Chapter 69: A Leak.
“Ivy?” Silas said, stretching his hand to reach her, but Ivy stepped away further.
“It’s okay,” she said, her cheeks red with embarrassment. “Sorry about that.”
He stood there, berating himself. She’d wanted to kiss him, and he’d messed it up.
“I… it caught me by surprise,” he said, moving closer, trying to explain.
“It’s okay,” she replied, her smile tight and strained. “I got Sonia back, like I promised.”
He was supposed to be excited by the news, but the regret of missing her kiss filled him instead. Yet he smiled, trying not to offend her again. “That’s great news, Ivy. How did you do that?”
“I just proved to her that Mason wasn’t the right fit for her,” she said, shrugging, though her face was still red.
“That’s wonderful,” he smiled, meaning it. “Thank you. I can’t wait to share the good news with Thomas.”
Ivy nodded, turning to leave. Silas watched as she walked to the stairs, her smooth, exposed back glinting in the light. She paused at the base of the stairs and glanced back.
“… also did something else,” she said, avoiding his eyes.
“What is it?” he asked, curiosity piqued. Nothing she could ever do at this moment would anger him.
She bit her lip. “I hired someone for Thomas’s company.”
Silas wanted to laugh but he didn’t. “You… hired someone?”
She took a step down, her purse hitting the railing. “Eric Santos is the brain behind Mason’s company. He works so hard but gets nothing. So,” her face colored again, “I told him to quit and come work for Thomas–not Eric though–but his wife.”
Silas tilted his head, taking in everything she was saying. “How good is he?”
“Very,” she said, her eyes widened, as if she was surprised by his question. She quickly composed herself and answered. “I can vouch for him.”
“Well then, thank you for bringing him in, I’ll tell Thomas about it.”
“You think… Thomas wouldn’t mind?” Ivy asked.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” he replied firmly. “He just fired someone some days ago, I’m sure he could use another worker.”
d
“Oh,” she muttered, clutching her successfully unlocked it be weird if I ask why that
person was fired?”
He arched his brow, caught off guard. “I don’t really know,” he shrugged, “but whatever reason it was, I’m sure it was valid.”
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Chapter 69: A Leak.
Something flashed in her eyes as she nodded. “Alright then,” she said and then proceeded to climb the stairs.
Silas’s chest tightened as he watched her go. He felt ridiculous for ruining the moment earlier.
“Do you want to talk about the next phase for your business?” he called out in an attempt to stop her from going.
She paused at the top of the stairs, looked down at him. “Anything new came up?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “I just thought you might be looking for an interior designer and all.”
Her lips curved into a small smile as she descended a few steps. “I haven’t given it any thought yet.”
“You had your hands full, I understand,” he nodded.
She seems to realize what he meant. “Do you have anybody in mind?”
“No,” he admitted. “But Rachel can help you with a list. She can arrange them based on their work rate, prices, reviews and designs.”
“That sounds helpful,” she said thoughtfully.
He took a step closer to her. “Rachel could help with other things as well.”
Her eyes flickered. “Like what?”
“Like finding your mother’s doctor.”
She blinked, her face contorted with confusion, her cheeks turning pink. “… you…”
“You know I can get any information you want. Anything at all,” he said softly, pride in his voice. “All you have to do is say the word, Ivy Stone, and everything will fall on your laps.”
Her blush deepened and she bit her lip. “I… thank you.”
He stepped even closer, his eyes locked on hers. “So, is that a yes?”
He saw her swallow as she looked at him. “Not yet, but… thank you for the update. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”
She turned to leave, but he reached out, gently grabbing her hand to stop her. He pulled her closer to him, his heart pounding as her eyes widened with confusion.
“You look so beautiful tonight,” he muttered, feeling the growth in his legs. He pulled out a strand of hair from her face, brushing her face with his knuckles.
She closed her eyes to his touch, her cheeks turning red. “Silas…” she whispered, her voice shaky.
He pulled her closer, but she stiffened when her stomach reached his thighs.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
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Chapter 69 A Leak
“It’s okay,” she said quickly, freeing herself from his embrace. “I… need to rest now,” she averted his gaze. “Goodnight,” she said, and without waiting for his response, she
hurried upstairs.
Silas sighed as he watched her leave. She was still embarrassed, and he still blamed himself for his reaction.
He shoved off his regret and went back to the couch. As he sat, he noticed his phone blinking–a missed call.
He had silenced his phone because he didn’t want any disturbance. He picked it up, and realized it was Wade. He dialed back.
“Hey, Silas,” Wade answered immediately.
“Hey, Wade. Sorry I missed your call. What’s up?”
“Have you seen the news?” Wade asked, sounding a little excited. “Sonia just ended her deal with Mason Hunter!”
“I know,” Silas said. “It was Ivy who convinced her.” His voice coursed with pride.
“Ivy?” Wade was stunned. “How did she do that?”
“It’s a long story, but we’re just glad Sonia is back.”
“True,” Wade agreed. “I’ve been trying to reach Thomas, but he’s not picking up. Have you spoken to him today?”
“No, not yet,” Silas responded. “But I will.”
“Alright then. Let me know when you do,” Wade said.
“Sure.”
“Alright. Goodnight,” Wade said.
“Goodnight,” Silas said, hanging up.
He was curious about the news, and what they were saying about Sonia so he took his phone and read about it.
An article captured the moment Sonia spoke. Silas could see Ivy standing next to her, her eyes glinting with something akin to triumph.
He read through the details, and then he laughed out loud when he read Mason’s bitter statement.
He checked about two more news rooms. They were all saying the same thing, but none of them said who Sonia would be working with. It was almost driving them crazy because they got no response from Sonia herself.
Silas chuckled as he left the pages. He dialed Thomas’s number excited to deliver the news. Thomas didn’t pick so he tried it again.
After the second ring, which rang for a while, Thomas finally picked it up.
“Hey bro,” Silas greeted.
“Hey,” Thomas replied listlessly.
Silas assumed he was tired. “Sorry for calling you this late, I just had to share the news. Ivy has convinced Sonia, she’s coming back. Isn’t that great?”
“Nice,” Thomas said flatly.
Silas’s stomach churned, this was not the reply he was expecting: “Are you good? Is everything okay?”
Thomas sighed. “Yes, yes. It is,”
But Silas was far from being convinced, “What happened? I thought you’d be happy about Sonia coming back to do business with you?”
“I am happy, very happy,” Thomas replied. “It’s just that something came up.”
Silas’s heart sank. “What happened?”
Thomas sighed again. “I think you were right, Silas. I have a leak in my company. I just found out that someone sent out a confidential email–from my account.”
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