Devious Intentions (Carson Cove Scandals 3)

“You could join me.” She tilted her head slightly. “We still need to get you some new clothes—maybe a few nice dresses—designer ones.”

“I have to work.” I winced. “Maybe some other time.”

“You’re wasting your time at that job.” She turned towards the door. “Edgar would give you twice what you make as a monthly allowance if you asked nicely.”

What am I? A child? I didn’t even get an allowance when it was age appropriate…

I wasn’t going to ask my new stepfather for an allowance, that was for damn sure. My mother could go crazy spending his money if she wanted, but I didn’t need anything from him. I finished getting ready for work and headed downstairs. I heard Edgar’s voice from the living room and walked close enough to see that he was on the phone. I realized that it was probably one of the few times I would be alone in the house with him—there might be an opportunity to pry if it was a short phone call. If he wasn’t leaving the house, his bodyguards wouldn’t be on standby—that was another bonus. I had a little time and could drive a bit faster if necessary. I lingered outside the door.

“Yes, things are moving according to plan.” Edgar’s voice was more hurried than usual. “The pieces are falling into place.”

Probably some new software they’re working on at Sinn Technology…

“My daughter will be ready when the time is right. I’ve already gotten rid of her mother, and my son hasn’t been a problem in years…” He exhaled sharply, and I heard him sit down on the couch.

Okay, what the hell? They aren’t discussing software!

“No, there’s nothing else to worry about. I’ll be in contact again in a few days.” There was a loud sigh, and I heard his phone land on the table.

There was a creak, and I realized Edgar was standing up. I needed to hide—fast. I had no idea what the conversation was about, but it didn’t sound like something he would be happy to find out that I had overheard. I took some quick, quiet steps down the hallway and ducked into one of the rooms as he left the living room.

If he finds out I heard that conversation; I might find out just how horrible he truly is…

Edgar’s footsteps got closer, and I realized he was about to walk right past the room I was in. I pushed my body against the wall and held my breath—thankfully, his footsteps continued, and he walked into his office. As soon as I heard him sit down in his office chair, I made the quickest, quietest steps I could. I was about to make a dash for the door but decided to take some extra precautions. I carefully made my way up the stairs, then stomped down them as hard as possible before I left. I hoped it was good enough for him to believe I had been upstairs the entire time rather than eavesdropping on his conversation.

I don’t know what I overheard means, but it doesn’t sound good at all…

Chapter Fourteen

Damien

Things returned to normal at Alcott Inc.—just in time for me to get preoccupied with something that was a lot more important than my job as a department manager. We were back on our schedule of regular meetings, and while I was physically in the middle of one, my mind certainly wasn’t. Leigh was trapped in the devil’s lair, and despite doing everything I could to convince her to leave, she refused to abandon her mother. Her worry wasn’t misplaced. She had every reason in the world to be concerned, and so did I. My father was living in my head rent-free again after I did everything in my power to make sure that it would never happen again. Cutting ties wasn’t good enough—the ties were fused together in the worst way possible. The woman who had stolen my heart was sleeping under the same roof as the devil himself.

“Mr. Sinn, your phone just buzzed.” Farrah leaned across the conference table and pushed my phone closer to me.

“Thank you.” I nodded and picked it up—I had a message from Leigh.

Leigh: Can you meet me at the villa after work?

Damien: I’ll meet you at the villa anytime that you want. Will you be wearing one of your new swimsuits?

Leigh: Not today. I need to talk to you about something.

Damien: Is it serious?

Leigh: I don’t know. I overheard something earlier this morning, and I don’t know what it means. Maybe you will…

Damien: Okay, I’ll see you there.

Leigh had been trying to find out anything she could about my father’s motives for marrying her mother. I wasn’t sure he really had any. I checked every angle that I could on my end, and there was nothing about Leigh’s mother that set off any alarm bells. She barely had two pennies to rub together before she married my father. Her life had been one failed relationship after another—she might as well have been Alexis Devereaux from the wrong side of the tracks—except she had never successfully landed a rich husband before my father came along.

“Damien, do you think the marketing department will be able to handle this account?” Jon pointed at the screen that I had barely been paying attention to.

“Yes, of course.” I nodded quickly.

We can handle pretty much anything—I don’t need an entire presentation to tell me that I can do my job.

The meeting ended after the rest of the departments confirmed they were on board with handling the account. I returned to my office to get some work done—although I was fairly certain I was going to spend all day wondering what Leigh had overheard. I swore I would never let my father have an open door into my life again. He didn’t know about my relationship with Leigh, but the secrets couldn’t be kept forever. All it would take was one wrong move on either of our parts for him to find out that the daughter of the woman he married was dating his son. He would find a way to use her against me—I just knew it. He tried it with Caroline, but he ended up behind bars before he could do any