Page 158 of The Broken Keys

I curl my fingers against the armrest. Heat crawls up my neck even as ice settles in my chest.

“You’re making assumptions based on circumstantial?—”

“The day of her accident, you left early to take care of something personal. You’ve been a mess since.” Natalie’s gaze remains gentle but unyielding. “When you came back, you looked like someone had carved out your heart and left you breathing, anyway. I’ve never seen you like that, Jaxon. Ever.”

My throat burns, and I glance toward the window, unable to hold her stare any longer. Our conference line lights up. It’s an incoming video request from Andrew.

“This should be interesting.” I connect and he comes into view on a large screen on one of the walls in my office. “Andrew, Natalie and I were just speaking about you.”

He pulls back with wide eyes. “Me? Why?”

“Natalie was just telling me you two spoke this morning.” I stand and gesture between the two of them. “Why don’t you explain to me how I came down on you this morning when we were going over the Malaysia details?”

“I was just wondering what was wrong. It was nothing more than that.” He shifts closer to the camera. “But then she asked me if I knew about Livianna’s current circumstances.”

“You must have heard about her accident.” I huff out a fake laugh. “You follow Mayhem, so you must know everything.”

“But I don’t. I’m halfway around the world, fixing a shitshow of a deal you left for me to handle.” Andrew shrugs out of his jacket and places it on the back of his chair. “Jaxon, we’re on your side. And trust that the knowledge Natalie and I have remains confidential. We both know what your privacy means to you.”

Natalie gets to her feet and places her palm on the side of my arm. “We’re not trying to expose you and what you want to remain private. We’re just letting you know we’re here for you.”

Andrew’s gaze softens. “We both know you care about Livianna deeply, so we were just…talking about how you must be feeling.”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel.” The admission scrapes out of me. “She doesn’t remember me. She doesn’t remember us. And even if she did, she’s with Cash now.”

“Is she?” Natalie sends me a gentle smile. “Or is she with the version of her life she remembers?”

I turn my back to them. “What are you asking me to do? Tell Livianna the truth and risk her mental health? Destroy what fragile stability she’s built over the last few weeks? I won’t do that to her.”

“We’re not asking you to do anything except be honest with yourself about what this is costing you.” Natalie placesher hand over her heart. “You’re allowed to grieve what you lost, Jaxon. Even if no one else knows it’s gone.”

Cash’s voice cuts through. “You might wanna close your door if you’re having a group conversation about your relationship with Livianna.”

I spin around. Cash’s lips press into a hard line as he takes in Andrew and Natalie’s shocked expressions.

I glance between them. “If you two will excuse me, Cash and I need to speak alone.”

“Yes, sir.” Natalie dips her chin and leaves the room.

Andrew shifts as if he’s about to disconnect. “I’m going to bed now, but I’ll reach out in a few hours when I get up.”

“I’ll be around.” The screen goes black, and I give my attention to Cash. “What do I owe the pleasure of your presence?”

“I just dropped Livianna off and wanna see if you have anymore information about who did this to her.”

I close the door behind Cash and turn to face him. My jaw tightens as I calculate how much he heard and how much damage control this will require.

“How long were you standing there?” I move behind my desk, reclaiming the territory.

“Long enough.” Cash crosses his arms over his chest, his leather jacket creaking with the movement. “Long enough to know your assistant and your business partner are worried about you losing your shit over my girlfriend.”

The word girlfriend cuts deep. I press my fingers against the mahogany surface to keep them steady.

“Say what you came to say, Cash.” I lower myself into my chair with deliberate control. “I assume you came here to compare notes.”

His expression hardens, and he shifts his weight forward. “Someone’s following Livianna.”

“You know I have a team on her.”