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Chapter 22
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The only thing that kept me sane over the past week was staying at Jake’s. My landlord had the front door rekeyed by Thursday, but Jake didn’t want me to leave until after work on Friday. I was more than happy to stay. I enjoyed the nightly stress relief and I had really needed it. The team had been working until nearly nine most nights trying to finalize for our meeting with Dr. Ochoa.
On Wednesday, the team had a good breakthrough. Stephanie and Brian had been working in the lab and noticed a reaction in one of our many trials. After Martin, Katrina, and I compared that to the research we had been reviewing, we were able to actually narrow down our questions for Dr. Ochoa. This was a great step, as I had felt like we had stalled in our questions. If this was going to be viable pediatric cancer treatment research study, we needed to have a clear focus.
Jake had been equally busy this past week. I knew that he was spending a lot of time trying t
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The Brothers CEO Chapter 23
JAKE’S POVDinner was essentially ruined after my aunt left. I stood up for Amalia, I confirmed to Amalia that I didn’t care what my aunt said, but I knew at the end of all of it that what my aunt said and did hurt Amalia. Hell, my aunt really didn’t need to say anything. Just the way that she looked at Amalia was enough to be hurtful.We spoke positively about the meeting with Dr. Ochoa and Amalia discussed her plan for her team this week as we ate, but the atmosphere had changed. I could sense her frustration and unease. She shouldn’t have to always be worried what my family thought about her. That just wasn’t fair to Amalia. Jonathan thought she was great. Anna did as well, despite having never met her. I shared with Anna about two weeks ago. I wanted her to know. I liked talking about Amalia but felt like I was so limited in who I could talk to, that telling my sister felt like a good next step. I planned on telling my other sister, Em
The Brothers CEO Chapter 24
AMALIA’S POVThis week had been long, and I was glad that it was Friday afternoon. Katrina and I had been working the last two nights, running inventory in the lab, and getting things ordered to start some small tests next week. I had planned on staying late on my own, but Katrina had offered to stay with me. I appreciated Katrina staying with me. It gave me someone to talk to so that my mind wasn’t continually going back to Jake.The interaction with Jake’s aunt on Monday had really bothered me. I was probably more upset than I should have been, but the way that his aunt looked at me showed how much she was judging me. After she left, Jake and I didn’t really talk about the exchange. It seemed like Jake was eager to just move past it and forget about it. But unfortunately, I could not move on as easily. My brain just didn’t work that way and I was stuck in a bad cycle. I couldn’t help but think about how she was judging me, or the t
The Brothers CEO Chapter 25
I stood outside of the Waldorf Astoria, admiring the architecture of the building. It wasn’t the first time I had seen the hotel, but it was the first time that I had stopped to appreciate the building. The fall flowers that lined the front entrance added to the beauty of the building. There was a slight chill in the air, the first signs that the weather was completely in to fall, and all traces of the warm weather was gone. The weather was chilly enough that an evening gown was less than warm enough to keep out the chill.“Ready to go in?” Katrina asked. With Jordan out of town visiting her sister, I was left with few options when Jake said he wasn’t going to get back to Chicago tonight. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I was excited to share this with him and he wasn’t going to be here. But Katrina had been great and was more than eager to attend with me.I tried not to overthink things, but I was notorious for doing that
The Brothers CEO Chapter 26
JAKE’S POVI hated coming to these galas. I hated even more that I had lied to Amalia about coming home tonight, knowing that I had to come to this event. It was only once a year and raised a lot of money for research, as well as brought in new investors. Dad insisted that Anna, Jonathan, and I go. He said that since he was retired, he would no longer be attending all company related events. That was understandable, but he was a big talker. He could coax money out of anyone, well except Mrs. Turner.Apparently, my dad had called Sophia a few days ago and asked her to come with me to the gala. She had agreed, although when she questioned me about having a girlfriend and not bringing her to the event when we spoke last night, I froze. I didn’t know what to say. My dad expected to me to bring arm candy. Amalia was beyond beautiful, but after the disastrous evening with my aunt, I didn’t want to subject Amalia to any other issues or judgement. While
The Brothers CEO Chapter 27
JAKE’S POVI awoke in the morning, a glass of whisky on the coffee table in front of me. I had fallen asleep on my couch, not even bothering to go upstairs and get changed. I just took off my jacket and bowtie and left the rest on. Jonathan had offered to stay the night with me but, honestly, I didn’t need him to see me like this. I yelled, screamed, and cried for at least an hour after I got home before the fourth glass of whisky caught up with me and I passed out.I had desperately wanted to go see Amalia last night, but everyone told me that I needed to give her time. I knew Amalia and I knew that the more time she had, the more she would think. The more that she thinks, the more she will get caught up in a bad thought pattern. I didn’t know if I could say anything that would help to pull her out of that, but I knew that being stuck in that pattern would bring her to a dark place.I sat up on the couch, the headache hitting me hard as the mo
The Brothers CEO Chapter 28
Chapter28“I know that this is not a usual request, especially after the recognition I received for the team’s recent medical research, but I would like to be considered for the lead medical researcher position in Dallas.” I stated, firmly, as I sat across the desk from Anna. Anna had been in Chicago initially just for the Board of Directors Gala, but I had heard that she had extended her visit by a few days after she became aware of what her asshole brother had done. “I don’t believe that I can continue working here in Chicago. I know the team in Dalla is new, and I am hoping that both teams can continue to work on the research we have started here, if at all possible.”Anna sighed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “Amalia, you are the best medical researcher we have. I don’t want to lose you,” She paused, and I shook my head in acknowledgement. “My team in Dallas is new. I actually
The Brothers CEO Chapter 29
Chapter 29 I was surprised at how friendly everyone was at the new lab. Apparently, it was well known that I had a recent advancement in our cancer drug research and everyone who greeted me was excited about being a part of the research. It was a welcomed difference from my work in Chicago. Not that people weren’t friendly there, there is just something about southern charm that made the people in the Dallas office a bit more welcoming. I was even pleased to see the skill set of my team. During our first meetings this week, the team had some great ideas in terms of next steps and directions to take our research, and we had already had several virtual meetings with the Chicago team. The drug research was still in its infancy and would require a lot more experimentation and lab trials that could take years to complete. Yet, the team was focused, and I was happy with all of those on the team. One researcher on another team, Kevin, had been quite f
The Brothers CEO Chapter 30
Chapter 30 “Geez, what happened to him?” The nurse said as we entered her office. I laughed. “He was an idiot and I punched him.” I led Jake to the seat in front of the nurse. It appeared as if his nose had stopped bleeding, but it still wouldn’t hurt to have the nurse look it over. Jake shrugged. “I deserved it.” The nurse tilted Jake’s head back and looked him over. She wiped the blood off of his face, cleaning it up. She felt his nose and Jake winced at the touch. “It appears broken. I would recommend a trip to the doctor to ensure it is set okay and doesn’t need surgical intervention. At the very least they can set it.” The nurse handed Jake a clean towel. “You know we aren’t done. I might be willing to talk things through with you and see what comes from it, but that doesn’t mean that I trust you again. What you did hurt me a lot.” A combination of relief, anger, fear, and sadness washed through me. “I know,” Jake shook his he
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The Brothers CEO Book 2 Epilogue
Jonathan“Got everything prepared?” Jake asked as Jonathan stood next to him, looking in the mirror. Jonathan was adjusting his bow tie.“Don’t you think I should be asking you that? After all, it is your wedding day.” I looked back at my brother. The smile on Jake’s face told me everything I needed to know; he was more than ready to be married to Amalia.Jake smiled back at me. “Of course I am ready. I have been ready for months now. All of these details are what Amalia wanted. I was okay with whatever she wanted.” Jake paused, turning to look at me. “You know if mom was still alive, this wedding would have been huge. Everyone would have been invited.”I laughed at Jake’s comment about mom. He wasn’t wrong. I remember walking in on my mom talking with my sisters about their weddings. They were young but my mom loved talking to them about it. Mom was the ult
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 22
Three Weeks LaterThe last three weeks have been spent healing. I overdid it a bit when I first came home and was sore for a few days. I learned my lesson quickly and followed doctor’s orders for the next two weeks. Now, I was feeling great. My pain was minimal, and I had stopped taking pain medication over a week ago.The downtime over the last three weeks gave me a lot of time to think. Jonathan worked from home the first few days but needed to go back to the office due to some problems with that expansion project that required him to actually be at the project site. While I did miss him, I appreciated the time to go through things in my life.The first thing I did was reach out to Duke University to see what I could do to finish up my degree. I was literally one semester away from graduating. After talking with them, I was able to get set up to take my missing three classes online. I appreciated that I had the option to go online to finish u
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 21
TillyThe sound of beeping pulled me from a deep sleep. I had no idea what was going on or where I was. The last thing I remembered was the sharp stinging pain that I felt in my side that followed several loud gunshot blasts. The sounds around me were muffled, which was not a surprise consider both the blast and the gunshots that occurred so close to me. I tried to open my eyes but I was so tired and weak that I was not able to do so. The pain in my side reminded me that something did happen to me. The gun that had been jammed in my side led me to believe that I had been shot and the beeping sound meant that I was in a hospital room.I attempted to move my hand to my face, but something stopped my hand from moving.“Baby, just take it easy.” A voice whispered to me. I smiled when I realized that Jonathan was sitting with me, slowing stroking my hand. “I love seeing you smile. I was scared for a minute there.” His word
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 20
TillyI stumbled away from the blast, the ringing in my ears not stopping. In the chaos of the blast, I was able to run away from those around me. I didn’t know where I was going, but I kept running towards the back of the warehouse. There wasn’t much that could be used for cover, but at this point, I didn’t care. I just wanted to get as far away from Gregory and those other men as I possibly could.My heart was pounding and my ears were still ringing as I paused for a moment to try to catch my breath. I could barely hear anything around me. The blast was not so close that I was impacted by the flying debris from it, but I was close enough that my hearing had been impacted. As I looked back towards the area from which I had just fled, I was surprised by what I saw.The men who had been standing in front of me, waiting to “accept” me had taken up a position behind a short wall that ran perpendicular to the door. The door fro
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 19
JonathanI hadn’t slept at all last night. After Steve indicated that we were meeting with Vincent Lombardi at 9:00 this morning, I could not stop my brain long enough to go to sleep. Although Tilly hadn’t been gone long, I was significantly concerned for her safety. At one point, Gregory wanted to kill her, and that scared the shit out of me. Gregory was not well liked by most people. He had screwed a lot of people over the years. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would willingly work with him, unless there was a deeper motive. That deeper motive is what was most worrisome to me.The mafia was something I knew about only from the movies. I really enjoyed watching mafia movies. The Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Casino were some of my favorites, but I enjoyed any mafia movie. I also spent some time watching documentaries about the mob. However, none of that meant that I knew anything about what to expect when meeting some
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 18
I was annoyed. I didn’t want to sit here and listen to Gregory’s long-winded story. I wanted to know the truth and I wanted it now.I stood up, causing the asshole I had bitten to stand up. I rolled my eyes at him and turned my attention back to Gregory.“Look, I already know that you aren’t my father.” His eyes widened slightly at my statement. His response surprised me, and I wasn’t sure if I had revealed my knowledge of that tidbit of information too quickly. I held my breath, waiting for him to respond.He took a beer from the fridge and then turned back towards me as he opened it. “Well, one less thing I have to tell you, I guess.” He shrugged and walked back towards me. It seemed like it was way too early to be drinking beer, but I doubted that he cared.“Why did you and mom say you were my father when you weren’t? Why have my birth certificate changed?” I aske
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 17
Jonathan’s POVI was pissed. After Steve and I had left Alex and Carlo, we attempted to determine where the SUV was that had taken Tilly. Unfortunately, Pierre lost the SUV in traffic. There was an accident that occurred right in front of Pierre and he was not able to get around it fast enough to continue to follow the SUV.Now, Steve, Pierre, Alex, and I sat in my condo, trying to work out a plan, and nothing was going well at this moment. Steve’s tech guy was trying to pull down video from street cameras to see if the SUV could be tracked, but that would take some time. In the meantime, Steve was trying to get plans together for when we were able to locate Tilly.“Alex, call up Robert and see if he can offer any assistance. I don’t have a good sense of what the threat is and I want to be prepared.” Steve continued to provide orders to Alex and Pierre as I sat, feeling increasingly useless.I was frustrated to sa
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 16
“Can we please talk about something else?” I groaned as Jake went on to another story about me. “I think that the last story about me running naked through the high school is enough.” I stated, going to grab myself another beer from the fridge. “Isn’t this what families do? Tell embarrassing stories about each other in front of their significant others?” Jake laughed, taking the beer I handed him. “You should have heard the stories Amalia’s parents told me. Skinny dipping in the neighbor’s pool was one of my favorites!” “Ugh. That was so embarrassing. Ok, I am with Jonathan. Enough with the stories!” Amalia chimed in. I liked that she was on my side. I liked how she grounded Jake. He had let my dad control him for so long, that it was good to see that Jake was able to get to this place. I was glad that this was my chance with Tilly to do the same. I smiled over at her. She was talking with Emma and William, who had just come back from putting Cassie down for
The Brothers CEO Book 2 Chapter 15
JONATHAN’S POVI had been awake for some time, just laying in bed with Tilly. I could not believe that she was with me in my bed – the idea of it was still so surreal that I could barely wrap my head around it. The last week had been a struggle for me. While I should have felt overjoyed to have her back in my life, there were so many unknowns that it made it difficult to fully process what had happened, both with Tilly coming back and to Tilly. I had struggled with knowing what I should do. I knew that it should have been easy to figure out, but I had this nagging fear that Tilly would run, and I could not open my heart back up to her running away again.When I talked with Jake earlier in the week, he asked me what was holding me back from being with Tilly again. I didn’t have a good answer for his question when he asked me that, because when I was honest with myself, I knew that I wanted to be with her. But sometimes, we get in our own way and can hu
