Chapter 167
KESTER.
I closed the door as carefully as possible so as not to wake Kasmine up. She was still sound asleep, her body curled beneath the covers, lost in the kind of deep rest only I could give her. I wasn’t about to disturb that.
We were supposed to go scuba diving today, but after last night, I wasn’t sure she’d have the energy for it. Maybe we’d take the day off and stick to something easier–like the bonfire at the villa tonight. She’d love that.
For now, I had other things to deal with.
I strode to my room, my mind already shifting into work mode. A shower first–then emails. I knew there’d be a flood of them waiting for me, along with the hundreds of messages from my father that I’d purposely ignored yesterday.
I’d deal with him later.
The moment the hot water hit my skin, tension melted from my muscles. I let it run over me, closing my eyes for just a second longer than necessary, letting my mind drift. It had been a long time since I felt this–contentment.
Not peace. Not exactly. But something close. Something I only ever felt when Kasmine
was with me.
After my bath, I stepped out, letting the cool air hit my skin. I toweled off, applied lotion, and pulled on my usual–sweatpants and a black singlet, an easy go–to.
As I reached for my laptop, my gaze caught on the tattoo on my arm.
A slow smile stretched across my lips.
Mine.
Every time I looked at it, it reminded me of her–of what she meant to me, of how deeply she was etched into me. Even when she wasn’t physically by my side, she was here.
Getting these tattoos was the best decision I’d made in a long time.
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For a brief moment, I stood by the window, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun. The air was fresh, the ocean breeze slipping through. The day promised calm..
Then I opened my laptop.
And just like that, the calm was gone.
Thirty–four emails.
My jaw tensed.
I grabbed my phone, unlocking it with a flick of my thumb. Twenty–one texts. Forty–eight
voicemails.
What the fuck?
Was my pack on fire? Had the world ended overnight?
A muscle feathered in my jaw as I stared at my screen, irritation curling in my gut.
I decided to look at my emails first. They were all from the office.
I clicked on the first email, and Ryhs’s name flashed at the top. My eyes skimmed through the message, irritation shifting into something else. Worry.
It came in as URGENT.
Ryhs: “I don’t know what the fuck is happening
but our suppliers in Scotland have
practically shut us out. We were already struggling with Belinzo prioritizing Valor Lante’s shipments, but now even our backup suppliers are pulling back.
I’ve spoken with Mellors Holdings–or tried to. They won’t return my calls. Neither will Bexley Shipping. That’s not a coincidence. Someone is leaning on them hard.
Our latest shipment of semiconductors, scheduled for this week, has been rerouted. It was supposed to be ours. Instead, it’s been redirected to Valor Lante. Again.
If we don’t act fast, our Scotland branch will go under. We’re already bleeding money trying to keep this, and we’ll be forced to cut
things afloat. Another quarter lik
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operations.
We need leverage. We need a way to make Belinzo hurt for this. Tell me how you want to proceed.”
I felt my heart pick up speed.
Fuck!
Alpha Kex was biting more than he could chew.
I exhaled slowly, my jaw tightening. They were cutting us off completely. No suppliers, not
shipments. No fucking product.
The next email was from Logan Drake, my Legal Advisor.
Subject: Re: Belinzo–Valor Lante Contract Review
Kester,
I went over the contract between Belinzo and Valor Lante again, and there’s no easy way in. The exclusivity clause is airtight. Belinzo legally has the right to prioritize Valor Lante
for the next two years.
Even if we wanted to challenge it, it would take months–maybe a year–before we could get a ruling. That’s time we don’t have.
But I did find something interesting. The clause only applies to direct competitors in our sector. If we shift part of our supply needs through a third–party shell company, we might be able to work around the exclusivity agreement. It’s risky as hell, but it’s a move.
Let me know if you want me to dig deeper.
Logan.
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I closed my eyes briefly. A workaround. A risky one. If Belinzo caught wind of it, they could rewrite their agreement and block us out entirely.
But if we didn’t act, we were done.
The next email was from Maya Lorne, Head of Finance.
Chapter Comments
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give up on him already june. have some self respect
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Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother
