"She is," Macey confirmed, wiping chocolate from her fingers. "But don't expect to see her much. She works remotely most days, and when she is here, she's usually on the executive floor. Her husband runs the place, her brother occasionally visitsto speak with him, but even the great Mr. Donati himself isn't always around. He has a lot of business to attend to. Leo Donati, that is." She frowned and shook her head. "Still throws me calling Mr. Cassaro Mr. Donati as well now. At least he doesn't mind just using his first name…" she muttered.
My heart sank. If Meredith was rarely around, getting close to her would be harder than I'd anticipated. And it didn't sound like I'd see an awful lot of Grayson either.
"I understand," I said, keeping my disappointment from showing. "Do you mind me asking why he's Mr. Donati as well now? Did he marry into the family?" I asked, keeping my tone curious and light. From what I'd found online, he'd married, although there wasn't much on his wife.
"Oh no, he actually married Sofia, she's a lovely nurse, Meredith's best friend actually. Recently had a son together, which is keeping them both busy," Macey shared, taking me by surprise.
So Grayson was married and had a son. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Both my half-siblings seemed to be thriving, married with partners and doing great for themselves. A part of me was happy for them, but the other, it was filled with an ugly, dark jealousy.
"Now, as for your question, I believe the Donatis adopted him in a way, so he had his last name changed. He and Leo have been like brothers since I first met Grayson."
"Huh, that's fascinating, I didn't know that," I admitted. "His family was fine with him giving up the family name?"
"They're not alive, either of them," she said, her brows knitting together as she gave me a quizzical look. Had I pushed too much in asking about them? Was she growing suspicious?
"Sorry, my mother never married, I didn't have a father growing up, so I was just wondering how it all worked. I'm sorry to hear they lost their parents," I said, trying to save face.
Macey nodded and focused on some papers before her. "I'm also sorry to hear that, although I'm sure your mother did her best raising you, you ended up going to college and seem like a nice, capable young woman. I guess we'll see just who you are and how well you fit with this company."
"Of course, so, what will I be doing exactly?"
Macey launched into an explanation of accounts payable, receivable, payroll systems, and specialized client invoicing. I was just glad I'd refocused her attention from being potentially suspicious of me. I needed to be careful and trust no one, not until I knew who my siblings were and what happened to my father.
The company structure was more complex than I'd expected, with numerous subsidiaries and partner businesses flowing into the main enterprise.
"Lion Freight Services is our largest subsidiary," Macey explained, pulling up a spreadsheet. "That's Grayson's primary focus. You'll handle their weekly reconciliation reports."
I nodded, mentally filing away this connection to my half-brother. At least I'd be working with his company's finances, even if I might not see him in person.
A knock at the door interrupted Macey's explanation. Roman stood there with another man—taller, broader, with short dark hair and the kind of face that made you look twice. His shoulders filled the doorframe, and the sleeves of his button-down shirt strained against muscular arms. What caught my attention most, though, were his eyes—dark and intense, like they could see right through me.
"Elena, this is Jackson Graves," Roman said. "He manages our IT department and is part of our security team. If you have any computer issues, he's your man."
Jackson stepped forward, extending a hand. "Ms. Peters."
When our hands met, an unexpected flutter raced through my stomach. His grip was firm but not aggressive, his palm warm against mine.
And damn it if he wasn't a delicious piece of eye candy. Ivy would have had a field day with him, trying to lure him into her web.
She's not here, thankfully.
No. He was not an option. I shoved that naughty hope down instantly. We had a job to do.
"Jackson's office is just down the hall," Roman continued. "He'll be setting up your computer access and showing you our systems this afternoon."
"I'll be around if you need anything," Jackson added, his voice deep and smooth. "Computer problems, printer issues, whatever comes up."
Yeah, he had to be married. There was no way he was taken. Not that I'd seen a ring. Again, I shouldn't have even been looking for one.
"Are you suggesting I'll break something on my first day?" I asked, attempting humor to mask the strange effect he was having on me.
The corner of his mouth twitched upward, not quite a smile but close enough to transform his serious face into something dangerously appealing. Curse him. "First days and technology rarely mix well. I'm just being prepared."
That almost-smile did something to my insides that I hadn't expected and definitely didn't want. I was here for a purpose, not to develop a crush on the IT guy. Even if he looked like he could hoist me over his shoulder and bring out all my wildest fantasies.
Yep, my mind was definitely going down the drain. Maybe the past few weeks had been too emotional and I was coming undone.
"I'll try not to crash your entire system before lunch," I promised, the words coming out as I tried to shut off my mind and scold my inner self.
