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Dionysus

CHAPTER TWELVE

As I leave the room, I can’t believe what just happened.

When I finally decided to give in, Cecily chose not to accept my generous offer to get her a job?

It’s not your problem , a voice warns. You did your best, and she refused both financial help—apart from hospital payments—and a job.

So why am I left feeling like I was unfair?

I’m not one to regret the decisions I make, but I feel like I owe her, which is crazy, since it was the girl who literally crossed my path, almost killing herself and getting me into trouble.

I pick up my cell phone to check a meeting I have in an hour, but instead of turning the page, dismissing Cecily Harper Bradley’s involvement in my life, and focusing on work, which is my main priority after Joseph, I find myself analyzing what Anderson said about hiring her as a nanny.

No. It would never work. I’ve never had a relationship with an employee before, but I know myself and I know that if I have Cecily within arm’s reach, I will seduce her.

The phone rings, and I see on the display that it is Zeus.

“Where are you? The girl has already been discharged, I assume.”

I sent him a message letting him know that she was fine and also telling him about what I found out about Cecily, because my older brother needs to control everything down to the smallest detail. “I just left the room. She will be discharged, but she won’t leave New York as I wanted.”

“As you wanted? Since when do you care about the fate of strangers?”

“I don’t care. That was just an expression. Either way, Elina will give her a job. From now on, Cecily is no longer my problem.”

“Cecily? I thought her name was Harper Cecily or Miss Bradley.”

Now I’m sure he’s teasing me, but I take the bait anyway. “She doesn’t like being called Harper, because of her stepmother.” I quickly explain what Odin discovered and also what Anderson told me.

“What is it about the girl that is catching your attention?” my brother asks, in his characteristic direct manner.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. Despite what you told me, that she is no longer your problem, she still seems to be very much ‘your problem.’”

I sigh, irritated that he knows me so well. “I don’t like feeling indebted to anyone. Cecily didn’t accept financial help, and I feel like I didn’t do everything I could to support her.”

“Like what, for example?”

“She wanted a job, and I only offered it to her after Elina offered one first. She refused me.”

“Why didn’t you offer it to her sooner? Any of us could get you a position in one of our companies.”

“Because she’s not from here.”

“You sound fucking weird. You’ve never cared about the lives of strangers.”

“This discussion no longer makes any sense. Cecily is staying in New York. Now I need to go because I have a meeting soon. Have you made any decisions about your wedding yet?”

“Yes, we will have it as soon as possible.”

“I thought Madison was going to wait for her sister to come out of the coma. It seems that Athanasios is sure he can bring her back.”

“Yes, I believe he will. If Brooklyn has any chance, it’s with him. As far as postponing the wedding, I don’t want to wait and Madison is okay with that.”

Despite the hellish morning, I laugh. “You are in love.”

“Love doesn’t define what she is to me because that’s a fleeting feeling. Madison and the babies she is expecting are my oxygen.”

After I hang up, I stand for a while in the hospital hallway, thinking about the conversation we just had.

Oxygen.

What is it like to be so attached to someone that you can’t imagine your life without them?

Our father was like that with our mother, so much so that on the same day she passed away, he took his own life.

No, that kind of prison is not for me. I don’t want or need complications in my path. Joseph is enough for me.

I call the elevator, determined to forget Cecily and everything that brought her into my life, when I notice someone standing next to me. It’s Anderson.

“Still here?” I ask. “Go home and enjoy the break I gave you, Anderson.”

Unlike when I left him earlier, he smiles. “Now I will, yes. I just left Cici’s room and discovered that she will be under the protection of Mrs. Lykaios. I can finally relax.”

“Why so much concern for her? I haven’t blamed you for the accident.”

“I don’t know how to explain it. I think there’s something about the girl that makes everyone instantly adore her. When I entered the room, she and Ms. Elina were laughing as if they had known each other for a long time. Cici is lovely.”

Lovely.

No, that’s not the word I would use to describe her, although I agree that she is beautiful.

Delicious , for me, would define her better.