"His name is Rome?" Davis asked when I walked back into the living room where he was waiting for details. I nodded as I sat back down, staring at my phone in hand.

"That's what he said. Just Rome. Apparently, I left my phone at his place."

Davis' eyes widened and he sat down next to me on the small couch. "How did he know where we lived?"

"GPS from the car the driver used to take me home." I answered, still looking at my phone. At the door, I unlocked it to make sure I didn't have any missed calls for potential jobs, and after a quick chat about my safety, he put his number in my phone. In case you care to see me again, this time without the drinks. His words repeated in my head and a small smile grew on my face. He wouldn't be a bad rebound if I did decide to call him. It could prove to Carter that I didn't need him and could do way better than him.

"Well, let me know if anything escalates between you two. It better be juicy too, especially after Carter's vanilla ass." Davis rolled his eyes as he stood up and I chuckled. He wasn't wrong. Carter didn't like to...what was the word? Branch out, I guess? Experimentation wasn't his thing in bed, and he preferred to let me take the lead and that wasn't a bad thing at all, except it was every single time. Sometimes I just wanted to be the one to be dominated, you know?

"You'll be the first person I tell. Promise." I smiled up at him and he leaned down, pecking my cheek.

"I better be. I have to leave now, Nathan is waiting on me. Apparently, this date is a secret and I'll find out more details on the way, so wish me luck. You know how much I hate surprises." His face scrunched and I chuckled at how bummed he looked.

"Good luck, though I'm sure you won't need it. Nathan seems like a pretty decent person. Have fun on your date. I hope this one stays."

"We'll see. Meet with your brother please. If not for yourself, do it for me." Were his last words before he left. He didn't even give me time to respond, which was probably the point. I sighed, sinking into the couch. The television was still playing a show I'd never seen before and I watched the people on the screen as I thought about what to do. If I didn't meet up with my brother, he would only continue to reach out. Glancing at my phone that I tossed beside me, I picked it up, tapping my brother's name.

"If it isn't my dearest little sister who won't ever return my calls or messages. She is indeed alive." Mason's voice was laced with humor and I couldn't help but smile. I loved my brother and felt a pang of guilt for not returned any of his calls.

"Let's meet up. I'm free today." I got straight to the point. We could have more small talk and conversation when we got together. I would only stall if we did it all over the phone and change my mind about meeting up with him.

"I'll text you a time and place. You better be there." Mason warned before hanging up. I stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes before slowly getting up and walking to my room. It was just going to be a casual meetup, so there was no need to dress up. I grabbed a black cardigan and a purple tank top, pairing it with black ripped jeans and black platform boots with silver running down the side and painting the heel. Mason texted me the address and the time, which was in an hour, so it gave me time to take my time getting ready. I pulled half of my curly hair up, leaving the other half down, admiring the blonde ends. It went nicely against my brown skin. I finished getting ready early and still had thirty minutes until I met up with Mason, but I couldn't stall any longer.

Grabbing a small pouch big enough for my phone, key, and wallet, I finally left the apartment and started up my car, driving to the location. It was closer than I thought, ten minutes away from where I lived, and I arrived in no time. For some reason, my stomach began to fill with butterflies when I parked my car in front of the mom and pop shop. I haven't seen my brother in person in months and didn't know if he would bring up the fact that I was jobless. Was he disappointed in me? Would he give me an ultimatum and stop funding my life? I mean, that part wasn't a problem. I would love to make my own money. Money that was earned from a job that saw my worth and value that I brought to the company. There was only one way to find out what was on his mind. I got out of my car before I could psych myself out and entered the small restaurant.

It smelled amazing in here, fresh bread, meats, and desserts all in one weird but comforting scent. There were tables and chairs of all colors and shapes scattered across the small place. I didn't like being out in the open, so I looked for a spot with a booth, preferably one that had a view of the exit because I was paranoid, and I found one in the back. Mason wasn't here yet, which was perfect because I could get myself in order before seeing his face. I took this time to calm myself and tried to think positively about what was to come. After five minutes of giving myself a pep talk, the exit, which was also the entrance, opened and in walked Mason. He was in a gray suit and I groaned at the fact that I didn't dress like he did. He looked around and eyes lit up when he found me sitting in the booth.

"I didn't know we were having a business meeting. I would've dressed up if I had known." My words came out laced with a sarcastic tone as I stood up, giving him a hug.

"I just came from work, Violett. Give me a break." He chuckled as we separated and I raised a brow, sitting back down. He scooted into the booth in front of me and I slowly sat down, narrowing my eyes.

"Okay, I believe you. So, I'm here now. What's up?" I wanted to get straight into whatever he wanted to talk about because I couldn't stand not knowing anymore. He didn't answer yet and just smiled at me, inspecting my face. I was about to tell him to stop, when he finally spoke.

"I just want to know how you're doing. How's life? How's Carter?" he asked, and I froze at the Carter question, anger flaring up inside of me.

"We broke up." I said flatly, trying to hide all the emotions I was beginning to feel again. Mason's brown eyes widened, and pity was the look he decided to go with. I gritted my teeth.

"I'm so sorry Violett. I hope you're doing okay. I think I might have something that could cheer you up."

Tilting my head at his words, I leaned forward just a little bit, slightly intrigued. "What do you have for me?"

He smiled, leaning forward as well. "I know that finding a job has been hard for you. So I've been doing some searching, and I happen to know that a marketing position just opened up and they're actively hiring."

"What? Are you serious right now? Where is it and how do I get a meeting with the interviewer?" I asked quickly, not wanting this opportunity to pass me by. This was an amazing way to cheer me up. Maybe meeting with my brother wasn't a waste of time after all. He glanced over his shoulder before looking at me again.

"Okay, don't be mad, but I'm kind of really good friends with the CEO and I told him to meet us here and have a chat with you." His smile was sheepish, but I barely registered it because my stomach began turning in knots. I leaned forward even more, brows dipped in irritation.

"Why the hell would you put me on the spot like that? I didn't even dress the part!" I whispered fiercely, making his smile grow.

"It's okay! He's a really close friend and I wanted you to be yourself and not a fake version. He'll love you, don't worry. He can be pretty uptight at times, but once you get past that, he's a down to earth guy." Mason tried to calm me down, but it didn't work or help. I didn't even have talking points, no preparation, not even a fucking resume to help sell myself. I opened my mouth to speak, but he turned and waved at someone. "Drakos, over here!" My stomach dropped. No fucking way.

"Drakos? As in the Drakos conglomerate? You're besties with the CEO of the most prestigious company in LA? And he's here? What the fuck is wrong with you Mason?" I whisper-yelled and tried to get him to turn around by grabbing his arm, but it didn't work.

"Get ready to introduce yourself, he's coming this way." Mason whispered under his breath and I straightened in my seat, keeping my head down from being seen. How would I stand? Did I put my hand out to shake his right away, or wait for him to do it first? Should I call him Drakos as well? So many questions went through my mind in those nerve wracking few seconds and I swallowed the knot in my throat when burgundy dress shoes stopped by the table.

"Drakos, thank you for meeting us. This is my sister I was telling you about. Meet Violett." Mason introduced me with so much passion and pride in his tone, it almost made me feel sorry for yelling at him. Almost. I softly cleared my throat and slid out of the booth, holding out my hand. I looked up, mouth open and ready to introduce myself, until I locked eyes with icy blue ones that widened in recognition. My brows dipped, hand dropping to my side.

"Rome?"