asked.
“What?”
“The syrup thing,” I clarified. “Dev always used to do that.”
Siva shrugged. “Our mom did it,” he said. “Want to try?”
“Sure,” I said and he dumped a generous amount of syrup onto my eggs.
“Whoa, that’s enough,” I commanded and he chuckled.
“Sloane uh-,” he said clearing his throat. “About last night…” He looked like a lost little boy.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
“I just- I’m not normally like that.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration but it stayed perfectly in place. “I feel very protective of you,” he whispered so softly it was no more than a breath.
“I have a question for you,” I said hesitantly gaging his reaction.
He stiffened and tugged on his green suit jacket. “Go ahead.”
“Why do you always wear long sleeved shirts?” I asked.
He swallowed thickly and squirmed in his seat.
“You know why,” he said.
I nodded my head. “Your scars, I know. But… how did you get them?”
He slammed his hand against the counter. His jaw tightened and his teeth clenched. He turned to me and his violet eyes burned fire. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes?” I said hesitantly but it came out sounding like a question.
His face softened at my hesitance. He took a breath to prepare himself and then plunged. “My father threw me through a window,” he whispered.
I gasped. “No.”
“Yes, he did. That was ten years ago,” Siva took a sip of his juice. “I never did live up to what he wanted me to be. I was the oldest and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to please him but I went through a bit of rebellious stage. Well, rebellious is a bit of an understatement,” he conceded. “It’s funny now… Rajas disowned me but I’m the one that succeeded. Now I’m his biggest rival in business. My dad wasn’t always the hardened man you see today. My father changed after my sister died. He blamed me for her death. He drove my mom away and then he nearly killed me. Only Devak stayed by his side. Maybe that makes Devak the better man but after that I had no respect for my father.”
“Sister? I didn’t know you had a sister,” I breathed.
He nodded his head. “Her name was Saia. She killed herself when she was only fourteen,” he whispered.
Saia. The name tattooed on his chest. I breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt ridiculous.
“I’m not surprised you didn’t know about her. My dad pretended she had never existed after she died and Devak followed suit. I couldn’t forget though,” he hung his head.
“That’s horrible,” I said and meant it.
“What’s done is done. You can’t change the past.” He cleared his throat and grabbed our plates. “We better get to work,” he said.
“Oh right,” I said startled.
I stood and smoothed the skirt of my dress down.
“Where’s Jacob?” I asked looking around.
“He left already,” said Siva, grabbing his stuff and heading for the door.
“I’m sure Mac will be awesome today,” I said sarcastically.
“That guy is a jerk,” said Siva and his fists clenched. “You should stay away from him.”
“Thanks for the advice but I think I can decide that for myself,” I said.
“Of course,” said Siva and his violet eyes flashed dark.
I strapped my messenger bag across my shoulder and grabbed my purse before climbing into the elevator which Siva kept open. The ride down to the garage was silent.
Siva unlocked the Porsche and I climbed in.
The ride to Avid News was a silent one. I kept wringing my hands together imagining five hundred different scenarios for my day. I hoped Mac wouldn’t bother coming in but I was sure my luck wasn’t that good. Siva parked at the front of the building. I opened the car door and started out but was pulled roughly back inside by Siva.
“Sloane,” he said and cleared his throat. “I sincerely hope that I did not cause a problem for you.”
I tried to smile. “It’ll be
“What?”
“The syrup thing,” I clarified. “Dev always used to do that.”
Siva shrugged. “Our mom did it,” he said. “Want to try?”
“Sure,” I said and he dumped a generous amount of syrup onto my eggs.
“Whoa, that’s enough,” I commanded and he chuckled.
“Sloane uh-,” he said clearing his throat. “About last night…” He looked like a lost little boy.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
“I just- I’m not normally like that.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration but it stayed perfectly in place. “I feel very protective of you,” he whispered so softly it was no more than a breath.
“I have a question for you,” I said hesitantly gaging his reaction.
He stiffened and tugged on his green suit jacket. “Go ahead.”
“Why do you always wear long sleeved shirts?” I asked.
He swallowed thickly and squirmed in his seat.
“You know why,” he said.
I nodded my head. “Your scars, I know. But… how did you get them?”
He slammed his hand against the counter. His jaw tightened and his teeth clenched. He turned to me and his violet eyes burned fire. “Do you really want to know?”
“Yes?” I said hesitantly but it came out sounding like a question.
His face softened at my hesitance. He took a breath to prepare himself and then plunged. “My father threw me through a window,” he whispered.
I gasped. “No.”
“Yes, he did. That was ten years ago,” Siva took a sip of his juice. “I never did live up to what he wanted me to be. I was the oldest and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. I wanted to please him but I went through a bit of rebellious stage. Well, rebellious is a bit of an understatement,” he conceded. “It’s funny now… Rajas disowned me but I’m the one that succeeded. Now I’m his biggest rival in business. My dad wasn’t always the hardened man you see today. My father changed after my sister died. He blamed me for her death. He drove my mom away and then he nearly killed me. Only Devak stayed by his side. Maybe that makes Devak the better man but after that I had no respect for my father.”
“Sister? I didn’t know you had a sister,” I breathed.
He nodded his head. “Her name was Saia. She killed herself when she was only fourteen,” he whispered.
Saia. The name tattooed on his chest. I breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt ridiculous.
“I’m not surprised you didn’t know about her. My dad pretended she had never existed after she died and Devak followed suit. I couldn’t forget though,” he hung his head.
“That’s horrible,” I said and meant it.
“What’s done is done. You can’t change the past.” He cleared his throat and grabbed our plates. “We better get to work,” he said.
“Oh right,” I said startled.
I stood and smoothed the skirt of my dress down.
“Where’s Jacob?” I asked looking around.
“He left already,” said Siva, grabbing his stuff and heading for the door.
“I’m sure Mac will be awesome today,” I said sarcastically.
“That guy is a jerk,” said Siva and his fists clenched. “You should stay away from him.”
“Thanks for the advice but I think I can decide that for myself,” I said.
“Of course,” said Siva and his violet eyes flashed dark.
I strapped my messenger bag across my shoulder and grabbed my purse before climbing into the elevator which Siva kept open. The ride down to the garage was silent.
Siva unlocked the Porsche and I climbed in.
The ride to Avid News was a silent one. I kept wringing my hands together imagining five hundred different scenarios for my day. I hoped Mac wouldn’t bother coming in but I was sure my luck wasn’t that good. Siva parked at the front of the building. I opened the car door and started out but was pulled roughly back inside by Siva.
“Sloane,” he said and cleared his throat. “I sincerely hope that I did not cause a problem for you.”
I tried to smile. “It’ll be
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