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But just as fast, she closes herself off again.
“I just don’t want to fall for something that only exists in my mind,” she says. “I don’t want this to be some romantic storm story you forget next week. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves and make this seem like more than what it is.”
“And what is that? Seriously, Ivy, what happened? Just talk to me. I don’t want you to be a memory.”
She huffs a dry laugh. “Carter, you’re smart, handsome, and successful. Actually, scratch that—you’re beyond successful. You’re the kind of man people write headlines about. And me? I’m just… not the kind of woman men like you end up with. We don’t even exist in the same universe. This was a beautiful detour. But I know how this ends.”
I step in closer, my hand cradling her face. “I’ve never met anyone like you,” I say. “And I want more than just one night.”
She blinks, uncertainty flickering across her face.
“I want to show you that this doesn’t have to end when the sun comes out.”
Her gaze softens, but I see the wall still lingering behind her eyes.
We stand there a few moments longer, her eyes filled with unspoken words, when my phone begins to ring. I ignore it and it rings again and again.
It gives her the out that she seemed to be looking for and she takes it, stepping away from me. “You should probably get that,” she says quietly, avoiding my eyes. I reach for her hand, wanting her to stay, but she slips away, grabbing her bags.
“Ivy…”
She’s already backing up. “It’s fine. Really.”
But it’s not.
I watch her walk into the bedroom and shut the door behind her.
My phone rings again and I finally pick it up, my eyes still fixed on the closed bedroom door.
“Carter,” I say upon answering the phone. It’s my brother’s assistant, Jenna.
“Mr. Volcor, I know you’re busy and I have been trying to speak to Liam about this but… you know how he gets,” she insists.
I listen to Jenna ramble about Liam’s latest antics, only half-focused on the conversation. My mind keeps drifting back to Ivy behind the closed door. The way she looked at me, the vulnerability in her voice—it’s all stuck on repeat in my head like a broken record.
Finally, I manage to interject, “Jenna, is this urgent?”
She sighs, clearly exasperated. “Yes, it is, Mr. Volcor. I just emailed you the details, and well… we have a problem.”
After hanging up, I open Jenna’s email, jaw tight, already bracing for the hit.
Subject: URGENT: Eastbrook Towers Litigation—Initial Complaint Filed
Eastbrook Towers Class Action Filing—PDF Attached
I click.
The PDF attachment loads slowly, like it knows I’m not ready.
Case No. 2023-14981
Docket filed: Manhattan Supreme Court
Plaintiffs: Eleven named former residents and three anonymous
Defendants: Volcor Holdings (Legacy Division), Carter Volcor (Trustee), Liam Volcor (former acting officer), Volcor Urban Development Group
Claim: Wrongful eviction, tenant harassment, constructive neglect, breach of contract, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.