A key had been left in an envelope taped to the door, yet another indication that there was no need to fear for my safety here. I peeled it off, unlocking the door with that sense of excitement mounting a bit. As it swung open, another smile spread across my lips.
Oh my God. This is mine? Unbelievable.
The interior was spacious and modern, sparsely furnished, but somehow still warm instead of cold or lacking. I took a few careful steps inside, leaving my suitcase near the door, and my gaze moved over the space.
Two leather couches were in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. A TV was mounted against one wall while a custom fireplace took up another. A single rug marked the living area, open to the kitchen, dining room, and a hallway I assumed led to my bedroom.
There was no trace ofhimhere. No memories clinging to the walls. This was all mine, clean lines, natural light, and glossy white countertops in the kitchen that I could easily imagine myself sitting at with my laptop open, getting some work done while I ate—without anyone judging me for it.
I headed over to the balcony, sliding the door open and stepping outside. The breeze caressed my skin. The city stretched out below, alive in a different way than London. This place felt like it was full of possibility, not obligation. I rested my hands lightly against the railing, letting out a slow breath as I took it all in.
This was a new city. A new firm. A new start. It was, in all senses, a new beginning, and I could hardly wait to get started.
CHAPTER 5
JESSE
Two days ago, I’d made an appearance at a party in New York City with Claira Asheboro on my arm. I’d run into her in Miami when I’d gone for a quick visit, and on a whim, I’d asked her to be my date to a gala I had to attend.
As soon as Alex, my oldest brother and the current CEO of Westwood and Sons, walked into my office on Monday morning, I knew he wasnothappy about it. I had a feeling I knew why, too.
As it happened, Claira was the twenty-five-year-old daughter of the mayor of New York City, and for the last forty-eight hours, my name and face had been plastered across every financial and social column in the country.
The press was going nuts about me, the playboy at the center of the Westwood family, being seen with such arefined young lady. Speculation was rife about why we’d been together, whether we were in a secret relationship, and in some instances, even whether there were wedding bells in the near future. It proved they didn’t know me at all.
“Good morning, Alex,” I said, aiming for cheerful ignorance. “What’s up? How was your weekend?”
For a long moment, he didn’t move or speak, just standing right inside the door with his jaw tight and his disappointmentright on schedule. Our matching Westwood blue eyes clashed and held, neither of us backing down.
“Claira Asheboro,” he finally said, like the name itself was evidence in a case he was building against me. “Did youreallythink it was a good idea to make a public appearance with her right now?”
I leaned back in my chair and shrugged. “When you say it like that, it sounds worse than it was. And in my defense, most of our time together was spent in private.”
His eyes narrowed. “A lot of people are talking about this.”
“That’s what people do. They talk. It’ll blow over.”
He blew out a heavy breath. “Jesse, I’d like you to take this seriously.”
“Look, there’s nothing to worry about. Claira and I had our fun together, and now we’ve gone our separate ways.” The second the words left my mouth, I knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
Alex’s expression didn’t just tighten. It snapped. And so did the patience he’d been trying to cling to. He turned and shut the door with a dangerously soft click behind him, then spun to face me again, lookinglivid.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded, his voice booming across the room with enough force to startle me, and I’d been butting heads with him since the day I’d been born. “This is not a joke, Jesse. Because of her father, she’s always in the spotlight, and now you’ve got people telling all kinds of stories about what’s happening between you two.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, because it should have been.
“When you took over for Will as COO, all I asked of you was one thing,” he said. “Just one thing.”
“You asked for a whole lot of things,” I told him.
Alex rolled his eyes. “Sure, but they all boil down to the same thing. As COO, you’re one of the faces of the company now,and I need you to keep a clean image. Corrupting the mayor’s daughter is not keeping a clean image.”
“Okay, fine,” I said, anger rising in me. “What if I want to marry her? All of us brothers are going to be paired off eventually. So what if I chose her? She’s perfect. Don’t you think?”
I had zero intention of marrying Claira or anyone, ever, but I couldn’t resist arguing with Alex when he got like this. It was just a natural reaction.
Alex turned to look at me like I’d just said something in a language he didn’t understand, steam practically coming out of his ears. “Are you delusional?”