Chapter 84
Blair sat at her desk, her attention divided between her work and her phone. Despite Roman’s meeting schedule being packed for the day, she kept finding him watching her through the glass wall that separated their offices. She appreciated his concern, but she wished she could just turn off her brain for a few hours.
“Blair, come in to my office.”
Blair got up, smoothed her skirt down, and entered his office. As soon and she closed the door, his hands were around her waist pulling her close.
“Any word from Sutton?” he asked.
“Nothing beyond that text.” Blair sank into his chest, breathing him in. “I’m trying to respect her space, but it’s killing me.”
Roman’s expression was sympathetic. “I know. But sometimes people need to work things out on their own.”
“You sound like Keira,” Blair muttered. “She basically told me to stay out of it.”
“Smart woman, your sister. Scary but smart.”
Blair started to respond when her phone buzzed with a text. She nearly fumbled it in her haste to check.
Sutton: I’m okay. Had a long talk with Luca. So much to process. Coming over tonight to fill you in. Don’t worry. I’m fine.
Relief washed over her so intensely it left her lightheaded. “She’s okay,” Blair said, showing Roman the message. “She wants to come over tonight to talk.”
“See? She handled it.” Roman reached up to run his fingers down her face and over her lip. “Now maybe you can focus on something other than your sister’s troubles.”
“Like what?” Blair asked, relaxing for the first time that day.
“Like your parents‘ company.” Roman’s tone shifted to something more serious. “I had my legal team looking into it. The official transfer should go through next week. You’ll need to make a decision about your involvement soon.”
Blair felt a familiar weight settle on her shoulders. The weight of responsibility was she really the right person to take over? “I’ve been thinking about it. A lot, actually.”
“And?”
“And I’m scared,” she admitted. “What if I ruin everything they built?”
Roman leaned back in his chair, studying her. “Blair, you’ve been helping me run Kingston’s. You’re more capable than you give yourself credit for.”
“That’s different. That’s being your assistant. This would be… running a whole company. Making decisions that affect people’s livelihoods.”
“People you care about,” Roman said, understanding in his eyes. “That’s exactly why you’d be good at it.”
Blair took a deep breath. “I keep thinking about my dad. How passionate he was about the business. How much my mom loved designing.” She looked down at her hands. “Taking it over feels like… I don’t know, like closing a circle somehow.”
“It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Roman pointed out. “You could bring in management help. Consultants. Hell, I’d help you figure it out. I don’t know fashion, but I know business.”
“Would you?” Blair asked, meeting his gaze.
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Chapter 84
“Of course,” Roman looked almost offended. She had to ask. “We’re partners, remember? Your battles are my battles now”
Blair felt so much love for this man. With Roman by her side, maybe she could do this. Maybe she could reclaim her family’s legacy and build something her parents would be proud of. Her sisters would be proud of.
“I think,” she said slowly, “I need to at least try. For them. For us.”
Roman smiled, pride evident in his expression. “That’s my girl.”
“I’d need to talk to Sutton and Keira first, make sure they are still on board.”
“Of course.”
Blair’s phone buzzed again with another text from Sutton.
Sutton: Can we meet at your place around 7? Bringing dinner. No, Luca isn’t coming.
Blair texted back: Of course. See you then.
She looked up at Roman. “Looks like we’re having dinner with my sister tonight.”
“Good,” Roman said. “I think we need to talk to her about the embezzlement problem at Kingston, anyway.”
Blair’s eyebrows shot up. “What? Why?”
“Because she’s a programmer, Blair. And if someone’s been stealing from us, they’ve been doing it through our systems. Sutton might be able to help us track it.”
“But she works at Cyber10… well, she works for Luca now. But she doesn’t work in that department.” The situation was still bizarre to think about.
“Exactly. And Cyber10 handles our cybersecurity. It’s perfect. You’re the one that told me she was wasted in reception and she could have gone to MIT. Let’s show them how smart she it.”
Blair considered this. “That’s… actually, not a bad idea. But let’s not ambush her the moment she walks in. She’s got enough. on her plate.”
“Fair enough,” Roman agreed. “We’ll let her tell us whatever she wants to about Luca, then we can bring up embezzlement issue if the moment seems right.”
the
Blair nodded, feeling a plan coming together. Between reclaiming her family’s company and tracking down whoever was stealing from Roman, they had their work cut out for them.
Roman checked his watch. “I’ve got another meeting in five minutes. Will you be okay?”
“I will now,” Blair said, feeling genuinely calmer. “Thanks for talking me off the ledge.”
“Anytime.” Roman’s smile turned wicked. “Though I prefer to talk you onto ledges, not off them.”
Blair laughed, the tension of the day finally breaking. “Behave. You have a meeting.”
“Later, then,” he promised, his eyes darkening in a way that made her stomach flip.
As Blair headed back to her desk. She’d spent so long just surviving, just getting by. Now she had the chance to truly build something… not just a relationship with Roman, but a future that honored her parents‘ memory.
It was terrifying. But for the first time, it also felt right.
By the time they arrived home that evening, Blair was still anxious to hear what had happened between Sutton and Luca,
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Chapter 84
but she’d promised herself she wouldn’t pry more than her sister was willing to share,
“Wine?” Roman asked as they settled in the kitchen.
“God, yes.” Blair sank onto a barstool. “Today felt like it lasted a week.”
Roman poured her a generous glass. “You know, whatever Sutton tells us tonight–it’s her life. Her choices.”
Blair sipped her wine. “I know. I just want her to be happy.”
“And if that includes Luca?”
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Blair hesitated. “I don’t know. He hurt her badly. But…” She sighed. “But I also know people make mistakes. And from what you’ve told me, he seems genuinely remorseful.”
“He is,” Roman confirmed. “I’ve never seen him like this before. The man’s been obsessed with finding her for months.”
Before Blair could respond, the doorbell rang. She set down her glass and went to answer it, finding Sutton on the doorstep with bags of takeout.
“Hi,” Sutton said, looking tired but steady. There was a calmness about her that hadn’t been there that morning.
“Hi yourself.” Blair pulled her into a hug. “Come in. Roman’s pouring wine–well, water or juice for you.”
Sutton followed her inside, setting the food on the kitchen counter. “I got Thai. I figured we could all use the comfort food.”
“Perfect,” Roman said, handing Sutton a glass of sparkling water. “How are you feeling?”
Sutton took a deep breath. “Honestly? Like I’ve been through an emotional blender. But… okay. Surprisingly okay.”
Blair couldn’t hold back anymore. “So? What happened? Did you talk to him?”
“Blair,” Roman warned.
ne,” Sutton said, waving him off. “I came here to talk about it.” She took a sip of her water. “Yes, we talked. A lot. And…
mplicated.”
always is,” Blair muttered.
Sutton smiled faintly. “He didn’t get married.”
“So Roman said.”
“He says he’s been looking for me since I left Europe.” Sutton’s hand rested protectively on her belly. “Claims he realized he made a mistake that… that I hadn’t been lying about the baby. But it was too late, and I had already left Europe.”
“Do you believe him?” Blair asked carefully.
Sutton was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe. He seemed… sincere. But he also hurt me badly, Blair. I can’t just forget that. I don’t want to be wanted just for my baby.”
Roman started unpacking the food, giving the sisters space while still being present.
“What did you decide?” Blair asked.
“I don’t know if I can rewind the past and just forget.” Sutton said. “So we are going to see how it goes. He wants to be involved with the baby. But beyond that? I need time. It’s hard to trust someone after how he treated me, how he saw me…”
Blair nodded, relief washing over her. Sutton seemed clearheaded about this, not rushing into anything. “That sounds…
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Chapter 84
mature.”
Sutton laughed. “Don’t sound so surprised. I am your big sister, remember?”
“I’m not surprised,” Blair protested. “I’m just… proud of you. For handling this your way.”
“Thanks for giving me the space to do that,” Sutton said softly. “I know it wasn’t easy for you to stay out of it.”
“She almost combusted,” Roman chimed in, setting plates on the island. “Had to physically restrain her from storming Cyber10.”
“I did not!” Blair protested, then admitted, “Okay, maybe I thought about it. But I stayed put.”
“Gold star for Blair,” Sutton teased, bumping her shoulder against her sister’s.
As they sat down to eat, Blair felt herself truly relax for the first time all day. Whatever happened next with Sutton and Luca -or with her parents‘ company, or with the embezzlement issue–they’d face it together.
Family didn’t mean having all the answers. It meant showing up, even when things got messy. And Blair was starting to realize that her family had expanded to include Roman now too.
“So,” Sutton said, changing the subject. “You mentioned something about your parents‘ company coming back to us next week in the text you sent Keira and me. Have you thought about what you want to do?”
Blair met Roman’s eyes across the table before turning back to her sister. “Actually, yes. I think… I think I want to run it.”
Sutton’s face broke into a wide smile. “Really? Blair, that’s perfect. It’s exactly what they would have wanted.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” Sutton reached for her hand. “And Keira and I will help however we can.”
“Speaking of help,” Roman interjected carefully. “We actually have a situation where we could use your expertise, Sutton…”
Blair listened as Roman explained the embezzlement problem at Kingston.
n if it involved taking on Jessica, Dan and Laura, and an unknown thief–all while planning a wedding. Oh my god, Blair
zed she still hadn’t got a dress.
she better do something about that, and soon.
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