Jane took charge, immediately launching into the primary reason for today’s meeting. “Wyatt is about to graduate from college. Since his actual trust from the Thayer estate is still tangled up with all that business with Dad, Alex and I would like to set up an account for him to access as part of his inheritance.”
Miranda glanced at me. “Wyatt is their youngest brother, and Alex is Jane’s husband.”
I dipped my chin in a nod and quickly made a note of that as they started discussing the proposed inheritance. It was almost a relief that this meeting wasn’t just about standard corporate matters. With the estate elements woven in, it was familiar territory. I followed easily, asking questions where necessary, filling in gaps, and letting them lead while still making it clear I was paying attention.
It was comfortable and engaging until Miranda finally got down to the nitty-gritty details of the account Jane wanted toset up. “So this money is coming from the Westwood side of the family, correct? You and Alex are essentially stepping in to give Wyatt what he would’ve been due upon his graduation from college, but it’s not a loan against his Thayer trust.”
I glanced up.The Westwood side of the family? What the…
Once again, Miranda turned to me to explain. “Jane is married to Alex Westwood. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, the Westwoods.”
Her eyes twinkled as she said it, knowing that I had murky connections to them, but mercifully not bringing it up. I managed to keep my expression neutral and professional. Internally, however, there was a very distinct moment ofoh, for God’s sakeas the realization settled in. They kept moving forward with the meeting, but their words were now flowing around me as I wondered if I’d ever be able to escape that damn family.
A little while later, they wrapped up, thankfully without me accidentally blurting out anything wildly inappropriate likesmall worldorI promise I’m not one of them.Colin shook my hand again before they left. Jane smiled and wished me well in the new city. Then they were gone and I closed my notebook slowly, turning toward Miranda the second the door clicked shut behind them.
“Quick question,” I said. “Why are corporate lawyers like ourselves overseeing estate law?”
Strangely, Miranda absolutely lit up, beaming at me like I’d asked exactly the right question. “Oh, you’re going to feel so at home here. With families like that, business and personal estates overlap constantly. Marriage, inheritance, and ownership, it all blurs together. You can’t really separate one from the other.”
That made sense. Annoyingly those people had enough money and large enough companies that even their billions blurred.
“We do some work with the Westwoods as well,” she said lightly, like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb into my afternoon without any regard for my sanity. “They have their own in-house legal teams for most of it, but between the Thayers and the Westwoods, we wind up doing quite a bit of estate work at times. It kind of goes in cycles.”
“Right,” I muttered. “The Thayersandthe Westwoods are clients. Wonderful.”
Miranda either didn’t hear me or chose not to acknowledge it. “Jane is an old friend. She kept working with us even after her marriage. Her brothers as well. Douglas Westwood, their patriarch, used to do some business with my father too, so after Alex, who’s their current CEO, married Jane and found out that she knows me, he chose to keep some of their business with us.”
“Good to know,” I said, snapping my notebook shut.
Just what I need. More proximity to that family.
Fate had a sense of humor for sure. I just wasn’t entirely convinced it liked me.
“I think I’ll go out for lunch,” I said as Miranda and I were finally leaving the conference room. I needed air right now, distance from last names that came with history and weight.
Miranda smiled. “That’s a good idea. There are plenty of great little restaurants and cafes around here to explore. Downtown is fantastic to walk around when you need to satisfy your mid-day cravings and clear your mind.”
Ah, so she does know what a blow this was.
I returned her smile. “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”
Chicago, thankfully, delivered on her promises and it was exactly what I’d been hoping for. It was a warm, early autumn day, the air still holding on to summer but hinting at cooler days just around the corner.
I walked without much direction, letting myself get a little lost in the downtown district. Everyone else seemed to knowexactly where they were going, but I didn’t mind not knowing. After buying an iced coffee from a small café on the corner, I found a small park tucked neatly between office buildings and towering skyscrapers. Then I found a bench and sat down, pleasantly surprised at how peaceful it was.
I took a slow sip of my drink, letting my gaze drift over the skyline and finally feeling like I could breathe again. There was plenty of glass, steel, and movement, but it was still tranquil. It was also different from London. Less restrained.
I liked it here. The only dark spot marring an otherwise perfect clean slate was the constant looming shadow of my grandparents’ family that I wanted nothing to do with. Hopefully, the city was large enough that I would never actually see them.
I was just starting to relax when a literal shadow fell over me. Frowning, I glanced up and lowered my drink from my lips without really meaning to, my hopes already dashed.
Jesse Westwood stood only a few feet away, casually flipping through a newspaper like he’d picked it up specifically for the bit. He didn’t look at me right away, slowly turning a page instead and appearing to be deeply invested in whatever headline he was pretending to read.
I didn’t buy that for one second. Finally, when his eyes flicked to mine like he’d known where to look, it confirmed what I’d already known. He was doing this on purpose.
Even so, he rolled his gaze back down to the newspaper and I took another sip of my coffee, unimpressed with this little act he was putting on. Eventually, however, it started looking like he was willing to keep it up all day, so I finally lowered the cup again and arched an eyebrow at him.
“What do you want?”