Call It Business ( Book 3 of 'Call It' Series )

Chapter 75 | Open-Handed

One of the security members kept working on the bar near the pool and Macy ignored his cocked eyebrow aimed toward her as soon as he spotted her with Aiden Cohen, whose hands were currently shoved in his pockets, and his gaze scanning the stone flooring, shadowing his expression.

"I don't know how familiar you are with our firm, but even if my title makes it look like I'm the head of it, my father doesn't trust me with it," Aiden muttered, cutting through the suspicious silence as they arrived at the pair of the chaise-longs under the lit palm trees. He dropped himself to its cushions and waved a hand to add, "It is the same with Annabelle. We have no idea why he stepped back when he is still insisting on controlling everything."

"I've been there," Macy mumbled, her lips twisting to the side as she smoothened her skirt and took a seat at the cushions across his. Hunching forward, she placed her chin on her palm and gave him a pensive look. "My dad wanted me to take his seat while he produced that reality show, but I didn't have any authority. Still," she drawled, tilting her head in amused puzzlement to catch his gaze. "I don't think I'd want him to lose a business deal because of it. I mean, I did want him to lose a few, unethical contracts but the reason for that was entirely different," she said, concluding losing Tiffany Dove and Blanchard Worldwide Holdings wasn't even close to each other.

"No, you are right. I wouldn't want him to just lose a few contracts," Aiden said, lifting his head to shoot her a charming, half-smirk that was oddly reassuring. "I want him to lose all of them," he added in such a mock finality that Macy thought she heard him wrong. He shook his head at her widened eyes and continued after a low sigh, "Look, Macy, don't get me wrong. I feel grateful for everything I have and the firm, but I'm not blinded by it. We need to shrink the business. My dad can't handle everything on his own anymore, and his stubbornness doesn't let Annabelle or me step up. If he loses the holding, it will be a wake-up call for him."

Macy blinked at him, toying with the coin between her fingers. She internally admitted that there was some logic in his words, but they could be easily overpowered by Kurt Cohen's murderous tendencies that wouldn't let him just lose the holding. Then again, an unconscious confession there made her stir uncomfortably.

Thirty years after using Samantha for the murders, Kurt Cohen, now, used his own kids as the face of his company while he directed everything from the background.

"That's why I wanted to talk to you, actually," Aiden said, raising an eyebrow as his smirk morphed into a solemn line. "I heard some rumors about you and Gerard, but no matter the current state of your relationship, I need you to go along with Gerard if he wants to replace my dad with yours."

Macy parted her lips, although nothing managed to come out. The urge to tell him the truth grew in her chest. The gods possessed absolutely no mercy because she was suddenly reminded of how the villain had managed to keep her father's secret for months while she had called him a liar at every opportunity. Hah, there she was talking with Aiden for five minutes, and suddenly felt unable to look at him with the strange guilt crushing her.

Was that how Gerard felt— Oh, no she wasn't going to feel empathy for the devil right now! The story Emerson had told had already done so much harm to her annoyance!

"Macy."

Her racing thought was distracted by the dulcet voice, and Macy turned her head to see Diane striding toward her. Her layered, white dress blowing in the gentle breeze, she dived her hand in the long strands of her platinum hair to stop them from blocking her vision and revealing the slight concern etched in her sun-kissed features as well as the pout of her plump lips.

"Yeah?" She answered, noticing the odd ache in her throat with the dawning realization of her mother's presence.

She knew she was staring up at her a little funnily because Diane's concern melted into an amused puzzlement as their gaze met. One of her thin eyebrows rose quizzically, and she awkwardly twirled her head to gesture at the hotel behind her. "Gerard said that he is making an announcement, and I was wondering if it is related to the," she paused, lowering her voice a few octaves, "situation between you two."