Chapter 2

My office was cleaner than it had ever been since the years I’d started working there. No papers, no ink, I only had to scroll around on my computer and tap a few buttons.
It was too relaxing. Not something I was used to.
I’d gone through the profiles of the matchmakers that Lyra had prepared for me, trying to memorize their names and faces. I had some weeks before the welcoming party took place, and I wondered if it would be appropriate to meet them in person before it took place to at least be better acquainted with them to avoid awkwardness.
Planning ahead again as always, I reprimanded myself and shook my head. But it couldn’t hurt. There was barely anything to do.
The glass table buzzed under my elbows and I patted around for my phone, answering it promptly. I should’ve checked who it was, though. The voice took me by surprise.
“Is this Lilith Mendez?”
“Yes?” I answered uncertainly.
There was a short huff of breath before the man on the other end responded shakily, “I’m John Caron. Cristo’s father. I was wondering if you have time to…discuss something. In private.”
The air in my lungs froze quite literally as my mind threw itself into haywire. Why on earth would he be the one calling me out of all people? It didn’t make sense. Wasn’t Selene in charge of the whole situation? I wish I was used to spontaneity and unforeseen circumstances, but it was hard to let go of the years of habits I’d built in an effort to control my surroundings at all times.
“Hello, Mr. Caron,” I said as professionally as I could. “Yes, I do have time today. I’m a little confused, though. I thought I was off of Cristo’s matchmaking case.”
“This isn’t about that,” he confessed quickly, voice a hush as if he was afraid of being overheard. “There are some concerns that I think you will be able to sort out, though.”
“Where would you like to meet?”
 
The outskirts of New York City were an interesting place to meet. The port was bustling with new shipment and men hauling it on and off. Loud cries of seagulls echoed faintly from a distance against the lowering sun. Time for bed was nearing, and I still felt so wide awake. It really was true, I had too much time on my hands now.
I walked slowly across the pier, the sickly smell of dead fish just faintly wafting in from a good few miles away. I didn’t want to go that way. With a turn on my heel, I headed back towards the ships unloading beams of metal.  Construction companies were interesting, but too close to Cristo’s work. His family was also involved in most building projects around the states.
Too paranoid, I reminded myself. Man, this whole hyper-awareness activity was a bummer. Kathryn was working hard wit me to bring some ease and mindfulness into my daily life, but having to catch myself slipping into overthinking mode all the time made me feel like I was failing to reach that goal way too often.
“Focus on the light around you. The smells, the sounds. There’s so much one misses because they’re too bus thinking,” her voice echoed in a far away memory from last week. Well, it smelled weird. Almost chemical because of the bags of cement and the light hint of smoke. The sounds were coarse, metal against concrete and the wails of ships pulling into their lots. The light was almost gone, sun setting far too quickly for comfort. I didn’t like being out during dark without Holly or a friend.
A car pulled into view on the street off the pier. It looked like any other car, really. The only reason it stood out at all was because of how quickly in pulled into parking. There was someone very skilled behind the wheel, that much was obvious.
Out stepped a familiar silhouette, just a little shorter than Cristo and not as built. Definitely John Caron under that nondescript hat. His coat and pants were dark, and he wore simple sneakers.
What was going on that required him to keep such a low profile?
With the collars of his coat pulled high around his neck, he pulled himself up the concrete steps and onto the pier. His movement was slow and strained, definitely raising a lot of concern. His face didn’t display much discomfort, but that didn’t stop my concern.
Against the darkening sky his faded pale eyes found me, and he trudged over. The closer he came, the worse he looked. His skin was pale and the bags under his eyes were…well, he looked dead.
John Caron was ill.
“There you are,” he smiled at me gently, a tremor in his voice which sounded weaker than it did on the phone. “I can’t thank you enough for meeting me. How are you?”
“I should be asking you that,” I started off without bothering to conceal the worry in my face.
He shook his head, putting his hand up and beckoning me to follow him. I walked behind him across the pier until we found the red hull of a ship. It seemed like a discreet enough place to stand and talk.
“Are you being followed?” he asked with a hush. “Tapped or wired?”
“I’m not that important,” I furrowed my brows at him. “What’s going on, John? Is this about Cristo?”
John only sighed and shook his head, looking quite hopeless. His state only made me more and more anxious. It looked like something was eating him up alive quite literally and I just couldn’t make out what it was.
“I haven’t told many people about this, but I’m not in the best of health,” he admitted. “There’s a lot Cristo is dealing with, and my impending death is one of them. You know this leaves just his mother to look after. I think you’re starting to understand the emotional dilemma Cristo is finding himself in.”
My hand found my forehead, fingers slipping to the bridge of my nose as I tried to massage the stress away. Great, this had to be it. I couldn’t target Selene like this, it would completely break Cristo apart. Losing a parent was no joke and no one could be prepared for such an ordeal.
“What about Selene?” I inquired carefully. “Mrs. Beaumont was quite a fan of your…fairytale.”
“It was…for a while,” he stated bitterly. It caught me off guard, but only a little. I figured their marriage couldn’t have been all that great, especially since Selene’s true nature came to light. “What’s Beaumont version of my fairytale?”
“Something about how Selene said something convincing enough for you to marry her,” I said. “I know you love the woman, John. It can get in the way of saying the truth out loud.”
“We’ve been married for over thirty years,” he sighed. “How could I ever say anything now?”
The look I gave him wasn’t pitiful in any sense. It was almost angry, with perhaps a bit of contempt. This was a powerful man with money, influence, and a family that cared for him. He had all the power in the world to make things so his way, but I realized that he was definitely a bit of a pushover. I wouldn’t go as far as to call him pathetic, but it was jarring how a man like him allowed himself to be trapped in a situation when he had all the means to leave.
“I’d say it’s never too late for anything,” I sighed, “but I know people like you have a hard time turning things around. All I ask is that you try to care more about Cristo in the moment. Don’t let him be the victim in this situation.”
The thought was difficult to resist, how much Cristo seemed like his father: unable to stand up for themselves, pushovers, and mentally trapped by devotion. Cristo and Blair were just another version of John and Selene, and it made sense as to why Selene even considered Blair at all to marry into the family.
Those two would’ve been best friends.
His voice got stronger, more determined as he spoke, “That’s what I’m here for.”
With a nod his way, I found a stack of beams to sit on. “I’m listening.”
“I’ll have to fill you in about how Selene and I’s marriage,” he said and walked up next to me, grunting as he lowered himself onto the beams. He gripped his knees, knuckles white with effort and nervousness. “I was pretty young and in a desperate position, just like Cristo is right now. I’m sure you know how it goes, but there really is no such thing as love for people in the world of the rich. Just money.”
I nodded, knowing full well of it because that’s how I matched couples. To keep money within their circles.
“I was the first person ever to marry outside of this tradition. Strangely enough, I didn’t have to put up much of a fight.”
“How so?”
John gave me a look of dread that stilled my heart for a moment. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the truth.
“Cristo…” he breathed deeply and looked away with genuine pain in his eyes. “Selene and him both, my family doesn’t accept them. So much so that my father has excluded them both out of his will.”
I blinked at him, a sigh of relief stuck in my throat because I was expecting something much worse like blackmail or Cristo not being his real son. This actually made so much more sense because Selene married into the family for financial security. The only way she had access to the money at all was through John.
“Now I’m sick, and my parents will definitely outlive me,” he said. “I think you see where this is going. Selene wasn’t taken to kindly by my family, and she suffered emotionally. For someone who was already in a horrible place before marrying me, this wasn’t any better. She’s…she’s very hurt and scared, Lilith. My wife wasn’t a terrible person, and she isn’t right now either. I will admit, I don’t recognize the person she’s become, but I know the wonderful woman I fell in love with is still down there somewhere.”
Rubbing my forehead, I nodded, “Yeah, I understand. She needs the money to be guaranteed from coming in from somewhere. Can’t go back to the life she had before you. But what about the wealth you’ve accumulated right now?”
“It wasn’t difficult to marry Selene back then,” he continued. “The only catch was that I had to contractually sign off half of my direct assets to my parents in return. It was a price I was willing to pay, but I didn’t think it through for the long run. I did keep my passive income out of it, but the market is unpredictable and Selene isn’t one to manage a business. I’m sure my family will try and fight for all of my property once I’m gone. The law in the world of the rich gets dirty for those who don’t have connections.”
“Cristo’s doing great for himself, John,” I insisted. “He could take care of her. Why doesn’t she understand that?”
“Selene was admittedly a terrible mother,” he groaned regrettably and shook his head. “I wish I’d stepped in more but there wasn’t much I could do face to face. I was Cristo’s comfort only in private, and it’s the only reason he hasn’t cut contact with the both of us. He’s doing extremely well for himself, more than the both of us had expected.”
“And yet, it isn’t enough for Selene?”
“Not at all,” John grunted, seemingly a little annoyed at that fact. “Cristo hasn’t really reached that level of income yet, but it’s grown to be a little over half of what I bring in. That’s impressive enough. Also, no one even really needs that kind of money to begin with.”
“Your wife’s probably feels the need to hoard money and valuable for rough time’s sake,” I sighed. “She came from poverty, right? I’ve been there. It’s not easy being poor.”
“I really can’t imagine, and I understand why she acts the way she does.”
“So she wants Cristo married into a family with a bottomless pit of generational wealth before you die so she can continue living her life in luxury,” I noted. “Got it. But who is to say Cristo won’t cut her off even after getting married?”
“It’s why she has a very specific list of families,” he explained. “Families with strict values that won’t allow Cristo to cut her off without huge consequences from his partner’s side.”
“Jesus…” I breathed. “She really planned this through.”
John nodded morbidly. A strong cough passed through his chest, and he sucked in a long breath to keep himself steady. His hand la at his heart, as if making sure it was still beating.
“I’m only getting worse,” he croaked sadly. “My only wish right now is to be able to go in peace. But I’ve come to the realization that there isn’t a way for all of us to be happy in this situation.”
There was silence between us as the seagulls cawed in the air. The light grew dimmer, and I knew it was time to be going home soon.
“Whose happiness is more important to you?” I asked softly.
John looked at his clasped hands hesitantly, his face contorted in pain. I understood how unfair of a position it was, but I needed to know that him and I were on the same page so he couldn’t interfere with my plans.
After a difficult few seconds, he finally responded.
“Cristo’s.”
The Billionaire Matching Club Books 1-6
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