Chapter 20

Now I knew Lily was just being delusional.

I shook my head. “No, that’s not possible.”

I was well aware of the ever-growing gap between me and socialites like Barnett and Julia. There was no way that Barnett would be interested in some upper-middle-class-if-her-divorce-settlement-paid-off worker like me. Not old money like him.

There was the fact that Barnett and I might have had the same dream, but that didn’t mean anything. Honestly, I didn’t even know what his dream was about. It might not have even been the same as mine.

Everyone was right. There was too much of a gap between us—age-wise, financially, and socially.

“You don’t know him too well.” Lily smirked. “He never wastes a second on useless people.”

“It’s probably because I brought him trouble.” I took a drink of my flavored water and shrugged. “I’m sorry, really.”

“Trust me, sweetheart, you wouldn’t even have the chance to bring him trouble without his permission.” Lily smiled mysteriously.

• * *

Lily arrived at Barnett’s office at lunch the next day. She hoped to catch him before his meeting with Julia. She knew how on-edge Julia got him these days, and she needed him as happy and pliable as possible.

Recently, Lily wanted a yacht to make some seaworthy travel vlogs, but her parents didn’t approve. Now, she hoped to go to Barnett and convince him to help her buy one. So long as she had a way to help him, he would let her have anything she wanted.

And she had a big way to help him.

Lily knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Barnett called.

Lily entered Barnett’s penthouse office. The high ceiling and wall-length windows never failed to take her breath away. The minimalism of the black-and-white decorations brought an air of elegance and refinement to the open space.

In the middle of the room, Barnett sat in a black wheeled chair at an enormous black wooden desk. He waved Lily forward.

“What can I do for you?” he asked.

“Actually, Uncle Barnett, it’s about what I can do for you.”

Barnett arched a brow at her. “And let me guess, it’ll only cost me an arm and a leg?”

Lily’s hand flew to her chest. “You wound me, Uncle. Can’t I help a dear family member out of the good of my heart?”

Barnett crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, a slight smirk on his face.

“Okay, there is a little something that you can do for me in return, but that can wait until later,” she said.

“Just come out with it, Lily. I don’t have all day.”

“Fine. I can help you pursue Anna, and in exchange, I just want your help acquiring a yacht—”

“No.”

“No, you won’t help me get a yacht?”

“No, I don’t need your help pursuing Anna.”

Lily grinned. “Look, I know that you think you can get any woman you want, but Anna isn’t like all those rich girls throwing themselves at you—”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t need your help because I don’t like Anna.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “You don’t like Anna? Really?”

Barnett straightened some papers on his desk. “No, I don’t.”

“Mhmm.” Lily stopped to think for a moment, then her grin returned. “Well, then I’m really glad that you arranged for Arthur to give her a shot at that stylist job.”

Barnett froze in the midst of writing on a form.

“Why is that, exactly?” he asked.

“He’s just so good with her.”

“You don’t say,” Barnett said, his voice tense.

“He’s very nice to her. He stood up for her against one of Julia’s fans at work. Even when she made Anna mess up his makeup.”

“That’s so…kind of him. He sounds like a great boss.”

“And she’s good with him, too.”

“I’m glad. It means that she’s good at her job,” he said through his teeth.

“It’s like those two were born to work together.”

The muscles in Barnett’s neck and jaw clenched.

“Anna sure knows how to make sure that Arthur’s taking care of himself. She pays such close attention to his needs. Anna even told me about how they went for something to eat together after a show the other night.”

Barnett’s grip on his pen tightened until the pen snapped in half.

“Shit!” He jumped up as the ink covered his hand and the form he had been filling out. “Lily, go get me a towel out of the bathroom, quickly!”

Lily rushed to obey, suppressing a smirk as she returned with a hand towel.

“What’s wrong, Uncle Barnett?” she asked with as innocent a tone as she could muster. “You seem upset.”

“No, I’m not.”

Barnett tried to avoid Lily’s gaze as he mopped up the ink. Lily was persistent, though. Barnett sighed and finally met her eyes.

“Yes, I like Anna. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Lily nodded enthusiastically. “Why did you deny it?”

“It seems pointless to admit it when I’m not going to do anything about it until I resolve this issue with Julia.” He stared imploringly at Lily. “Please don’t tell anyone, especially Anna.”

“I don’t know, it sounds like a pretty big favor.”

Barnett sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Fine. I’ll buy you a yacht if you keep this secret for me.”

Lily’s smile stretched broadly across her face.

“Thank you, Uncle Barnett!”

She was about to give him a hug when she realized that the ink on his hands would get all over her outfit. Barnett grinned wickedly and acted as though he were going to grab her, and Lily ran away from him squealing.

After a full minute of laughter between them, Barnett’s face grew serious again.

“Not a word, Lily, or no yacht.”

Lily lifted her pinky finger towards Barnett. “I pinky swear not to tell a soul that you like Anna.”

Barnett rolled his eyes before locking his pinky with Lily’s. He laughed when he saw that some of the ink had rubbed off on her hand.

“Let’s go wash our hands, and then you can get out of here.”

After they each washed their hands in Barnett’s private bathroom, Barnett returned to his desk, and Lily collected her things. A knock on the door caused Barnett to cringe.

“Something wicked this way comes,” he mumbled. Louder, he said, “Come in.”

Julia walked in with one male and one female assistant on either side of her. She wore a sleeveless blue dress that tightly hugged her body down to her knees with a matching pursue and low heels. Her white designer sunglasses hid her eyes even indoors.

“Hello, Barnett,” Julia said in a sing-song voice. “Hello, Lily. What a surprise.”

“Hello, Julia,” Lily said, unable to hide the ice in her tone. “Don’t worry, I was just leaving.”

“Oh, what a shame.” Julia turned her attention to her male assistant. “How about we order some afternoon tea for everyone else?”

“Yes, ma’am,” her assistant said.

Lily rolled her eyes and exited as quickly as possible.

She didn’t even make it to the elevator at the end of the hall before she could hear Julia yelling.

“We are not divorced!” Julia screamed. “And I am pregnant with your child!”