Page 196 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

She shakes her head. “No one's interested. The ship is sinking, Hercules. No one wants to ride on a sinking ship,” she says, gesturing wildly with her hands. Then she stiffens and throws herself forward. “Hey, did I see Lark Davenport in the lobby this morning? We can sure use her brilliance to get us out of this pinch.”

It suddenly dawns on me that I've never told her the truth. I sit back in my chair and steeple my hands in front of my chin. There's no way to sugarcoat it. “Her name is Paisley Grove. Not Lark Davenport.”

Her eyebrows crumple, indicating how confused she is. That's when I tell her half the truth and half a lie. I say Paisley’s family and my family don't get along. But Paisley and I have been friends since highs school. That part is the truth. I like to think that we had a special connection even back then. The lie is the story I’ll stick to no matter what—Paisley agreed to work for VTI as a favor for me.

“Oh, wow,” Lilith looks as though she’s speechless.

“Listen,” I say to set her mind back on the business at hand. “I only need fifty-percent partnership at a half a billion.”

That number seemed to jolt Lilith’s focus back to being in this office. “Okay, Hercules. That’s a huge number on your part. You have that kind of cash laying around?”

It’s my secret. The only other person I ever told about my investments is Paisley, and I grossly downplayed the amount because I couldn’t quite trust her yet.

“Maybe,” I say. I’m not sure if Orion has figured out a way to wrangle Lilith into his corner.

She eyes me in that keen way that makes her damn good at her job. “Don’t BS me, Hercules. Do you have the money or not?”

I respect the stab she took at trying to convince me to come out with the truth. But still, I know not to spread all my cards on the table. “You said you can find me an investor that you trust. Is that still the case, or do I have to go searching for one of my own?”

Lilith narrows an eye, studying me dubiously. After a moment, she grunts and pulls her shoulders back. “You brothers are all the same. To be so close, you have no trust in the very people that you should trust, and especially each other.” She slams the manila folder she brought in on my desk. “I’ve been nothing but loyal to you, Hercules. And I’m stressing out over this company blowing away in the wind. If you can ease my worry with a half a billion dollars, then why haven't you eased my worries already?”

Lilith is a slight woman, but she’s taken the posture of a giant, ready to be dealt with as an equal or not at all.

“I’m telling you now,” I say.

Her snort is weary yet uncompromising. “I like you, Hercules. And that’s the only reason I’m still around. You’re decent. Honorable. And it's a pleasure being on your team. But it sucks knowing that you don't trust me.” She puts her elbow on the desktop and leans into it. “By all accounts, this move we're about to make is a power move. And from what I know about both of your brothers, they are not going to be happy. That means I have to know that you know I'm putting my neck on the line for you, as well as my reputation. And I’ve never met anyone more vengeful than Achilles.” She huffs as she shakes her head. For a moment, she looks off thoughtfully, as if remembering an interaction she had with him. Then she focuses staunchly on me again. “If this goes wrong, nobody’s going to want to hire me. So if we're in this together, then let's be in this together. Okay?”

Her no-nonsense expression reminds me why I hired her. I recall the first day time she walked into my office. I was ready to dismiss her because I needed an ally. I guessed my brothers would run roughshod all over her. I questioned her as if she were a hostile witness. It didn't take long for her to start asking me questions about the sort of accounts we keep. I’d never heard of many of the types, and she explained them to me thoroughly.

“And you'll be able to search and find these accounts if I hire you?”

“It's the least I'll be able to do for you, Mr. Valentine. Everybody knows VTI is on the verge of meeting the bottom of the ocean. I specialize in companies like yours. You pay me, I'll help you.” It was like dealing with a shark whose disarming quality was that she came off like a goldfish.

At the moment, though, I'm looking at Lilith Cope, the shark.

I sit back in my seat, calm, cool, and collected. “Okay,” I say, answering her last question. There's no need to play power games with a woman I can trust.

“Then I'm going to need that half a billion in an account showing capital as soon as we can possibly make that happen.”

I make sure to look her in the eye when I say, “Yes.”

Her swift nod is spirited. “Ever heard of Clay Netherland?”

Of course, I have. “Venture capitalist out of the UK. Everything he touches turns to gold. The only problem is he doesn't like being number two.”

“True.” She nods. “So very true. But that’s if he’s putting up most of the capital. I heard Paisley Grove is the one who created TRANSPORT and Killer Firewall. Am I wrong?”

A shift in my seat, lowering my guard for the first time. Mention of Paisley in a conversation about the future of my company worries me now. Achilles was right about one thing—her family doesn't want us together just as much as mine. after my brother’s performance in the conference room, I'm pretty sure she wants to stay far away from this place. I hope and pray she doesn't want to keep her distance from me as well. I don't like this pause I've just taken. I’m pressing my lips, not sure what to say next.

“If she's part of this company, Clay's going to want a piece of it.”

I inhale deeply through my nose, hold it, then let it out slowly. That doesn't help clear my head. “Paisley is not an option. Don't pitch her. I can't firmly say that she will be part of our company going forward. If Clay’s all you got, don't worry about it. I'll find my own investor.”

“Clay is all I have at the moment. But you need someone fast.”

I watch her rise to her feet, and that look on her face says she wants to say something else.

“What is it?” I ask.