smiled to herself and ended the call.

She was already at the podium when Cassian arrived the next morning. The atrium was fuller than any announcement they had made before, with reporters filling the seats and cameras positioned at the front.

Cassian stopped when he saw the setup.

“You planned all this?”

Seraphina glanced at him.

“I said I arranged a press conference.”

“You arranged a press conference without telling me.”

“I told you yesterday.”

“You told me I had to be here at ten.”

“And you’re here.”

He stared at her for a moment.

“Looks like you made it after all,” Seraphina said when he reached her.

“You didn’t give me a choice.”

“I never do.”

His gaze stayed on hers for a moment before he turned toward the room. Seraphina took her place beside him as the communications director droned through the opening remarks about the benefits of the partnership.

Cassian listened quietly.

The questions began as soon as the communications director stepped aside.

“Ms. Voss,” a reporter called, “some are calling this the most aggressive partnership Devereaux Holdings has entered in a decade. Was that the intention?”

“I don’t know where you heard that from, but I sure didn’t hold him at gunpoint. Besides, I don’t do anything halfway.”

Her comment earned her laughter from the room.

“Mr. Devereaux will tell you he agreed to these terms because they made business sense. I’ll tell you he agreed because he already knew what it would cost him not to.”

The laughter grew louder while Cassian’s jaw tightened.

“Mr. Devereaux, how would you characterize working with Ms. Voss so far?”

“Educational,” he said, earning another laugh. “She negotiates like she’s already won before the meeting starts.”

“Because I usually have,” Seraphina said.

More laughter filled the atrium.

Cassian looked at her.

She turned toward the next reporter.

“Ms. Voss, your negotiations with Devereaux Holdings attracted quite a bit of attention. Reports said Mr. Devereaux was given a deadline to accept the final terms. Is that accurate?”

Seraphina smiled.

“Accurate enough.”

“And was that really necessary?”

“I had already made my position clear. He had forty-eight hours to decide whether he wanted the deal.”

Cassian finally spoke.

“She was very clear about the deadline.”

The reporter turned toward him.

“And you accepted?”

“I did.”

“Why?”

Cassian glanced at Seraphina.

“Because the terms made sense.”

Another hand went up.

“Mr. Devereaux, was there any hesitation before you signed?”

“There was consideration.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning I considered what would happen if I didn’t sign.”

Seraphina turned toward him.

“That sounds almost exactly like what I said.”

“It was a different calculation.”

“Of course.”

The reporter smiled before moving on.

The questions continued, moving from the partnership itself to the terms they had agreed on, then to what their companies planned to do next. Seraphina answered easily, occasionally throwing a remark in Cassian’s direction that made the reporters laugh and left him with little choice but to respond. He gave as good as he got, his answers becoming shorter as the conference went on.

By the final question, the smile he’d worn for the cameras was gone. His hand rested against the podium, fingers curled slightly around the edge.

Cassian waited until the nearest reporters were far enough away before turning to her.

“What was that?”

Seraphina barely glanced at him.

“What was what?”

He looked at her in disbelief . Did she really not know what she had just done?

“The show you just put on.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

She looked up at him.

“You?”

For a moment, he didn’t have an answer.

Seraphina picked up the last of her papers.

“You’re welcome, by the way.”

“For what?”

“For making sure everyone left here thinking this partnership was the best thing either company has done all year.”

“You made me look like I enjoyed working with you.”

“You managed that part yourself.”

His eyes narrowed.

“I did?”

“You laughed.”

“At your jokes.”

“Still counts.”

He stared at her for a moment, clearly deciding whether arguing with her was worth it.

Seraphina gathered the papers against her chest.

“Try not to look so offended. The cameras liked us.”

“I’m sure that was your goal.”

“It was one of them.”

She walked away from the podium before he could respond.

Cassian watched her go, already wondering how long it would be before she created another problem for him.

Knowing Seraphina, probably not long.