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“Stefano.” I beckon him over, and he’s quick to obey. “There’s a girl in there, Annalise, short, brunette. When she leaves this room, you follow her. Don’t take your eyes off of her.”
Stefano simply nods his head. He doesn’t bother to ask questions, and his face doesn’t even look curious. He’s well trained, just like we expect our men to be. Damian would expect nothing less, and has killed men for lesser things than being nosy.
I slip into an empty hallway, pulling out my phone. I dial Nikhil’s phone number and after three rings, he picks up. “Cassius.” He greets me the same way every time he answers the phone.
I let out a breath, trying to figure out the best way to say this without incriminating myself, but then again, my brother has always been able to see right through me. “Nikhil, we have a guest.”
“Who?” he asks, his tone cautious. That’s like my brother, always prepared for the worst. In our line of business, any kind of news is usually the bad kind.
“Annalise Tryst,” I say. “She’s working in our company now, in the marketing department.”
There’s a pause before Nikhil responds. “Why does this sound like a surprise to you?” Nikhil isn’t like Damian. When he gets upset, he gets eerily quiet, as compared to Damian whose anger quickly becomes apparent. Damian has quite the temper, which is why he wasn’t my first call.
“Because it is,” I admit.
Another brief pause before he answers. “What is she doing here, Cassius?”
“I don’t know.” It’s not the right answer. I know that before the words are out, but there’s nothing else I can say.
“Are you serious?” Nikhil snaps, his usual composure slipping. “You were supposed to keep an eye on her, Cassius. You’re telling me that you couldn’t even do that right?”
Both Damian and Nikhil had made it exceptionally clear to me that I was to keep an eye on her and make sure nothing happened to her, but to me it seemed like if I did watch her, we’d be the ones bringing danger to her doorstep. She’d seemed completely fine, so when she moved out of the state, I didn’t bother.
Now, I wish I had.
“Things have been…complicated. I did check in on her a few times that first year, but after that…” I admit, my words hanging heavy with guilt. “But I never expected her to reappear like this.”
“Neither did I,” he mutters, frustration clear in his voice. “This is a problem, Cassius. Damian needs to know, and you’re going to be the one to tell him.” It’s clear Nikhil doesn’t want to deal with his temper any more than I do.
Yeah, that’ll be fun.
“I’ll let him know.”
“Good,” Nikhil says, his tone returning to its usual icy calm. He stays on the phone for a second as if debating whether or not he wants to say anything, but then he hangs up.
“Goodbye to you too,” I whisper sarcastically.
This isn’t going to make Damian want to trust me more. I let out a breath and pocket my phone before striding down the hallway toward Damian’s office. Even though he’s my brother, I’d be lying if I said he didn’t intimidate me. He’s more like a dad to me, considering I was raised without one, and considering our ten-year age difference.
Without knocking, I push open the door to Damian’s office just as he speaks into his phone, his voice like ice. “You know what needs to be done, Victor. Failure is not an option.”
Maybe I should have knocked. It’s too late now.
I hesitate for a moment, taking in the sight of my eldest brother behind his desk. I can see the annoyance flicker across his face when he sees me before it returns to stoic calm.
“Fine,” Damian says into the phone, his tone final. “We’ll discuss it further tonight.” He hangs up, glaring at me with a mix of irritation and curiosity. “What do you want, Cassius?”
“Annalise Tryst,” I blurt out, unable to hold back. “She’s back.”
Damian’s eyes narrow, and I feel the air in the room shift as if a storm is brewing. “Explain.”
“During the new employee introductions, she stood up and introduced herself. I didn’t recognize her at first, but then…” I trail off, swallowing hard. “She was looking at me like she knew who I was. Like she remembers.”
“Impossible,” Damian growls, his jaw clenching. “How did you let this happen? You were supposed to keep tabs on her!”
I wince at the reprimand, knowing full well that Nikhil said the same thing a few minutes ago. My failure weighs heavily on me, and I struggle to find the right words to explain. “I didn’t think she’d ever come back. Things have been complicated. I lost track of her.”
“Complicated,” he says sarcastically with a scoff. “You’re never going to grow up, are you, Cassius? You’re a failure in everything you do, and I’m always the one who has to fix your mess.”
