Chapter 1
I’ve been working for Mr. Theo Hanover for a little over a year. I’m still living in the same brownstone I shared with my college roommate, and best friend Olivia. After we graduated from the University of Chicago, she moved to Rogers Park with her now fiancé, Isaac.
Hanover & Associates recently added a junior partner, Miles Hanover. Olivia’s older brother has always been a bit of a playboy, so when Theo asked me to take on the role of Miles’ assistant, I groaned a little. I have no interest in taking calls for his countless girlfriends or helping him juggle his busy dating schedule. Today is my first day as Miles’ assistant, so I made sure to drink an extra cup of coffee.
“CeCe, can you meet me in my office to go over my schedule for the week?” Miles sounds a bit uncomfortable.
“Of course,” I grab my planner and coffee mug.
Once we’re in his office with the door closed, Miles smiles at me in an almost apologetic fashion. He resembles his mother more than his father with the same dirty blonde hair and steely gray eyes. It’s crazy to put him next to Olivia with her deep chestnut hair and big brown eyes. Ava, their younger sister lands at the far end of the spectrum, somehow growing luscious locks of golden blonde hair, a stark contrast to her chocolate colored eyes.
I’ve been an honorary member of the Hanover family for about five years. Once Liv found out I didn’t have any family to speak of, she pretty much insisted that I join her for every holiday. The family often joked that I should change my name from Martinez to Hanover, but I don’t need a different name to know who my family is.
“So, what do I have today?”
“Deposition with Mr. Jenkins at ten, lunch date with Chelsea at noon, meeting with Theo at two, and trial prep for the Mason case at four.”
“Full day. Maybe I should cancel lunch with Chelsea.”
I shrug because I don’t care to involve myself in his personal affairs. He’s a grown ass man. If he wants to cancel a date with the only girl he’s been in a relationship with for more than a month, that’s his business. Miles has always been a bit of an enigma. He’s a sweetheart, but he doesn’t let many people see that side of him. It confuses me because I would think most girls would want the sweet guy rather than the non-committed type. This Chelsea girl has somehow managed to stick around much longer than any of his previous girlfriends. They’ve been together for nearly six months, practically a lifetime for Miles.
Miles dismisses me to go to my own desk and continue to file and answer the phone. Theo had been very helpful in my decision to return to law school. I had been unsure at first, which was why I began working at the firm. I have now been accepted to both Northwestern University and Harvard. I’d made the decision not to tell the Hanover’s about that just yet.
I’d received the acceptance letter about a month ago, but I didn’t know if I wanted to go so far away. I had originally applied as a bit of a dare from Theo. He told me if I got accepted to an Ivy League school he would pay for my education, no matter where I decided to attend. So, while that was fan-freaking-tastic, I couldn’t help but wonder which school I really wanted to attend.
At ten o’clock, I usher Mr. Jenkins into the conference room and join both Miles and the self-made millionaire to take notes. I quickly discover that Landon Jenkins is the elusive best friend of Miles Hanover. He started his own company right out of high school and it had been a huge success. He married a girl who cheated on him and had apparently been using her affair with the accountant to embezzle money from her husband.
“Landon, you have got to get rid of this chick. She’s a parasite.”
“Tell me about it. You know what they say though, hindsight’s twenty-twenty.”
“Well, now we just need to focus on how we’re going to prove that you’re the victim here. Those two were very careful, but I’m sure there’s something here somewhere,” Miles flips through the pages in the file in front of him.
“Mr. Jenkins, I forgot to ask: would you like some water or coffee?”
“Please, call me Landon. And no, I’m fine. Thank you. You must be CeCe?”
“Yes, it’s my first day as Miles’ assistant. That’s probably why we haven’t met.”
“Odd, I feel like I’ve known you for a long time. Miles has spoken highly of you in the past.”
I glance at Miles, unsure as to what reason he had for discussing me with his friends. I hope he’s not trying to set me up with someone. Not that Landon would be a bad choice. The man is off the charts hot.
Landon’s sparkling hazel eyes are amplified by the sea of creamy cocoa skin surrounding them. He keeps his hair cropped close to his scalp, and his face clean shaven. I catch myself staring at his full, bitable lips. God, CeCe keep yourself together. By the time I snap out of my silent admiration of the sexy specimen in front of me, the conversation is well underway.
After two long hours of questions about his tax fraud case, we’re finally done. It’s time for lunch. When I emerge from the conference room, a petite blonde with big boobs is sitting in the lobby. I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting the woman who has captured my surrogate brother’s attention so well. Based on her physical appearance and designer clothes, I can only assume that this is Chelsea.
“Chelsea, I presume?” I ask as I take my seat behind my desk.
“Yeah! Who are you?”
“CeCe.”
“Oh,” she doesn’t say anything else.
“I’m a family friend. Miles is practically my brother,” I tell her as I try to break the ice.
“I know,” she snaps.
I can only assume she’s a tad hangry (you know the feeling, when you’re so hungry you lose your shit over everything) so I leave the conversation at that. I stop back in to tell Miles she’s arrived before heading out to lunch myself. I generally take a walk on my lunch and end up eating a sandwich in Millennium Park. It’s raining today so I opt to eat in the conference room instead. When Miles returns from lunch I hear him bid farewell to Chelsea before making his way to the office. I clean up the crumbs from my sandwich before returning to my desk.
Ava, the youngest Hanover, is interning with the firm for the summer. It gets her out of the house and counts towards the credits she needs for a Professional Development course at school. She’s mostly working in the file room, going through old case files and scanning them into the computer system.
Ava had been filling in as her father’s assistant for a few weeks, but Theo’s new assistant started work today. She seems nice enough but I’m here to work. I don’t bother trying to make conversation. She stops at my desk and asks about where she should put the files for one of the big cases we’ve been working on. As I lead her to the active case file cabinet she decides to strike up a conversation.
“I’m Hanna.”
“I’m aware.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Longer than you.”
“Are you always this approachable?” Oh, she has some snark.
“Only on days that end in “y”.” You’re talking to the master honey.
I hear her exhale in an exaggerated manner. Maybe I should throw her a bone. There’s nothing wrong with at least being civil. I’m just very selective about the people I let into my personal bubble. I show her where to file the paperwork and turn to leave.
“I’m CeCe. I’ve been here a little over a year,” I say over my shoulder as I walk back down the hallway.
Her quick footsteps behind me tell me she’s the “give an inch take a mile” type. Ugh. Olivia must be wearing off on me, I should have just ignored her. Hanna falls in step next to me.
“How do you like it here?”
I sigh, “Look, I don’t do small talk. It irritates me. I have more work to do. If you need to talk to me about anything important, you know where to find me.”
Hanna looks stricken. She puts her head down and heads directly to her desk. She appears to be in her late twenties to early thirties. She has her long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her pencil skirt and cable-knit cardigan make me wonder just how preppy she really is. I roll my eyes. I just can’t help but be who I am. She’ll either learn to deal with it or she’ll leave me alone. I’m good either way.
“You know, you should really give her a break. She doesn’t strike me as the “makes friends easily” kind of girl,” Ava startles me as she sneaks in behind my desk.
“Yeah, well, if she wanted to make friends, she should have gone to work at a mall. I’m here to do my job. I’m not here to make friends.”
“Oh right, I forgot. You’re a cold-hearted bitch.”
I turn to give Ava a dirty look but find her mischievously grinning. I can’t help but smile back at her. She reminds me of Olivia but she’s still so young. I can’t believe she’ll be turning eighteen in a few months. She finishes shredding the papers she had scanned, and goes back to the file room without another word.
By the time five o’clock rolls around I’m ready to call it a day. I pop my head into Miles’ office and tell him I’ll see him in the morning. He’s engrossed in case files so I’m not sure if he heard me. My driver is waiting to take me home. The Hanover’s insist that I use their contracted car service rather than public transportation. As we approach my brownstone I’m surprised to find a questionable-looking man sitting on the steps that lead to my front door. I ask the driver to stay for a few minutes to make sure I get in the house, he agrees. I thank him, tip him, and climb out of the car.
“Celia?” I stop dead in my tracks. I’ve only ever been called by my full first name by my mother.
“Can I help you?” I ask in a guarded tone.
“Are you Celia Catalina Martinez?”
“I’m not in the habit of speaking to strange men lurking on my doorstep. Tell me who you are before this conversation goes any further,” I keep one hand on the car to give myself an easy out should I need it.
“My name is Julio Ramon Martinez. I’m your. . .”
“My father,” I cut him off before he can finish.
I haven’t seen my father in twenty years. The last time he was around was my fourth birthday party. He and my mother got into a major fight and I never saw him again. My mother’s been dead for ten years and I have no other family that I know of. Of all times for my deadbeat dad to show up, why now? I eye him suspiciously. I see the resemblance easily. Our eyes are the same shape and color. He looks like he’s seen better days, but he doesn’t appear to be drunk or on drugs.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
“It’s not like I’ve been hiding. I was even a ward of the state for a while. You can’t have been looking that hard.”
He looks down, clearly embarrassed, maybe a little remorseful. I lean down and tell the driver it’s safe to leave. As the car pulls away, I stand on the sidewalk with my arms defiantly crossed. I don’t know what he’s doing here, but I’m not about to run into his arms and have some sappy reunion.
“Celia, you look beautiful. You’ve done well for yourself.”
“It’s CeCe. Please don’t try to pretend like you know me. I’ve spent years wondering who the hell you were and why the hell I wasn’t good enough for my father. But, you’re not my dad. I have a dad now and he’s a very good man. Anything you say or do would pale in comparison.”
“You mean that lowlife your mother married? I thought he skipped out on you.”
“No. I mean I now have a family that treats me like I belong and doesn’t abandon me. They’re always there for me.”
“That must be the Hanover’s?”
“How the hell do you--”
“I hired a private investigator to follow you.”
“I’m sorry, you what? Are you fucking kidding me? Please leave. Now.”
Julio takes a step forward, “I want to be in your life, CeCe.”
“I can’t even begin to answer that request right now. Please leave.”
Julio hands me a file, “Look through this. You’ll understand where I’ve been and why it’s taken me so long to find you. All my contact information is in there.”
I angrily watch him walk down the street. The last memory I have of my father from when I was little was his retreating form as he angrily stalked out of our house. The visual of his back to me isn’t anything new. I’m still gripping the file in my hand as I make my way inside. I lock the door behind me and make sure to secure the slide lock at the top. I collapse on the couch and begin to read.