Chapter 576

Chapter 576

Kyle hadn't directly said yes to helping Harper yet.

But hearing it straight from his mouth gave her a quiet confidence. She figured there was at least a 70% chance he'd be willing to make the introduction — he wanted to use this favor as a way to repay what he owed her from before.

Harper was more than happy with that.

Kyle continued, "That said, you know how it is with someone at that level. We can never fully know what's going on in their head, so I can't promise you'll get what you're after."

"I understand that completely." Harper smiled, easy and clear-eyed. "You can lead a horse to water. Whether it works out in the end is still up to me."

Just having Kyle willing to make the introduction was already a huge breakthrough for Harper.

"One more thing." After a moment, Kyle added, with a certain weight to his words, "As Ms. Orsini knows, I don't have much overlap with your side of things. We stay in our own lanes. So whatever Ms. Orsini does next — I'm afraid there's not much more I'll be able to help with."

Harper paused.

Then it clicked.

She shook her head with a small smile. "I understand. All I need is the business card you mentioned. What happens after that is on me — I won't bother you again."

Kyle's meaning was clear enough now.

He was willing to step in, and yes, it was to return the favor — no question about that.

But at the same time, a small debt to Harper wasn't enough to get him to put more skin in the game.

He had no interest in going up against Dominic.

And he had no interest in vouching heavily for Harper when he ran into others down the line.

So at most, he'd introduce Harper to the person he had in mind.

Anything beyond that, Kyle wanted no part of. He didn't even want Harper's connection to pull him into unnecessary friction with the Davis family.

Harper fully understood the position he was in as the head of his family.

She had no complaints.

Kyle could see she knew how to read the room, and it made him think even more of her.

Still, he glanced at the time and said, with a touch of regret, "It's gotten quite late though. If Ms. Orsini doesn't mind, you're welcome to stay the night."

He stood and walked Harper out of the study.

The guest room was already prepared.

"Let us know if you need anything," he said. "Tomorrow I'll take you to meet Mr. Barnes."

Barnes. So that was his name.

Harper finally had a small piece of the picture — a name to put to the figure Kyle had been referring to.

It was late, and she wasn't going to push back. Having this kind of chance to build a closer rapport with Kyle was something worth holding onto.

So she stayed the night.

Once she'd settled in, she called Caden to check in on how things were going on his end.

"How's it going over there?" she asked, casual.

Caden paused, then let out a breath. "Kimber showed up today. She waited outside the office building for a while, but I left through the parking garage and didn't run into her."

There was a faint note of self-satisfaction in his voice. "I've heard what's been going on with her. But she made her own choices — she can live with them. We already did more than enough for her back then."

Harper bit back a smile, listening to Caden put distance between himself and Kimber.

"Good call," she said, playing along. "I had a feeling you wouldn't give her the time of day, which is exactly why I felt fine leaving that whole situation in your hands."

They were deep in the warmth of the conversation when someone knocked at the door.

Harper's smile faded a little.

She'd already told Caden she was staying at Kyle's for the night.

But it was late, and she'd made clear she didn't need anything. Who would be knocking at this hour?

She caught Caden's eyes on the screen, then opened the door.

It was Mason.

Given how many times he'd interrupted her today, Harper was already running low on patience. She let out a tired sigh. "Mr. Cruz, it's late. Is there something you needed to talk to me about?"

"Not really. Just wanted to check if you're comfortable, see if there's anything you need." He was holding a glass of warm milk and held it out toward her. "I noticed your light was still on. Trouble sleeping in a new place? This might help."

Harper didn't take it.

"I'm fine." She waved it off politely. "I don't drink anything this late at night. And I have to be sharp tomorrow for the meeting with Mr. Barnes. If there's nothing else, Mr. Cruz, you should probably get some rest too."

The gesture had gone nowhere. Mason's disappointment was written all over his face.

But he didn't leave. He lingered in the doorway, clearly reluctant to walk away empty-handed.

He fumbled for something else to say, stalling for time. "Well... would you like some fruit instead?"

"Or maybe there's something you want to know about Mr. Barnes? I've met him a few times. Maybe I could be useful."

"We don't get many guests here. I just didn't want you to feel out of place."

Harper was well past the point of tolerating it.

And on the other end of the phone, Caden had run out of patience too. His voice came through clearly: "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Cruz. It's getting late though — I'll thank you in person another time."

Harper heard the edge underneath the politeness. It sounded less like gratitude and more like something said through gritted teeth.

She fought to keep a straight face.

Mason had caught on too — he recognized Caden's voice. His expression shifted, something in it folding inward.

He took a step back and gave Harper a strained smile. "My apologies for the interruption. I didn't realize Ms. Orsini was on a call. I won't take up any more of your time."

With that, he turned and left.

His retreating figure looked deflated, his steps carrying the quiet energy of someone making a hasty exit.

Harper felt a small pang of sympathy — but mostly relief. At least he'd had the sense to stop pushing.

Once the door was closed, she said to Caden, "Last time I saw him, he wasn't quite this... forward."

"I figured working at the company for a while might have helped him grow up a bit. Guess that didn't happen."

Truth be told, Harper really didn't want her partnership with the Cruz family to run into unnecessary problems just because of Mason. But some things weren't in her control.

She let out a resigned sigh and said goodnight to Caden.

The next morning she was up early. She found Kyle and they began going over the plan for meeting Mr. Barnes.

They were almost out the door when Mason came hurrying after them.

This time he directed himself at Kyle. "Dad, something this simple — just dropping Ms. Orsini off — let me handle it."

He glanced at Harper, then turned back to Kyle. "I've met Mr. Barnes before too. We actually got along pretty well."

Harper's eyebrow lifted slightly. She quietly watched Kyle's reaction.

No pushback. No sign of doubt.

So Mason hadn't been making that up.