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But I don’t like to think of Graysen struggling. He’s our leader.

Our unmovable mountain.

“Well, you can all calm down,” I say cooly. “No heart attack necessary. I already broke up with her.”

Savannah blinks. “You did?”

“You demanded to meet her. Or rather, Jamie forced my hand, with the challenge. So, you met her. But we’re over. I broke it off after the dinner.”

“Oh.” Clearly, she did not see that coming. “Well… that’s some good news, then.”

And now I feel guilty for lying to her, yet again. She believed me so fast.

But I expected her to believe me.

Quinn really oversold our relationship at dinner, but my family is used to me being secretive, antisocial. And single. It probably won’t surprise any of them to hear I dumped a woman directly after introducing her to them.

Really, it’s too easy to lie to them. They trust me, even when they shouldn’t. And they definitely shouldn’t when it comes to my personal life.

“I knew that’s what you’d all want,” I go on. “For me to end it with her.” I keep telling myself that itisover. I can’t have my lie exposed, my family finding out that Quinn is not Darla. It would only be dangerous to see her again. “But it was over between us anyway. She’s not right for me. And now you can just stay out of it. It’s done.”

“That’s good,” Savi says carefully. “But unfortunately, it’s not good enough. She also can’t work for us anymore, Harlan.”

I start picking at the diamond bracelet again. “What do you mean? I told you. I’m not seeing her anymore.”

“I mean, it’s bad enough that we hired a woman you’ve been sleeping with. She can’t remain an employee of any of our companies. Graysen wants every trace of any connection between you twoerased. Fortunately, Peter couldn’t find any evidence of your relationship online?—”

“Peter?” She had her geriatric bodyguard snooping onme?

A vein in my head starts to pulse, and I grit my teeth.

“Does anyone else know you’ve been seeing her?” she asks, ignoring my anger.

“No.”

“Good. Then the last connection to cut is her employment with us.”

I stare at my sister, willing the rage to subside, but it’s only rising. “And how do you expect to accomplish that? We can’t exactly fire a woman because I fucked her, can we?”

“No. But we can, and we must, convince her to quit.”

Fuck.

This is bad.

I promised Quinn that her employment is secure. After she brought an apology cake to my office, fighting for her job.

And then I blackmailed her into lying for me.

I take a steadying breath. I can’t allow emotion to override logic here. I have to keep control.

“That may be easier said than done,” I say calmly. “You heard her at dinner, when she said she takes waitressing jobs when she needs to. Which means, she needs the money.”

“She’s a baker and a cocktail waitress,” Savannah points out, unmoved. “Those jobs are abundant.” She sighs. “And I’ve already had Damian arrange a position for her at the Crystal, to soften the blow. Don’t be mad.”

The Crystal. A luxury hotel in downtown Vancouver, with a five-star restaurant—which is not owned by us. It’s owned by Damian’s best friend.

I draw a deep breath through my nose and grit out, “No.”