Antonia’s pov.“So this person is your mentor?”Tieran gives me a singular look and chuckles right after before he nods his head. We’re in his kitchen right now, and I don't know what I expected. Okay, I expected luxury and a dozen fancy bowls that do nothing but just be there for some special occasion that never comes. Tieran’s kitchen IS luxurious, but oddly it’s functional too. It’s obvious there’s been little to no female interference though, or maybe she’s just not like me and likes her spoons in a drawer where her hand can’t reach them.I take a scoop of the little soup Tieran has prepared and let it melt off my tongue. He knows what I want. He just won’t tell me because he says I should eat first. I know a thing or two about being insistent though so i go on, “There must be a backstory behind that. The famous wildly successful CEO of various multi billion dollar corporations, having a mentor?”Tieran smirks and I like the way he only does so with just one sharp angle of his li
“You’re probably wondering why I keep looking at you like that.”I sit on the seat Tieran has pointed to me and there’s a strange feeling that crawls up my spine again when I feel Tieran’s mentor returns his gaze to me. He looks like an aged and solemn man yet sits like a man who knows his worth despite his condition, but has also been lonely for so long. When he looks at me; I see some of my features plainly on his face. The color of his eyes, the slight raise of his nose…My heart begins to race and I fall short of breath. I keep myself under control so I won't embarrass myself, or Tieran. His mentor’s voice is solemn when he continues speaking.“I lost something special some years ago, a very long time ago to be sincere. I have been guilty of that loss since the day I realized it. I couldn’t do what had to be done to keep it, and I thought I could handle that loss, I told myself she was just a stripper after all.” He sounds like he’s beating himself up even as he speaks and a sad l
Tieran asks me once again if we should leave, but I shake my head this time. I’m calm enough to confront this now, and he’s given me the strength I need. He opens the door and my father comes in once again, and this time we go through introductions.His name is Damien Elcroft. The Damien Elcroft, Founder and CEO of Elcroft Pharmaceuticals.As Tieran said, he’s been a social recluse for more than the past ten years, and after an accident he had while drunk driving, he had an injury that affected his spine and made him lose his ability to walk temporarily. Standing causes him serious pain. Walking, even more.I feel a strange emotion flow through my heart because I can't imagine the kind of pain he’d have been in when he stood up and made his way over to me. Only to drop on his knees too.When it comes to my turn, I take a deep breath and tell my father everything I can about my life. I tell him about the lonely childhood with Grandma and Grandpa. I tell him about my mother’s death, an
Malachi’s pov.It’s been four days now and I still haven’t heard from Antonia.She hasn’t been picking up her calls, my private investigators haven’t been able to find anything about her, it’s like she vanished into thin air.I grit my teeth and look at the application on my table. This is the 23rd application for a secretary I’m going through, and I would have given it over to Human Resources, but every boss worth his dime knows a good secretary is an asset to their boss. A good secretary could make life a lot easier, or frustrate me into damnation. I need someone who can do their job.“I’ve worked as a personal assistant to Mr. Dennis Hayes of Hayes Inc. Mrs. Aura Tine of Time Technology, and,”“How many months did you spend working for each of them? Was it even up to a month?” My response is cold, bored almost, because I could see right through this trick the moment she started going on about her stellar job qualifications. The pause lasts for half a minute without a response.“You
The Elcot mansion is a masterpiece and the hall is full of notable faces. I stand at one side, my eyes searching for the man of the day when something strange happens. I see someone who looks like Antonia.Too much like Antonia. I follow her immediately.I feel my eyes must be playing tricks on me as I step into the hallway. The figure is headed in the direction of the restroom and I follow without thinking about it. My eyes follow her even though she moves quickly but like all women she can only move so fast. A few strides have me catching up with her.I step right in front of her and bar her path, “Antonia.”Antonia stares at me with a calm collected expression and I feel a surge of annoyance rush through me, “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” I take control of myself and lower my voice as I speak through gritted teeth, “I’ve basically searched the city two times over. Where the hell have you been?”Antonia steps back, first of all, putting some distance between us, and then m
Antonia’s pov.Malachi lets go of my arm at the sight of Tieran, and though I said I’d feel nothing for him, that I’d never let myself have any emotions for Malachi Finn - I still find a bit of my heart breaking every time because he manages to surprise me.I know Malachi can be more than mean, I just never thought he’d direct it to me one day.His words ring in my ears even as we stand there and he rakes a hand through his burnt gold hair. He looks dashing in his suit. He radiates an exotic kind of charm when the light catches his eyes just right.We’re standing in the hallway of my father’s house, yet he’s managed to make me feel like a slut, “We’re just going through some marital issues, Uncle Tieran. Antonia’s being difficult.”I remember Tieran is standing behind me and I pull myself together. Every rogue fear I have in me lights up and makes me wonder if he heard all the things Malachi said to me. I must look weak to him right now. Tieran’s response makes me feel a surge of warm
Tieran’s pov. Meddling in people’s affairs has never been my thing. Yet as I sit in my office and cast my eyes on the ceiling, I can't help but think back to Antonia. To the tears in her eyes she was trying so bravely to hide because of my little nephew. Malachi and I are barely four years apart in age but the gap between us in terms of status is wide. Wide, because I'm the unexpected child of the Finn family, born at an age when my sisters were ready to give birth themselves. I cast those thoughts away, but sometimes I can't help but think back to them because this is one of those situations, when I wish that status didn’t stand. When I wish I could do something that wouldn’t look like me picking on my nephew, because I've always admired Antonia. My mind takes me back to my first encounter with her, and it’s easy because I always think back to this. I’ve always admired her. I’ve admired her in the clean, cordial, way, and in all the ways a man can admire a woman he wants. Ever
Antonia’s pov. Something comes in the mail and a maid takes it in. My father takes it up to the upper levels of the mansion and while he does so, I'm watching him, feeling like shit as I mope in the garden because of what Malachi said. His words ring repeatedly in my ear and I ask myself why I should be bothered by what he thinks of me. He can assume I'm a whore for all I care.He’s never had much good to say about me anyway so I don’t expect much, yet still I find my eyes roaming toward the mirrors and windows as I instinctively look at myself now.I don’t look so much different than I did before. A few nights in this beautiful mansion has changed a lot of things. The peace I've felt here has been unrivaled, and I've been pampered so much by my father that it feels like a dream that I can feel loved and cherished. I’ve only felt this way with my grandma, and now it feels like she’s here in some way.“Antonia.”My eyes go to the archway leading into the gardens and I see my father th