AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, but you’ll need to interact with them. One thing I want you to remember is that they get priority.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter what happens or what meetings I have, Phoenix and Oscar always have direct access to me.” This is something that’s important to me, and it’s something Damien understood.
“I get it,” she says. “And can I just say that it’s kind of nice of you?”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, I mean, not everyone would give their family that kind of unfettered access to themselves. Your brothers must really like you.”
“We’ll see how you feel after the meeting.”
The four of us gather in my private conference room. There’s a pitcher of water with four glasses on a side table. I don’t remember requesting refreshments for this meeting, but apparently, Damien has got me covered.
“When I have meetings, I like to have water ready,” I say. This is something I want Alex to remember.
“Got it. Who do I request that from?”
“I’ll give you the contact information for our events planner,” I say. “She’ll be the one you’ll work with before any conference call or meeting. Sometimes I’ll need other things ready, but most of the time, water will do.”
“Hydration is important,” Phoenix says. He leans back in his chair and stares at Alex. She doesn’t seem scared of him. She stares right back.
“You must be Phoenix,” she says.
“Good guess.”
“Which makes you Oscar.”
My other brother nods.
Alex presses her lips together and offers a little wave.
“Nice to meet you both. I’ll be working with Ryan – Mr. Shadowvale – until Damien returns. If you need anything, please don’t be afraid to ask.”
“Wow, just a few hours and you’ve already got her trained like a little puppy,” Phoenix sneers.
“Fuck off,” I say. I don’t need him scaring Alex before we get started. Phoenix’s face falls, and I’m reminded once more than my brother is much more delicate than he seems. Shit. We all are. “Let’s get this over with.”
The three of us need to pound out some details about an upcoming sale. I need Alex here to take notes. My brothers and I are super detail-oriented, but Alex is going to make sure we do the follow-up we need to make this happen. Together, we pour over documents and files for close to two hours. Oscar leaves eventually, and then Phoenix. Then it’s just me and Alex and a stack of papers.
“Nothing like being eco-friendly,” she jokes, gathering up the papers.
“They’re something else,” I admit.
“They seem fine.”
“You know how brothers can be.” She pauses for a second. Then she nods.
“Yeah, I know how they can be. Stubborn, for one thing.”
“That’s Oscar,” I admit. “Phoenix, too.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Alex says. She hesitates, but then says what she wants. “You seem like you can be pretty stubborn, too.”
“I’m something of a go-getter,” I admit.
“You don’t strike me as the type of person who lets things go when they really want something.”
