Page 12 of Broken Obsession

“New contracts already?” Noon took the device and flipped to the last digital page, scrawling his signature without reading a word of the document.

“You’ll like this one,” she assured. “Gives you another ten percent pay raise and a one percent share in the company.”

“No shit?” Noon hooted.

Eden took the device and mirrored his friend's moves, not bothering to read through the thirty-six-page document either. They were all mostly carbon copies of the original, with tweaks in payment. Yarrow treated them decently.

Until you took into account how Eden and Noon’s likenesses had been used for the characters, and how they’d spent sleepless nights brainstorming and working with Yarrow to get this project up and running four years ago, yet they held no stakes in the company overall.

But it’d been Yarrow’s idea, he’d been the one majoring in development, and he’d gotten the team together to actually create and code the damn thing so…

Eden never openly complained. Besides, it wasn’t about money for him anyway. So long as he had enough to keep the lights on at home and pay for investigators, he was content. And if he wasn’t happy? Who cared?

Happiness was overrated.

…What would Lucifer ask for if he also wasn’t interested in money?

“There’s a company dinner tonight,” Ismay said, taking back the holopad once he was done with it. “It’s to welcome the new investor. He’s the one you can thank for the added benefits to your contracts, so you have to be there.”

It wasn’t often that they were forced to attend company parties or gatherings, so Eden couldn’t really argue.

“What time? I have something this afternoon.” He wouldn’t argue, but that didn’t mean he’d reschedule his appointment. Eden had finally received a call back from a local music school. It was small, but he’d seize any opportunity he could to return to music for himself, and as himself. Sure, it was nice that he still got to sing, but that was as Ransom.

All of the local schools and universities already had a full staff, so there’d been no place for him at any of them, and since his commitment to Vanity meant he couldn’t move to a different town further away…This might be his only shot.

“I’ll message you the location,” Ismay said. “Just be sure to arrive by six sharp.”

The meeting was at four.

He’d make it.

* * *

Eden was in a piss poor mood when he arrived at the restaurant several hours later. His meeting with the head of the small music school for middle school-aged kids hadn’t gone well. They’d seemed to like him, up until he’d been shown one of the classrooms.

A batch of students had recognized him and gotten rowdy, asking for autographs. The excitement had been palpable, but the woman recruiting him had seen it as a majordistraction. In the end, he’d lost the job because she’d feared he was too popular and none of the kids would take him seriously.

Then, when he’d tried to complain to Yarrow over the phone, his friend had said something about how it was a blessing in disguise since it meant he could dedicate more time to Ransom.

As if he didn’t already spend every free moment bringing Yarrow’s dream to life and pissing on his own.

He’d even gone so far as to suggest enough time had passed for Eden to try and move on and let go.

Let it go.

As though the unjust murder of his entire family was the same as a lost button or sock.

Let it go.

As if he hadn’t dedicated the past three years of his life to this. To unearthing the truth and getting retribution for the faces that swam behind his eyes whenever he closed them at night.

His mother had been stern, running the household with a no-nonsense approach. His father had been soft-hearted, doting on her and his children. If anyone ever came into the store short on a bit of coin, he’d wave them off and tell them to bring the rest next time. And his sister…

Ella had been a spark in the darkness. The light grounding them all, bringing them together. Only she could soothe their mother’s anger or convince their father to enforce stricter rules at the store so they wouldn’t fear falling into the negatives. She’d been the bridge between their parents' vastly different personalities.

For Eden, she’d been the kid sister who’d needed protecting—even when she’d been more than capable of taking care of herself. There were six years between them, yet he’d considered her his best friend.

In one single night, all three had been stolen. And not in the way a fucking button or a sock could be.