I gape at him for a long moment. Really long. The day I had heard the black suit guy talking to him, I heard him mention William, but come on, the possibility of these two Williams being the same man never crossed my mind. 

"Holy shit," I breathe out and lean back. "You're his son!" I run my hand through my hair. Pieces slowly fall back into place. I recall the rumors that went around him and his first wife. How he had been an ass to her, but they soon died out, after all the guy could easily buy half of the people who talked behind his back's businesses.

But there was never any mention of a supposed older son. Even when I met and slept and spend over a week with Kristian Wright, he never spoke of having an older brother.

"Kristian is your brother?"

"Half brother," he sharply corrects me before narrowing his eyes. "How do you know him?"

I offer a weak smile and try to shrug. The idea of having slept with his stepbrother makes me oddly uncomfortable. "The community is really small, everyone knows each other."

Though my feeble explanation doesn't make him stop eyeing me suspiciously. He sighs and starts walking to the living room and I get to my feet and hurry behind him.

"Is that why you minored in business?" I wonder aloud as he sits on the black sofa, right beneath the magnificent painting.

Pressing his lips into a thin line he glares at the wall across from him. Even though I know I shouldn't be pushing my luck with him, I settle right next to him on the sofa and shift, angling myself in a way that I'm facing him directly.

"I wanted to understand what he does," he softly admits. Then shrugs. "For a while, I thought if I knew a thing or two business and economics, I'd be able to bring him down, make him live the life he forced my mother to live."

My heart squeezes painfully for him. Everything makes so much more sense. The reason why he helped me so much and why he is the way he is.

From the corner of his eye, he glances at me. "I outgrew it though." A side of his lip twitches upwards in an attempt for a weak smile.

"All businessmen are one wrong move away from bankruptcy," I recite the words Dad always used to say.

Spencer turns to me. "I guess, but I don't care anymore."

Suddenly Nathan's deal comes into my mind. After everything that happened on Friday, that dinner night seems so far away now.

I fidget with my fingers, for some unexplainable reason, it feels like I'm betraying Spencer by making a deal with his father. Uncomfortably I shift on my spot, and his eyes narrow on me.

"I've made a deal with your dad... well before my dad..." my voice trails down, I avoid looking at him. I inhale sharply. "I made a deal with him, kind of, on Wednesday night... I don't know if the deal stands now after everything I did today. But..." my voice trails down.

I need the deal intact now more than ever I realize. In the spar of the moment, the ache of losing Dad momentarily made me overlook everything. Maybe shouting my lungs out at William Wright wasn't the wisest thing to do. Even though he probably deserved it.

Spencer's sharp exhale pulls me out of my thoughts. "Why would you do that?" he angles himself towards me.

"Okay, first off, I didn't know he was your dad, and second... he offered a job to me but I don't know if it-"

"Wait what?" he interrupts me, straightening himself. "He offered a job to you? To work in Judy Corp?"

I shrug. "Kind of, Nathan's father and he are business partners, Nathan told me everything. He needs me, he wants to use my name, to help bring down Benjamin Stewart."

He stares at me with incredulity. "And you're willingly going to let him use you?"

"It's more of mutual usage of each other," I say, sounding unsure even to my own ears.

"Unbelievable," he mutters, shaking his head. "You do realize he's going to throw you out the moment he's done with you. And what are you going to do in his company anyway? You've majored in maths."

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe accounting or something."

He laughs bitterly. "How can you be so naïve? That guy dies for his money. He's going to use you as his shield, let you take all the burn and the moment the fight's over and he has won, he'll throw you out. If the deal's over, well good, if not, call it off."

I rub my brow and shake my head. "I need this deal," I silently admit. My voice is so soft at first I assume he didn't hear me.

A beat goes by, he inhales sharply and shifts on the sofa, facing me entirely, and starts in a much calmer tone. "Gracie, you're going through a hard time, how about you don't decide about these things right now?"

I shake my head. "In fact, now it's clearer than ever, I need this job. I need Nathan's family to back me up, I need your dad's support."

He releases a rush of breath.

"Can you talk to him and maybe convince him to not call off the deal?" I desperately ask.

Perking up, he backs away from me slightly. "No." He shakes his head and pushes his glasses up. "Absolutely not. I have spent the last ten years of my life staying out of his life and making sure he stays out of mine. I am not going to do that. Never."

"But-"

"No," he snaps harsher and I shut up. Regret flashes across his face and he leans towards me slightly. "You shouldn't get involved with him and his business tactics either."

My bottom lip quivers and he opens his mouth but I shake my head. "There is no other way, okay? For months I've been telling myself it's just a rough phase and it'll be over, we'll get over it and my dad will rise high back up. But that's never going to happen now because he's dead." My voice breaks and I look away.

Shallow breaths tear out of my mouth, but I continue, "You were young when your parents separated so you don't remember anything of the lavish lifestyle your parents must've had, but you saw what it did to your mom. I lost my dad because of bankruptcy. Because Benjamin Stewart made sure he won't be able to find a job anywhere, and those who he didn't blackmail, probably felt threatened by letting my Dad into their businesses. And it's not about revenge. I'm scared I'll lose Mom and I'm tired."

Pushing my fingers through my hair, I return my gaze back to him, even though my throat squeezes painfully and tears burn my eyes, I keep talking, "I want what's rightfully mine. The company Benjamin stole from us, is my dad's life's hard work. No matter what I do though, my life won't ever go back to normal, to the way it was before. My family won't ever be complete again." A tear falls down my cheek and I take in a shaky breath to calm my ragged breathing.

"No matter what, I won't ever get to have my dad back... but I still have Mom and Mason and I cannot afford to lose them the way I lost Dad. I can't, and I don't care if William's going to use my presence just to piss off Benjamin, I really don't, I just want to make sure Mom and Mason don't wither away like my dad." I wipe the tears streaming down with the back of my hand.

Lips pressed into a thin line, creases of concern furrow his smooth forehead as Spencer gazes at me. "There has to be another way... just... we- I'll think of something, give me some time, okay? But working with him is not an option."

I open my mouth to reply but he quickly adds, "Trust me, I'll come up with something, I promise. There are always other ways to reach a goal. I need some time to think. Trust me on this one."

As I hold his eyes, I realize I trust him already. And it's not like I have any other options except waiting. So I nod.

The determination and worry in his features have my chest tightening and warmth washes over me. A great contrast to the icy numbness I've been feeling deep within myself since Friday.

In this cold and lonely world, my world, Spencer Wright's reassurance is the only thing anchoring me to reality, helping me stay sane and keep on going. Ever since Friday his prominent presence has kept me afloat. Perhaps words won't ever be enough to describe the gratitude I feel towards him. How it swells my heart, keeps me from breaking down.

Hesitantly he moves to me, his thumb lightly brushes over my cheek, wiping away a traitorous stray tear. My senses evoke pushing me into a hyper-awareness state. The skin electrifies beneath his touch as his fingers remain on my cheek, bringing me back to life. A burst of light in the darkness.

Our eyes remain locked, my heart races, the fluttering in my stomach gets too much to handle as I note his handsome features. His mesmerizing dark blue eyes behind his black-framed glasses, the dark brown lock of hair falling on his forehead, his straight nose, and full lips. I lick my parted dry lips.

Maybe it's the wine I had, or maybe it's because of the roller coaster of emotions I went through in the past two weeks. Whatever the case, my mind throws all rational thinking out of the window.

In a heartbeat, I lean to him, closing the small gap between us, and press my lips to his. He tastes like the wine we just had and his lips are soft. I sense him tensing, freezing for a moment, and hesitantly moving his fingers from my cheek to cup my face. His movement is unsure as if he's battling with himself, struggling to either pull away or succumb. But I don't pull away, savoring the sense of his lips as I let my hand rest on his chest.

Something in him snaps, because just as I'm about to give up and part from him, his hand moves to the back of my head, and his other hand snakes around me, pulling me to him.

His lips move in sync with mine. Soft, sweet, and tender. My heart flutters, the world melts away as I lose myself in the moment. In him.

My fingers tangle in his soft hair, I enjoy the pleasant feeling of running my fingers through his wavy hair. My free hand holds on to his shoulder.

A fire ignites in me, and every movement of his lips fuels it. Every passing beat makes me crave his touch even more. I burn for him, with him.

Light-headed and breathless, I refuse to let go of him as I lay down on the sofa and pull him with me as our lips stay locked.

I kiss him with more fervor, my entire body buzzing with excitement and the desire to have him even closer to me.

I run my palm down his back, feeling the toned muscles as he slowly gives in, closing the small gap still remaining between our bodies. As his rock-hard body presses down on me, a tingling sensation erupts all over me. His glasses slide down slightly, the cool frame pressing against my skin but not in an unpleasant way. It's purely and uniquely him, how can that ever be unpleasant?

He kisses me ravenously, harder, and rougher. His tongue dances with mine, his palm moves from my waist to my mid-thigh before creeping back up. And I still want more.

Spencer breaks the kiss; our ragged breaths mingle together. My eyes flutter open and for a moment I'm awestruck by his sheer beauty up this close.

It takes me a moment to catch my breath and register the crease between his brows.

He softly curses under his breath, a stream of fucks underlaid by frustration.

Not done with him, before he gets the chance to pull himself together and move away, I find his lips with mine in another hot and passionate kiss.

He tries to resist, I notice how he tenses again but it's just for a flash and he soon resigns to me. I melt into his touch. Once more the buzzing, the fluttering of my heart, the lightheadedness takes over me. A painfully delightful shifting sense near my heart has me flushed and breathless.

He kisses me hungrily as if he's aware of the effect he has on me and is thoroughly enjoying it. This time when he slides his palm up from my thigh, he moves it beneath the white shirt. Just the mere contact of his fingertips with the exposed skin of my waist breaks goosebumps across my skin a pleasant shiver washes over my body.

Heat pools in my core, the fire of need and desire runs through my veins. I moan into his mouth, pulling him even closer, letting my hands discover any spot they can reach to it.

In that instant, he halts and abruptly pulls away from me entirely. The sudden lack of warmth snaps me out of the blissful daze his lips had pushed me into. I prop myself up on my elbows as I watch his expression from hunger and lust turn to shame, frustration, and anger.

Spencer jumps to his feet and I sit upright, staring at him with confusion as he paces the hall and runs his hand through his hair, shaking his head.

I hug myself, as embarrassment bleeds into my system. I shouldn't have done that.

∞ ∞ ∞

They finally kissed!! ^.^ 

Lmao, in my other book, it took 45 chaps for my MCs to kiss each other and I honestly thought that's it, that it literally won't be possible to take longer in any of my other stories, but here we are XD oh my gosh, I really don't know why it took so long XD

Regardless, the main reason I was excited about this chapter (except the kissing part of course) is from now onwards, any chapter that these two dummies will be present at, things will be pretty heated (comparatively speaking lol) and we are getting to the fun part of the book =D

Anyways, tell me your thoughts on this chapter!

I hope you enjoyed it (and that the waiting was worth it) if so please don't forget to vote.

Next chapter will be up tomorrow =)

Thank you sooo much for reading this story *.*

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading! <333