TRADING MY EX FOR HIS STEP BROTHER

A CHAOTIC DAY

CHAPTER 18: A CHAOTIC DAY

KIMBERLY:

Damien didn’t see me immediately. So I took a breath, stood slowly, and folded my arms.

When Damien’s eyes finally landed on me, his steps faltered.

The woman beside him looked from him to me and raised her eyebrows. "You didn’t tell me you were expecting a visitor."

Damien didn't respond.

I forced myself to smile and spoke in a calm voice. "Good morning, Damien. I brought you breakfast."

His jaw tightened. "Kim. I didn't know you.."

"Would barge in on you?" I interrupted. “I'm very sorry about that.”

He nodded.

I expected him to make an explanation or introduce his companion and I. But he didn't.

"Well, I wanted to surprise you. But clearly, I’m the one who got surprised."

The woman stepped back a little, sensing tension.

I looked at her and then back at him. He didn’t say anything.

I gestured to the box on the table. "You probably already ate, though. Right?"

He glanced at the box but didn’t touch it. "Yeah. I went to brunch."

I forced myself to smile again as I lifted the food, careful not to let my voice waver.

"Since you already had breakfast, there's no need for this," I said, trying to sound less concerned.

He looked at the pack, then at me. "I can keep it for lunch. Thanks."

I nodded once, turned on my heels, and walked out of the office building like my shoes were on fire. As soon as I got into my car and shut the door, my hands trembled. Why did it hurt so much to see him walk in with another woman? And why the hell did I act like it didn’t matter?

My phone rang. My heart skipped when I saw the caller ID.

It was my Dad.

I swallowed hard and picked up. "Hello Dad?"

"Where are you?" His voice sounded impatient, and very demanding. "Come to the office. Now."

Click.

That was it. He didn't bother to greet me. Or to find out if I was okay. Just an order.

I sighed, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed toward Walker & Co., the family company I'd barely had any contact with in years. Ten minutes later, I walked into his office. The atmosphere was as cold as I remembered it.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked quietly.

He didn't even look up from the papers on his desk. "Yes. Sit."

I sat.

He finally looked up after a couple of minutes, with sharp and calculating eyes. "You're married to Damien Carter now. I want you to use your position to get him to help us secure the Godfrey deal."

I blinked. "The Godfrey deal? Dad, I don't think I—"

"You don't have to think. Just do it," he snapped.

I was silent.

Then he continued. "What do you mean you don’t think? Isn’t that why you married him?"

I flinched. "No, actually. I got betrothed to Roland so you could save your bankrupt company. And I don’t have that kind of influence over Damien yet. We’re barely figuring things out."

His nostrils flared. "So what? You sleep in the same bed with him and you still can't convince him to help your own father? How useless are you, Kim?"

My chest tightened. "I'm not useless. I'm just telling you the truth. He doesn’t make business decisions at home and we’re just two days into this marriage."

"Maybe if you weren’t such a disappointment, you’d have learned how to be persuasive by now," he sneered. “So are you helping or not?”

“I already told you Dad, I don't have such influence over Damien yet.”

“So, you're not even going to try?”

I didn't respond.

His eyes darkened. "You’ve always been a mistake, Kim. From the very start. And now you’re proving it again."

I froze. The words pierced deeper than I was ready for. I stood, pushing the chair back.

"Thanks for the reminder, Dad. I’ll get out of your sight."

“Kim, stop. I'm not done,” he called after me but I didn't stop. I didn't want him to see the tears drop from my eyes.

I walked to the car park, entered my car and drove home, my vision partially blurred with tears.

By the time I got back home, I was numb. I slammed the front door behind me and leaned on it, breathing hard. My tears had stopped. I didn’t want anyone to see my moment of weakness. I needed to vent my frustrations in private.

I started climbing the stairs, eager to crawl under my duvet and scream into a pillow. But halfway up, I stopped.

My heart dropped into my stomach and my blood turned to ice.

There, standing by the landing like a ghost from my past, was the last person I expected to see right now.