I catch his eye. I tilt my head and raise a brow. “Did you speak to John today?”

Holding my gaze, he nods. “He came to me because he had heard that Hudgins Developments were interested in you.”

I had reached out to a contact I have there a few days ago to see if there were any available positions. Hudgins isn’t near the top of my list of dream employers, but I was looking for a way out of Packton when John handed the promotion to Jim.

Reaching for my mom’s hand, Thurston goes on, “John confided in me that he recognized the mistake he’d made in hiring Jim. He was concerned that you were about to resign.”

Thurston owns one of the most successful media conglomerates in the world. He developed an interest in real estate investing a decade ago. That resulted in him partnering up with John on a few projects. Their business relationship has sometimes muddied the waters when it comes to my job, but the past couple of years, I’ve proven my worth to John beyond my ties to the Marks fortune.

I sit silently while the waiter arrives with the champagne. Thurston asks him to give us a minute before the bottle is uncorked.

Once he’s out of earshot, Thurston looks at me again. “I told John to speak to you about the promotion. I also explained that he was damn lucky to have you because you will take his company to great places in the future. You have youth, experience, and talent beyond measure. You’re a young woman who is going to do great things.”

My mom and Vivi let out a collective sigh.

I hold back a smile. John’s rambling speech suddenly makes sense. There is one last thing I need clarification on. This seems like the perfect time to bring it up.

“John said he had to give me the job or else,” I say. “What’s the ‘ or else ,’ Thurston?”

He winks. “I may have said that I was reconsidering my position on the penthouse at the Fifth Avenue project.”

There it is. It’s the thinly veiled threat wrapped into a discussion about my future.

“You didn’t say that.” My mom playfully swats her husband on the shoulder. “You know that I’ve already started ordering furniture for the main room. They’re custom pieces, dear. I can’t cancel them.”

He gathers my mom’s hand into his to place a kiss on her palm. “That’s your dream home, Angie. I promise we’ll live the rest of our lives there. I brought it up to make sure John understood how much the Marks family has done for his business. The least he can do is return the favor by helping our Bianca.”

When Thurston first approached me about purchasing the penthouse of the building currently under construction on Fifth Avenue, I scoffed. He persisted, and when he signed the contract, I was given a bonus even though I’m not a sales agent.

The same thing happened when Grayson bought a condo on East Seventy-Eighth Street. John saw to it that I was compensated for the sale. My only part in that deal was taking a stroll with my stepbrother past the site before the contractor had broken ground.

“You’re going to kick ass on this job, Bianca.” Vivi curls a lock of my hair behind my ear. “It’ll help you get over Kieran because you’ll be even busier than you normally are.”

I toss her a look that says thanks-a-hell-of-a-lot.

“Oh no.” My mom’s hand darts to the middle of her chest. “What happened with you and Kieran?”

“We broke up,” I say succinctly.

“Why?” she presses. “He comes from a good family, Bianca. He would have provided a wonderful future for you. I thought you’d marry him.”

“We weren’t right for each other, Mom.”

She sighs. “Couples sometimes have bumps in the road. You need to work it out. Tell him you’re sorry for whatever happened.”

I tap the top of the champagne bottle. “Let’s crack this open. I need a drink.”

“You need to talk to Kieran,” my mom insists. “Men like him don’t come along very often, sweetheart.”

“I sure as hell hope not,” I snap. “I found him in bed with his assistant today, Mom, so it’s over. Forever.”

Her cheeks blush pink. “What? How could he do that to you?”

Thurston swoops in to save the day. “Karma will get him, Angie.”

I almost feel sorry for my ex because in Thurston Marks’s world, he sets karma in motion. If you cross the man or someone he loves, he’ll come for you, and it will sting.

Chapter 7

Roman

I stand and turn when I sense her walk into Rolly’s Pub.

A glance at my watch confirms what I already knew. Miss Marks is always on time.

I arrived twenty minutes ago and ordered my usual. Rolly slid it over to me with a smirk and his standard question about how I was doing.

Tags: Deborah Bladon The Hawthornes of New York Romance
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