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Late last night, curiosity dragged me back to the Caldwell website. Dominic’s portrait crossed the homepage: broad smile, dark suit, hands folded in front of a boardroom window. Beneath it, boilerplate phrases on “Visionary Leadership” and “Commitment to Innovation.”
But in a separate industry report, I found a footnote: Theo Caldwell, “the true architect of our growth,” was credited with drafting every major deal and steering daily strategy. Dominic’s name appeared again at the bottom as a signer of the gala invitations and the speech deliverer. A union built only on his profile felt hollow, more show than substance. His brother ran the daily operations of their empire. Dominic barely dabbled in banking himself. He wasn’t running any part of the business.
All of this knowledge left me with the distinct impressionthat combining our families would not be much of a benefit to us, after all. In order to assist my family in any way, Dominic would still need to get his brother’s approval first.
The idea of that was extremely unappealing.
I’d proposed canceling the meeting, but my sisters had insisted it was rude to do so to Eli’s friend and that it was inappropriate not to meet with more than one possible candidate. Avra and Laya knew the meeting with Leon had gone exceptionally well. But they still thought I needed to weigh my options carefully, and they were right.
Maybe I was coming up with every excuse I could to delay this process.
Either way, the idea of meeting Dominic left me anxious and uneasy.
Now here I waited, ready for a refill of my wine with little hope of it dulling my senses to aid me in the patience I needed to plaster on my face for the evening.
He was seven minutes late, and with every passing second, I tightened my grip on the glass until the strain on my knuckles made them ache.
My thoughts wandered back to Leon. Outside of the fact that he was closer to my age, I felt calm around him almost immediately. The tension of that first conversation melted into easy banter within seconds, and his smile soothed some unexplainable ache in my chest.
He carried the air of danger most men in our world possessed, but this control around him made him seem more protective than menacing.
But what had unsettled me most was when he’d brushed a stray hair from his forehead and his eyes darkened for the briefest of seconds, my heart clenched, and warmth grew deep inside me.
To find an instant attraction with anyone, considering my past, was more than I had even dared to hope for.
Then, to add in the fluttering of butterflies in my stomach every time he flashed that dashing smile my way, it was as if I’d fallen down a rabbit hole.
Safety and comfort were something I truly never expected to feel from another man in my life, much less desire.
His presence didn’t set off alarms. Instead, a calm hollowness closed over the space inside me I’d thought empty forever. I’d patched myself together one quiet night at a time.
Trauma had hammered nails through my trust, but Leon’s proximity didn’t pinch or prod. It simply rested, as if he’d found an unguarded door and sat on the threshold, waiting.
Later, I conducted in-depth research into Leon’s background, searching through business journals and gossip about his dealings. They all said the same things: he was ruthless and single-minded. Articles praised his iron will and warned competitors to yield or disappear. But personal pages remained blank. No social media feeds or threaded rumors, only a man who walked alone and was fiercely loyal to a handful of companions.
He obviously kept a low profile and liked his privacy,guarding it viciously. And I found myself respecting this stance.
“Cali?” Avra’s voice slipped through the daydream, and I blinked at her pale face in the hallway light.
“Hey,” I said, setting my wine down.
“Dominic’s here.” She gestured toward the open doors, where Dominic and Eli hovered in the foyer.
I straightened my shoulders. “Thanks, Avra. I’ll come in to greet him.”
She offered a slow grin. “Ready?”
I smoothed the front of my dress. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” My pulse fluttered against my ribs, reminding me I could choose where to place my trust.
Avra looped her arm through mine. “Enthusiasm everywhere.”
I admitted with a shrug. “The lunch is on my mind nonstop.”
“Maybe your heart’s giving you a signal.” Her lips quirked upward. “But hey, no pressure tonight. You step back whenever you want.”
I drew in a breath, comfort blooming in her words. “You and Laya have been on my side since forever. I don’t know what I’d do without you both.”
She squeezed my arm. “Always.”