Chapter 12 WORK IN THE COMPANY
NOVA'S POV
Richard Blackthorn's car pulled up to the estate on a Thursday afternoon, three days after we'd found my mom's letter in that storage unit.
I was in the library trying to focus on a book when I heard the tires crunching over gravel. Then voices in the foyer, loud enough to carry. Riley appeared in the doorway thirty seconds later, wringing her hands.
"Miss Sinclair?" She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Mr. Blackthorn just got back from his trip. He's asking that everyone gather for dinner tonight at seven. He was very specific about wanting you there, and said it was an important family business."
My stomach twisted itself into knots. "Did he say what kind of business?"
"No ma'am, he didn't share details with me. Just emphasized that all three of you needed to be present." She hesitated. "Should I have the kitchen prepare anything special for you? I know you're not fond of fish."
"No, whatever they're making is fine." I closed my book. "Thank you for letting me know, Riley."
She nodded and left, pulling the door closed softly behind her.
I hadn't seen Richard since that first dinner where he'd talked about putting me in his will. I'd been hoping maybe he'd forgotten about it. That it was just something rich people said when they were trying to be polite and welcoming.
But the way Riley had delivered that message told me I wasn't that lucky.
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The dining room was already filled with the boys and their father when I entered. It was like they were all waiting for me to come.
I ended up sitting directly across from Callum and Elias, which meant I had to stare at them through the entire dinner.
Callum had changed into a dark charcoal shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his gray eyes kept tracking my every movement like he was cataloging them.
Elias wore something more casual but still clearly expensive, and his hair was sticking up in places like he'd been running his hands through it over and over.
Richard claimed the head of the table like a king taking his throne.
He was still tall, still built like someone who spent regular time in a private gym somewhere, his hair going silver in that specific way that made men look distinguished instead of just old.
"Nova." He smiled when I walked in, but the expression never quite reached his eyes. "It's good to have you back under this roof. I apologize for being away so long. I had some fires that needed putting out at the Singapore office."
"It's completely fine," I said, because what else was I supposed to say? That I'd been relieved he wasn't here after the first meeting?
Staff members I didn't recognize brought out plates of perfectly arranged fish with some kind of sauce drizzled in decorative patterns, vegetables that had been cut into precise shapes.
The kind of food that was designed to look like art instead of something you actually ate.
We all sat there eating in complete silence. Just the sound of forks scraping against fine china, ice clinking in crystal glasses.
The quiet stretched out so long I thought I might actually lose my mind from the tension of it.
Finally, Richard set down his fork with a soft click that seemed to echo in the quiet room. "I need to discuss something important with all of you. It can't wait any longer."
Here it comes, I thought, gripping my own fork tighter.
"Nova, I spent most of my time away meeting with our family lawyers in their main office." He looked directly at me, his expression completely unreadable. "And we discussed the will."
My throat closed up completely. "You really don't need to go through all that trouble for me—"
"I absolutely do need to, and I'm going to." His voice cut through the room like a knife. "Your mother was an important part of this family, even if her time with us was shorter than any of us wanted. And you are important to this family now. Which is exactly why I've made arrangements for you to start working at Blackthorn Industries starting from Monday morning."
I nearly dropped my fork. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
"You need a steady income and a real career path, not just temporary work here and there." Richard picked up his wine glass and swirled it once. "And according to what Callum has told me, you have your mother's natural mind for business."
Callum was staring down at his plate like he was trying to set it on fire using only his mind.
"I never said anything about wanting to work at your company," I said, hearing my pulse hammering in my ears. "I don't have the right experience for that kind of job, I wouldn't even know where to start—"
"That doesn't matter because it's already been arranged." Richard set his wine glass down. "Callum will be your direct supervisor. You'll be starting in the acquisitions department where you can learn how we operate from the ground up."
"Dad, maybe we should have discussed this with Nova before making all these arrangements—" Callum started, finally looking up.
"There's nothing left to discuss because it's already done." Richard's voice went hard as stone. "Unless you have some kind of objection to working with her?"
Something passed between them across the table. Some kind of silent conversation I wasn't a part of and couldn't understand.
Callum's jaw flexed hard but he went back to pushing food around his plate without saying another word.
"This doesn't make any sense," I said, looking around the table at all of them. "I can't just show up at your company on Monday morning. I don't have any of the right experience, I don't have appropriate clothes for an office like that, I don't have—"
"Riley is taking you shopping first thing tomorrow morning to get everything you need." Richard waved his hand through the air like he was swatting away an annoying insect.
"I don't want to spend your money like that—"
"It's not charity and it's not a handout." Elias spoke up for the first time since we'd sat down, his voice coming out sharp and tight. "This is what families do for each other. We take care of our own people, and whether you like it or not, you're one of our people now."
I stared at him, watching the way his knuckles had gone white where he was gripping his fork.
"As for the will, I'm having the lawyers come here to the estate on Friday morning," Richard continued like I hadn't been arguing with him at all. "We'll make all the changes official then. You'll be included in everything."
The whole room seemed to tilt sideways. Or maybe that was just my vision going weird.
"I need to leave," I said, pushing back from the table so hard my chair made a horrible scraping sound against the floor. "I need some air right now."
"Nova, just wait a second—" Callum was already pushing his own chair back.
"I'm fine, I promise. I just need a minute to myself." I was already walking toward the door, moving fast before anyone could try to stop me.