The Other Side of Greed

by Lily Zante

  Every time Brandon tells me something about his past, it’s like he’s taken a six inch needle and pierced it through my heart. My suffering is after the fact; he’s the one who lived it for real. “You didn’t choose to forget him, you did it because you had to survive. It wasn't your fault,” I remind him gently.

  “But I never even looked for him once.” He scrubs his hands across his face in anguish. I take one of his hands and move it away, so that I can look into his eyes.

  “Don’t do that. Don’t beat yourself up about this.”.

  “I told myself Kane was doing just fine without me, and I convinced myself not to look for him because it would mess things up for him.”

  “Maybe you were right.”

  He lowers his head. “Looking him up would mean having to face who I was and what I had done.”

  “Your father gave you an ultimatum when you were a scared little boy, he prevented you from doing anything about Kane, but there's nothing stopping you looking for him now, Brandon.” The name is new to my lips, but I’m getting used to it.

  He looks pensive. “I guess there isn’t.”

  We’re sitting at the large dining table at his place, with him looking through the newspapers while I check my work emails on my laptop.

  The newspapers have blown up and we both find ourselves in unfamiliar situations. Brandon doesn't court publicity and I'm caught up in it for the wrong reasons. He’s in the papers for rescuing children from a fire, and because of who he is—the heir to the Hawks empire—there is so much interest in him. I’m his love interest, according to the press. But I don’t care about the press. I care about what Brandon tells me and every day he tells me that he loves me.

  He’d been told to take it easy for a few weeks, and when he came out of the hospital having stayed there almost a week, I took him home to his apartment in The Water Tower Building.

  And that’s when I discovered that he had someone to take care of his laundry, chores, cleaning and his cooking.

  Of course he does.

  Because this is not Brad.

  This is Brandon.

  He begged me to stay with him, but there was nothing for me to do when he already had someone to take care of his housekeeping. He had a cook, too. But I stayed with him because I had made up my mind to give him a second chance. Someone who puts their life above others, someone selfless like that, deserves it.

  For the first few weeks after the fire, we shut ourselves off in his apartment. I left Fredrich and Simona in charge of Redhill, while I stayed by Brandon's side trying to be here for him as he healed from his burn injuries.

  It’s only now, weeks later, that we are slowly getting back to some sort of normality. Brandon focusses on Hawks Enterprises, and I do my best to take care of Redhill.

  Despite all of this, we managed to keep the food nights going without missing a single one. News of the fire spread, and we were quickly inundated with food supplies which was just as well because we had no store room. Local businesses banded together and helped. I knew they would, because people come together and help others in their time of need.

  Fredrich suffered from severe smoke inhalation and Brandon had a burning shelf fall against his side. It will likely scar his arm forever, but they saved those children, and that was the most important thing.

  While the damage to the factory has been bad, it could have been worse. I try to remember this knowing that our production has taken a big hit. The food storeroom and a couple of rooms on either side have been badly damaged by the fire and will need to be rebuilt again. Fire and safety experts have cordoned off that part of the building, and we are able to get limited production going, but I am worried about how this will impact us going forward.

  Brandon has mentioned a warehouse that is slightly further out of the city. He says it has only recently become empty and there is land around it and no other buildings. He's looking into it while I focus on getting Redhill back to full capacity as best as I can.

  I had a lucky break happen yesterday when Brandon told me that Emma, his personal assistant, wants to come and work for me. I hired her five minutes into our telephone interview last night. At least that’s something positive to have come out of this.

  I’ve stayed with him here the entire time. I was supposed to go back to my place but I don’t want to, and he doesn’t want me to, either. My sister, Penny came back as soon as she heard about the fire. It’s been wonderful to have her back, even though I don’t see her as much as if I were living at my place. It’s been strange for her to see me with a man like Brandon, but she doesn’t know of the complexities which surround him.

  It’s something I am slowly getting used to, like his name, and his background, and his life—his real life—not the fabricated one he chose to show me.

  Being with him is like going on one of those loop de loop rollercoaster rides. One moment I’m on a high with my breath catching in my throat, the next, my heart jumps out as I find myself plummeting down at breakneck speed. It’s new and exciting and different for me, learning to love and trust again, but what I’m feeling is nothing compared to the demons that Brandon has to confront.

  I want to believe that this man has changed, because when he told me who he really was and why he had come to Redhill, he destroyed all the trust I had in him.

  I've been hurt before. A heart that's broken badly once doesn't heal without any lasting scars. And Brandon doing what he did— tricking me, lying and pretending to be someone else, purely for financial gain—cratered another line in my heart.

  But then he walked into the fire, put his life at risk, and saved Stefan and Holly, that's when I knew.

  This man might have started off doing everything for the wrong reasons, but he's now come out the other side. It gives me hope. And hearing about Kane made me realize just how much this man has been through. He told me his worst fear was people finding out about the real him, that he was so broken. Being so unloved that even your parents don't want you is the worst rejection, but digging deeper, I can see how much he beats himself up about leaving behind the brother he loved so much.

  The damage it must do to a child to be ripped apart from the only family he has can be irreparable. Brandon’s past cuts him deep. I feel so much for him; sadness, and hurt, and I am driven by the need to make things better for him as much as I can. Listening to him and letting him talk about the trauma he has kept hidden, seems to help him. It’s not going to be easy, helping this man to heal, but I will.

  “Penny’s going back tomorrow,” I tell him, thinking that it might be nice for us to meet up before she leaves.

  “Already?”

  “She can’t miss too much of her studies. Shall we all go out for dinner?”

  “That’s a great idea.”

  I’m tempted to ask him if he’s considered looking for his brother. It’s something I try not to touch upon too much just yet, but I will as time goes on. I want Brandon to have his real blood family back.

  Him not knowing what’s happened to Kane is the thing that’s weighing heavily on his mind and his wound won’t heal until he makes contact.

  He looks at me, as if he knows what I’m thinking. We seem to connect like this more, as if we know one another’s thoughts. “I’m not ready,” he says, turning the page of the newspaper.

  “I didn’t say anything.”

  “But you thought it.”

  I place my hand over his, stopping him from turning the page again, pretending to look busy. He’s not really reading the paper. “You should stop thinking about it, and just do it. Reach out to your brother.”

  He breathes out loudly. Talking about his brother helps, but it also leaves him feeling melancholy.

  I know how to put a smile on his face. I move my chair out so that I am sitting facing him full on and then I start to undo my blouse.

  He glances up, his body sinking as he sees what I’m doing. My clothes slide to the floor and I continue to undress provocatively. He watches in
silence. It’s a sure way of taking his mind off the things which plague him. I get down on my knees, place myself between his legs and slide my hands into his sweatpants, then into his boxers. Then I take a hold of him, licking my lips and staring up at him before I bend over and take him in my mouth.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  BRANDON

  * * *

  “I would never do anything like that.” Neville glowers at me after I ask him if he had something to do with the fire at the factory.

  “I wouldn't put it past you.” I recall him hinting once that burning down the factory would be a last resort should Kyra not leave Greenways.

  “You’re the one who suggested burning the place down in the first place,” he throws back.

  I snort. “I was joking.”

  “That’s rich, coming from you, after the grand plan you were so enthusiastic about.”

  A muscle in my jawline twitches. I hate being reminded of that. Kyra hasn't told Fredrich or Simona about what I did, and maybe one day I will summon up the courage to tell them myself.

  At least I've told her. That was the most important thing, to tell the woman I love what my bad intentions were.

  “I have new plans for Greenways,” I state.

  Neville eyes me like a despondent bloodhound, saggy jowls and saggy eyebags. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “You won’t.” I adjust my cuffs as my new PA walks in and leaves me with a wad of paperwork to sign. It's my first day back after a few weeks off. My shoulder is slowly healing, but every now and then a white-hot pain flashes through me. I might have to have skin grafts, or I might choose not to. Having the scars on my shoulder reminds me that I am a ‘new’ me. That I saved someone and valued their life above mine. “No one is moving from Greenways, so we will never get that land.”

  “But … but what about eminent—”

  “Did you hear me, Neville? No one is moving from there.”

  Neville doesn’t need to know of all my plans, but I have decided to invest in Kyra’s business and to help her. The building next door will soon be vacant. I’ve made the owners an offer they can’t refuse, and soon she will have the space she needs. There’s also another warehouse out of the city that I’ve set my sights on. But, again, he doesn’t need to know.

  “What about our plans to build the condos?”

  “That’s not happening.”

  He looks pissed, his face turning as red as a tomato. It hurts him, I’m sure it hurts him real bad, all that money he stands to lose.

  “You have a meeting at two,” my PA reminds me, then leaves.

  “She seems to be getting on,” Neville remarks, amazing me with the speed of his composure. I expected him to have a hissy fit at my announcement.

  “She's going to be a permanent fixture.”

  “You couldn't convince Emma to come back?”

  “To me? Hell, no. She’s made her mind up. She's going to work for Kyra.”

  Neville is about to blow his nose but my words cause him to have something akin to a fit. When he manages to get himself together, he stares at me as if he's seen a ghost. “She's what?”

  “She’s going to be Kyra’s PA. It's about time that woman had some help.”

  “And how do you feel about her poaching your PA?”

  The corners of my lips curl up. “She’s earned it.”

  I try to put on my serious face but fail. It’s hard to do anything but smile when I think of Kyra. We’ve spent the past few weeks together, making up for lost time, discovering everything there is to know about one another. Making love in every which way, making love all day.

  I am in love with this woman. I can't pinpoint when it happened, but she’s not only stolen my heart, she’s saved me. She's my healer, the keeper of my heart, and because of her, I can finally face my demons.

  I am hopeful of a life with her, and maybe even a life with my brother.

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later …

  * * *

  BRANDON

  * * *

  Kyra rolls over on top of me. “That's better,” I tell her, my hands go straight to her buttocks. My cock springs to attention, hard not to when her warm body is skin-to-skin against mine. I knead her flesh slowly. We’ve been trying to get up and leave for the past hour, but I can’t. I want to stay with her in this big, warm, cosy bed.

  “We need to go,” she says, even though her actions indicate nothing of the sort. A wide grin spreads across her mouth as she impales herself on me. I groan. My pleasure intensifying as I watch her sitting on me, naked, starting to ride me slowly.

  I can't take my eyes off this woman. She leans over, her hands grabbing my shoulders as we buck and bump, draining every single ounce of pleasure from one another.

  Who would have thought that this is how we would end up?

  She falls onto me, our sweaty foreheads touching. The silence of the moment is punctuated only by our breaths, long and slow, as we float down from our high.

  “We are going to be late,” Kyra mumbles as she climbs off me. “We need to make a move now, Brandon.”

  I turn my head and glance at the clock. We are late. Damn it. I don't want to leave, but Redhill is celebrating reaching a huge milestone.

  Things have changed there, and after the fire the business took a big hit in production but Kyra now has new premises. A warehouse which is where today's celebrations are taking place, but she also has another factory next to the existing one.

  Kyra wanted to celebrate things getting back to normal again, to moving on after the fire, and this celebration is for all the employees and their children. She's got entertainment for the kids and bouncy castles, as well as catered food and servers.

  She's also invited all of Simona's family, and we're having a surprise birthday cake for her. After the fire she was never able to fit in another birthday celebration for Simona after the other one got spectacularly ruined.

  I recall that day when everything imploded. Jessica did me a favor setting the trap the way she did. She thought it would expose me to Kyra and make her hate me, and it almost did.

  I climb out of bed, unable to stop myself from putting my arms around Kyra. The skin-to-skin contact of our hot, sweaty bodies isn't helping.

  “We should rush.” I don't want to ruin Simona's day again either, but neither of us are making a move, standing with our arms wrapped around one another. My condo has become a place where we cocoon ourselves away from the rest of the world.

  “We can come back,” she suggests, her tone husky, her fingers teasing around my buttocks. “Penny’s back. She’s come home for Christmas.”

  My life has changed so much between summer and now. It’s hard to believe everything that has happened. “That’s great.”

  “It’s nice to have family to share it with,” she says, examining my face carefully.

  “I can imagine.”

  “Is it going to be just the three of us? On Christmas day?”

  She has touched on this before. She and Penny still help out at the soup kitchens a few times over the holiday season, and I intend to be there with them, even if I have to wear a ridiculous disguise. The press seems to have whipped themselves up into a frenzy with our relationship. I can’t imagine what they’d make of me helping out at a soup kitchen over Christmas.

  But Kyra isn’t alluding to that. Nor is she pressing to meet my parents. I’ve kept them out of the loop for now.

  She wants to know about Kane. Seeing Kyra with her sister reminds me of Kane and I often find myself wondering how things would be between the two of us now.

  Kyra often tells me I should try and get in touch with him. I want to, but I'm scared. I let him down. I abandoned him. I broke my promise. Because of my father, I forgot about him. Kyra can tell me a million times that it wasn't my fault, that I did what I did in order to survive, but now I'm too scared to face what might have happened to my little brother.

  We manage to get showered and dressed an
d reach the new warehouse not too late.

  “Hey, dude.” Fredrich slaps a hand on me and I howl in pain. “Damn, I'm sorry.” His face crumples in shock as I try to breathe through the pain.

  “I should wear a 'Stay Away' sign or something.”

  “Totally, dude. You should. You look fine on the outside. It's easy to forget about the burns.”

  It's always easy to forget when you don't see the scars. “Don't worry about it. I'm tougher than I look.”

  Kyra and Emma join us. “He is tougher than he looks,” Emma vouches.

  “My action man hero,” gushes Kyra, in a rare display of public affection and admiration. Standing on my good side, the side that didn't burn, her arm slips around my waist, and she squeezes gently.

  Kyra has hired Emma and she and Fredrich are working together to get things set up here at the new warehouse. Simona has been taking care of the old Redhill premises while Kyra and I—when I can get away from Hawks Enterprises to help her—are getting the factory next door set up.

  Things have sped up insanely.

  The new warehouse is empty for now, and there’s just a huge open space inside, which is why we're holding the event here. A party atmosphere permeates the air, and it no longer looks like an empty, unused space. It will soon be teeming with life next week when equipment and machinery start to arrive.

  Kyra's dreams really have come true.

  “I don't believe it.” Emma's jaw hangs open as she stares outside. The doors to the warehouse are wide open. “Elias Cardoza.”

  “Eli!” My girlfriend sounds just as excited.

  I stare. “You invited them?” Elias Cardoza and his girlfriend are climbing out of a black SUV.

  “I wasn't sure they would come,” Kyra mutters under her breath and heads towards them. We all look on as a tall familiar looking guy helps another woman out of the car.