Page 13 of Boss of the Year

I didn’t want to be Old Marie anymore. But what if this world didn’t give me a choice?

Bogdan parked near the service entrance and unloaded my bags, and as I stepped outside, my ears were filled with the familiar sounds of Prideview. Wind whistled off the water andthrough ancient maples loaded with bright green foliage. Staff puttered, mowed, and chatted around the grounds. Sparrows and chickadees gossiped in the branches, all of them singing the same song:

Fraud, fraud, fraud.

I thanked Bogdan, and he left. I’d have to track down someone to help me take my bags up to my room. Mrs. Lyons wouldn’t appreciate them sitting in front of her house like lawn ornaments.

As if on cue, one of the ten garage doors opened, and the birds quieted as the Rolls roared to life. The front door of the house opened and slammed shut. Footsteps echoed down the brick drive, and Daniel jogged toward the car, right behind a familiar shadow: his older brother.

My stomach dropped.

Maybe I’d be lucky. Maybe all the Lyonses were as unaware as Daniel. Maybe my makeover really wasthat good.

I turned, and the steely gray-blue gaze of Lucas Lyons collided with mine as he stopped short with a kick of gravel.

At a glance, it was obvious they were brothers. Both men were tall, with the same broad shoulders, same long legs, same knife-straight noses, full mouths, and chiseled jaws.

That, however, was where the similarities ended. Daniel was like a Ralph Lauren ad, tanned Americana clad in starched white shirts, designer jeans, and sneakers. Lucas was Hugo Boss in tailored suits, ties, and brogues. Daniel’s blue eyes looked like a bluebird day while Lucas’s were the pending storm on the horizon.

A storm about to hit me.

“What the hell?” Daniel exclaimed as he slammed into his brother’s back.

“Daniel,Christ.” Lucas shook him off like a clingy raincoat, forcing Daniel back with a frown.

“Well, it’s notmyfault you forgot how to walk correctly—oh!Gorgeous, holy shit! What are you doing here?”

Daniel’s joy would have been contagious were it not for Lucas looking at him like he’d lost his mind. I glanced between the brothers, my ugly suitcases, and the family driver, Lawrence.

Lawrence broke into a grin and strode forward to wrap me in a tight hug. “Hi, kiddo! Welcome back!”

“Kiddo?” Daniel smirked after Lawrence got into the front seat of the Rolls, ready to drive the brothers to wherever they were going. “Kay, now I’m really embarrassed that even my driver remembers you better than I do. Did you stop by to give me your number after all?”

“Christ, Daniel,” Lucas muttered again as he rubbed his forehead. Once his eyes met mine, it was like the past year hadn’t happened. “Hello, Marie.”

I couldn’t look away. I had a feeling no one could have. That was probably what made Lucas Lyons so formidable in and out of the boardroom.

I swallowed. “Um, hello, Mr. Lyons.”

“Youknow her?” Daniel’s glance bounced between us like a Ping-Pong ball.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “Of course, I know her. We all know her.” He turned back to me. “You had a nice time in Paris?”

I nodded more than was necessary, feeling like a bobble-headed version of myself. Why was my voice deserting me now? “I—did—yes. Thank you.”

“Was the apartment all right? The agent said St. Germain would be close to the school and in a safe neighborhood with a good market, but that it may be a little small because of its proximity to the center of the city.”

I sucked in a breath. “It was perfect. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Thank you?” I heard Daniel ask as I edged away. “Thank you for what? Why do you know where she lived in Paris?”

“I should go check in with Ondine,” I mumbled as I started toward the staff entrance.

“Christ, Daniel.” Lucas’s exhaustion with his brother hadn’t changed in the year I’d been gone either.

“What did I do now?”

I just kept walking. Maybe my new haircut could handle grumpy stares from strangers, but not this kind of awkwardness. s