Chapter 4

• A faint smirk touched Theo's lips, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Honest insight, Miss Evans. Of course I'll talk to my brother too, but I wanted to hear from you as well. I want every detail. If you’re worried about loyalty to Sebastian, don’t be. This isn’t about personal grudges. It’s about salvaging a company that’s been running on reckless decisions.”
• Camille exhaled slowly.
• He wasn’t wrong. She had spent months watching Sebastian make bold, sometimes impulsive, choices. He was a genius when it worked—but when it didn’t, there was no safety net. But still, was telling on your boss to his brother a wise thing to do? Suddenly she regretted not telling Sebastian before she left.
• “I manage his schedule,” she began, choosing her words carefully. “I arrange his meetings, review contracts before they go to legal, and handle investor relations at a surface level.”
• “Which means you know exactly how much of his time is spent on actual business.” Theo’s gaze didn’t waver.
• Camille hesitated again before answering. “Mr Lawrence is… selective with his priorities, but he gets the job done.”
• Theo let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a scoff. “That’s a polite way of putting it.”
• She kept her expression neutral. “He’s good at building relationships. Clients and investors like him. He makes them feel confident.”
• “That’s not the same as managing risk,” Theo said. “Tell me about the deals he’s approved recently. Were there any that raised concerns?”
• Camille’s mind flickered back to the late-night phone calls, the contracts she had been asked to rush through without proper vetting, the projects that seemed more like passion plays than sound investments.
• Finally, she met Theo’s gaze. He was staring at her as if he could see through her. Camille had never been a good liar, and she felt like she'd screw up badly if she attempted to now, especially under Theo's gaze, so she said, “Yes. A few.”
• Theo studied her for a long moment. Then he nodded. “You’ll send me a list of those deals. And from now on, I want to be copied on anything significant that crosses your desk.”
• Her stomach tightened slightly. “You want me to report to you?”
• “I want transparency,” Theo corrected. “You’re in a position to see what others overlook. If something doesn’t seem right, I expect to know about it.”
• Camille held his gaze. This was new territory. Dangerous, even, and she didn't want to be a part of it. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then tried again. “Mr Lawrence, while I understand your concerns, I can't help but wonder…. Should I—”
• Theo’s head tilted slightly, and his gaze sharpened. “Tell Sebastian?” he completed before she could finish the sentence.
• The room seemed to go still.
• Camille swallowed. “I just don’t want to create unnecessary tension—”
• Theo leaned forward, resting his forearms on the desk. His voice was quiet, but firm. “Tell him whatever you think is best, Miss Evans. But keep in mind—I’ll know if the narrative changes.”
• His voice was calm, and so was his countenance, but she could tell that this was a warning. A test.
• Camille held his gaze, forcing herself not to react. He was indirectly making her his spy… To snitch on his brother, her boss. She nodded. “Understood, Mr. Lawrence.”
• After a beat, Theo leaned back again, dismissing the conversation like it had been a simple exchange of information, then returned his attention to the file in front of him, “That’ll be all, Miss Evans. You may leave.”
• Camille stood, smoothing down her skirt before turning to leave. But as she reached the door, he spoke again.
• “And Miss Evans?”
• She turned back.
• His eyes were sharp, unreadable. “You’ve been handling my brother’s chaos for six months. I imagine that hasn’t been easy.”
• She gave a small, professional smile, still processing what he'd just told her to do. “It’s part of the job.”
• Theo hummed, as if considering something. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he dismissed her.
• Camille left the office with her heart beating just a little too fast. This was going to be very different from working under Sebastian, and trouble was on the way. She could feel it.
• _____________
• Two days later, Camille sat at her desk, scrolling through her emails with forced focus. The company was hosting a social event that evening—one meant to welcome Theo Lawrence back to Chicago and reinforce investor confidence. It was set to be an evening of sleek suits, expensive champagne, and carefully crafted smiles.
• And she had every intention of avoiding it.
• She wasn’t required to attend. It wasn’t like she was in the investment department, and besides, she wasn’t particularly eager to stand in a room where the Lawrence brothers would command all the attention—for very different reasons.
• No doubt Sebastian would also be in the company of one of his many, many dates, and why would she want to put herself through the torture of watching him forget that she was in the room or that she even existed.
• The door to the office swung open, pulling her from her thoughts.
• Theo walked in, his presence effortlessly commanding as usual.
• “Good morning, Mr Lawrence” she said, keeping her voice even.
• “Morning,” Theo replied, his gaze lingering on her for a few seconds as he muttered, “Is my brother in?”
• “Yes, he is… But…”
• It was pointless to continue, because without another word, Theo strode past her and into Sebastian’s office, shutting the door behind him.
• Unbelievable! Camille exhaled as she stood up and followed him immediately. Yes, Theo had every right to see his brother, but it was also her job to schedule Sebastian’s meetings, as well as inform him when he had a visitor. People couldn't just barge into his office. It was her job to ensure that they didn't, and surely, Theo could respect that, couldn't he?
• She opened the door and popped her head in, “I'm sorry, Mr Lawrence but I tried to tell him that you didn't want any…”
• “That's alright,” said Sebastian, waving his hands to let her know all was well, “Believe me, I know my brother and his ways. I'm quite used to it,”
• But she wasn't, Camille thought, and she shot a judgmental look at Theo before she shut the door again and returned to her desk.
• She hadn't seen Theo since their conversation two days ago. He hadn't followed up on her promise to send him reports. He hadn’t asked if she’d mentioned anything to Sebastian. But she knew better than to assume he had forgotten.