Chapter 2

SPADE

Having a gorgeous executive assistant is bad. Getting hard for her is ominous.

I read her file before she became my assistant. She was one of the top employees while she was in marketing. I wasn’t surprised, though. Robyn finished her college degree with honors. She was also punctual. That was why I chose her, even if she was too beautiful and distracting for the job.

For the last few months, she had lost some weight, and I knew why, but she was still gorgeous. This week, she’d been late twice. If she wasn’t good at her job, I would have replaced her, but I also had reasons why I kept her at arm’s length, and some might think it was dark and twisted. Maybe it was.

I hated tardiness. I wanted someone reliable who could work under pressure with that amount of money I paid them to do. Though I could give Robyn a little leniency, and she didn’t have to know that.

People called me cold and heartless, but I never joked about my job where thousands of employees relied their paychecks on my capability to be their boss.

My phone buzzed on top of my desk. The caller ID showed Ozias Quinton, one of the ex-military men working at Osmium Resource Group.

I picked up the call. “What did you find?”

“She lives in a small apartment with a roommate, who left months ago. Her friend is the same person from her work. Her life is pretty much between her job and her weekends with her mother. She doesn’t drink or party.”

“Relationships?”

“Unmarried, no man in the picture, so to speak. Parents have been separated since she was in high school. Her father, Rusell Sharpe, is the head of Accent, a private resource group company. Her mother, Denise, is a nurse who was recently diagnosed with a rare heart disease and underwent an open heart surgery.”

“Ha.” Of course, I already knew everything he just told me. I thought something new had happened in the past few weeks.

“Anything else you want to know? Financial maybe? I can dig deeper into her personal life if you want, sir.”

“No. That’s all. Quinton?”

“Sir.”

“What’s her mother diagnosed with?”

“Atrial Myxoma.”

“Thanks.” I hung up the call and sighed deeply. “What the fuck am I doing? Haven’t I done enough?”

***

I arrived at the Kross mansion an hour before dinner. Apparently, Adley was earlier than me.

“It’s nice for you to show up.” Adley’s eyes lit up. She was Lex Kross’s granddaughter, the heiress to his billion-dollar empire, Kross Industries and Corporations. She was also married to a reformed womanizer billionaire, Mykel Creed.

“Hey, Ad.” I kissed her on the cheek. “I always showed up every weekend. How about you? What’s your excuse?”

“You show up when we don’t expect you.” Adley was beautiful with her adorable face and big, sterling blue eyes. “No latest adventure? Like jumping into the warm hole at this moment?”

“Leave the poor man alone,” Lex said from the backyard. He was brilliant with a mind that worked sharply through his experience.

“You heard the old man.” I shrugged.

Mykel Creed was once his protégé until he married Adley. Many years ago, when I was lost and had nothing, Lex came out of nowhere, offering me two options: life or hell. He taught me everything I needed to learn in business, and he was also one of the few people who treated me as a human being.

Adley chuckled, “A poor billionaire, grandpa.”

“How’s Mykel and the kids?”

“You should come over for dinner on Friday.” She then rolled her eyes and picked up her bag. “If you’re not busy killing yourself.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. I had tea with grandpa. I promised the kids dinner and movie night. Unlike you, I have children, Spade. You should get married and spend your billions with your loved ones.”

I inwardly groaned.

She noticed the look on my face and quickly grabbed my arm. “Hey. You can’t be in love with nature while your heart is frozen. Love doesn’t work like that. I know you’ve been through hell, but can you just give good women a chance?”

“What women?”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Honey, just go. The kids are waiting,” Lex said impatiently.

“Bye, grandpa. See you next weekend. I love you.” She hit me in the arm before leaving. “Let that heart thaw, Spade. It’s been years. You’re too handsome to die alone.”

A small smile broke from my lips as I followed Lex’s voice.

“Hi.” I took a seat across from him, overlooking the vast, well-manicured garden.

“How are you, son?”

“I’m as good as the last time you asked me last night. But thanks for asking.” I helped myself to pour a tea into the teacup. “Do you want more?”

He shook his head.

I watched him sigh, as if he had something on his mind. “Is everything okay?”

“I should ask you the same. Is everything okay?”

I looked at him for a moment and sipped the tea. “Yeah. Business is great.”

“Of course, business is great. I’ve seen the reports of your companies.”

I put the teacup on the table. I hoped it had nothing to do with his health. Years ago, he underwent a successful kidney transplant, but there were always long-term risks and complications. 

“Then, what’s the problem, Lex?”

After I graduated from college, he offered and funded my start-up business idea. Zacc & Kross Ventures established. With his guidance and connections, we made it to a multi-million dollar company. About three years ago, I started up Emergence Capital with my blood, sweat, and hard-earned money. From a cold, lost boy, I became who I am today because of him.

“Don’t tell me you want me to find a woman and get married.”

“I think you can find a woman on your own, if you haven’t already found her.” He smiled, his blue eyes glinting. “I’m done playing matchmaker with my granddaughter.”

“Which you failed.” I chuckled. “Adley found her own match.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I’m invited to an auction gala, but I’m too old to attend the event.”

“Since when have galas become too young for you and everybody?”

“Just go and attend, Spade.”

“Why not Adley or Mykel?”

He stared at me. “Are you seeing someone?”

My face turned uncomfortably hot. “No. I’m already married to my work. And I told you I’m not interested in dating right now after— oh—” Fuck. That kind of event. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Hard pass.”

“Then go home.” He turned and looked away.

I frowned. “You’re not actually upset with me because I’m not going to that event. I’ll donate a hundred grand in your name. I’m just not interested.”

He dropped the invitation on the table. “Will saving women change your mind?”

Oh, fuck. That kind of auction. And here I thought it was a dating auction fundraiser. I mean, who the fuck does that?

I wanted to curse the hell out of Lex, but I had a huge reverent of respect for him as my mentor and the man who gave me the life I have today. I knew the moment he told me to go, I could never turn him down, even if I had to jump into the crater to please him. That was how much he meant the world to me.

I grabbed the invitation and checked the date. “You know, when you offered, it wasn’t an invitation. It was an order.”

“Enjoy the night, son. God knows you could use some days off.”

After dinner, I used the gym in the mansion. Out of frustration, I threw some brutal punches at the punching bag hanging from the metal frame. I hit it over and over again, landing it with simultaneous kicks.

My chest was heaving, sweat dripping all over my face. I stood there with my gaze locked on the bag with the face of the monster, mocking me, bullying me, and laughing at me for being so small, weak, and pathetic.

With one furious roar, I threw a final punch. “You’re not here. You’re just a pigment of my nightmare.”

After I showered, I went to sleep. 

I sucked in a breath. My heart was pounding so hard. For a moment, I felt disoriented until the very same warm blue colored wall caught my eye. 

I slept in my old room, the very first room where Lex brought me after running away from my last foster home. Sometimes, it gave me comfort that I wasn’t sleeping and curled up on the cold floor anymore, or in the dark basement.