Empire of Desire by Rina Kent

“Like fuck she can.”

“Exactly. Which is why you need to take the whole matter in your hands.”

I pause, recognizing the glint in her eyes. “What are you suggesting?”

“In a few days, we can have the doctor announce that Kingsley isn’t likely to get his functions back. We can’t process his will since he’s not dead, but thankfully, he already signed documentation that makes Gwyneth the executive of the estate in the event that he gets incapacitated. As soon as she has control of his assets, make her sell the shares to you.”

“What?”

“She trusts you and wouldn’t question you. This is the best solution to keep the firm out of greedy hands. If you have a crushing majority instead of the fifty percent you own, then Susan wouldn’t even dare to go against you or demand anything.”

“Are you hearing yourself, Aspen? You’re telling me to gain full ownership of Weaver & Shaw at the expense of taking advantage of my friend’s only fucking daughter.”

She throws a dismissive hand in the air. “She’s still a kid and knows nothing about managing a law firm. You can return it to her later if she proves herself worthy, but we both know she’s only an inexperienced pre-law student who barely understands how the world works. You can’t possibly be thinking about leaving anything in her hands, are you?”

“No, but I’m not betraying King’s trust either.”

“He’s in a coma, Nate.”

“Which makes me more of a lowlife if I stab him in the back.”

“You’re not. You’re simply protecting both your assets.”

“By taking advantage of his state and using his daughter?”

“Yes.”

“No, Aspen. That option is out of the question and that’s final.”

Her brows furrow but soon return to normal. She knows me better than to argue with me on this. I might be a bastard, but I have my own set of principles that nothing and no one would touch or change.

“What are you going to do then, Nate?”

I release a breath, loosen my tie, and focus on my train brain. That’s what my father called it, a train brain, because once it’s moving, there’s no stopping it or reversing. Not for any reason.

“Let me think about it.”

She narrows her eyes and taps her foot on the floor. “Is there something I don’t know about?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Such as your jacket covering her or your hand reaching out for her, maybe. You don’t do that, not even with the women you sleep with.”

Of course Aspen saw that and stored it in her eidetic memory. She doesn’t forget anything, so I have no clue why I thought she would let that slide.

“Gwyneth isn’t a woman I fuck, Aspen. She’s King’s daughter and she just learned that her father might not wake up.”

“That’s all?”

I nod, but I don’t voice the fucking lie. The words burn in my throat and it’s impossible to let them out, so I swallow them down with their blood.

Aspen still watches me peculiarly, but she says, “In that case, think fast. We don’t have time to waste.”

I’m more aware of that than anyone. Time is never on our side in these types of situations. Which is why I need to act fast.

I don’t want to entertain the idea forming loud and clear in my head, but even I know that it’s the most logical thing to do.

Despite the fact that it doesn’t make sense on so many levels.





6





Gwyneth





When I was a kid, I had a problem learning words. I don’t know why. I have a high IQ, and I can figure out my way around things, but memorizing words was a bit difficult.

The professionals my dad took me to thought I had some form of dyslexia, but it’s not like I couldn’t read or recognize words. It’s not that they all appeared the same. They just appeared alive.

You know that feeling when you’re reading something and it nearly jumps off the page at you? For me, it was literal, and that’s exactly how it felt. As if the words were coming after me.

Turns out, I didn’t have a problem with all the words. Just the negative ones. The words that make my skin itchy and my vision turn hazy. The words that I felt instead of only reading them.

Anxiety made my skin crawl and my nose tingle.

Cruel turned my cheeks hot and my body tight with the need to defend the one who was subjugated to it.

Fear made my teeth clench and my heart shrink in anticipation for what was to come.

Sad erased my smile and had me on the verge of crying.

It’s one of the reasons why I don’t watch tragic movies—or any movies that display emotions that can trigger me. I relate to that stuff so much.

Someone might be wondering why this crazy person would choose to pursue law when she’s dangerously empathetic. Good question. I mean, I shouldn’t have, logically. I probably should’ve been a social worker, someone who takes care of children and young adults.

But here’s the thing, I don’t think all lawyers need to be detached to do their job. I don’t think they need to kill their humanity to climb up the corporate ladder. Those who do that aren’t real lawyers according to yours truly.

Lawyers can be empathetic, because that enables us to understand our clients and help them in the best way possible. Empathetic lawyers are people’s favorites according to a study performed by yours truly again. They like it when we understand them, listen to them, and aren’t impersonal.