TIES THAT BIND

lighting of the room. Even her eyes, the light green a color I'd never seen before until I'd first met her, don't hold the same vibrancy that I know them to have. "Stop messing with me,

onship. My brother and I aren't close. I've never meddled with his love life, and I never had the desire to-well, until he met her. We don't have the kind of relationship where either one of us give a damn about what the other is doing. The sound of my exhale of annoyance echoes around the otherwise silent room. Leaning forward, I look Margo dead in the eye. Whatever she sees on my face finally makes her stop fidgeting. "I don't know how many times I need to say this to get it through your head, but listen closely, Margo, because I despise repeating myself." "I'm listening," she whispers. I bask in having her full attention. "My brother has absolutely nothing to do with the reason I'm here. No part of me thinks you should get back with him. Quite frankly, I'd find it rather pitiful for you to go back to him, considering he wet his cock with half of the NYU population while you were together. So, let's make it clear from here on out. My motives for being here, for buying this company, have nothing to do with the punk I have to call blood. You got it?" Her fingers have turned white from gripping the armrests of her seat so tightly. When she pulls her hands from the chair, I wonder if there'll be half- moon indents from her nails on the stained leather. Margo is silent, apparently stunned by my words because she doesn't strike me as someone who's often rendered speechless. "Words, Margo. I need words to know you understand." "I'm trying to understand," she finally gets out, her eyes still pinned on me. She watches me closely, her eyes slightly narrowing. I can almost see the gears in her brain working overtime as she tries to decipher my intentions for being here. I fight the urge to tell her it's no use. I still don't understand what compelled me to take the lengths I did to get to this moment. But for this to work, for me to get what I want, I need her to have some semblance of understanding. "Let me explain further," I begin. My shoulders find the back of the chair once again as I lean backward. "I'm now the proud owner of this shithole. I had to fight numerous investors for them to back me with this purchase, but in the end, they couldn't tell me no. I have the money to fund it with or without them. This company was low on the list of startups I'd care to invest in, but I needed to speak with you, so here we are." Margo laughs manically, disbelief in her doe-eyed stare. "Normal people don't buy companies to talk with their brother's ex-girlfriends." I scoff, shaking my head. "It's insulting that you think I'm normal. I'm far from normal, Margo. I'll go to great lengths to get what I want." "And what you want is to have a conversation with me?" My lips press into a thin line. "Not exactly." What I want is you. At least for the time being. Margo falls into her chair with a loud sigh. "You're probably the vaguest person I know." My lip twitches. "I'm not vague on purpose. You keep interrupting me with questions, not letting me