It Goes On - Book l

Battle Cry

The following Monday, Kiera met with Robert at the Bitterroot Club for a business meeting, which was a nice break for Kiera considering it wasn't at the office in town. It was something different, which she knew Robert had different plans instead of casual drinks. Instead, Robert was staking out the other billionaires that were throughout the club, wondering which ones would eagerly do business with his firm so that he could recruit Kiera to buy up their stocks on local land.

"How're your kids, Kiera?" Robert asked genuinely. "I noticed you didn't bring them with you today."

"Simon wanted to take them to work with him today. He's back in the office for the rest of the month." She answered, gently sipping on her ordered martini.

"I see. Growing like a weed, huh?"

"That they are. A part of me is eager to see how they grow up."

"I'm sure you'll have a new wrangler and a little barrel racer to haul to rodeos every weekend before you know it."

"Probably," She nodded. "Evie keeps trying to say her first word. Every day, she's getting closer and closer. Simon sent me a video around lunch time of her babbling like she's trying to say dada. We're having a competition right now to see what word she says first."

"And Jacob?"

"Quiet as sin, Rob. It's quite scary. He murmurs every now and then, but he's more expressive with his eyes instead of his mouth. I keep trying to get him to say mama, but he's not as eager as Evie is."

"Children, for ya," Robert chuckled. "My daughter took her dear sweet time saying her first word."

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if her first word was a cuss word." She scoffed, bringing her glass up to her lips to take another drink.

"Probably," Robert nodded. "I've noticed you've cut down on drinking like you used to."

"I quit for a while before I got pregnant. I didn't start drinking again until Simon and I went on our honeymoon."

"That brings me to my next question: how did you drink so much at one time and not seem one bit tipsy?"

"Adderall," She smirked, watching Robert laugh at her brutally honest answer.

"Then what was the point of drinking anything at all?"

"You're forgetting what line of work I was in for years before you and I crossed paths, Rob," She shook her head. "What else was I going to drink? A fuckin' Fresca?"

"Oh, Kiera. You certainly have your father's attitude."

"And mouth."

"That I'm aware. Are you still enjoying your job?"

"Of course."

"You know, there's a lot of work that could be waiting for you up in Montana at my headquarters—"

"I'm staying here, Rob."

"I know, but you know my offer still stands."

"I can work from my computer if I need to."

"You can't take over companies through Skype, Kiera."

"Want to bet?" She arched her brow. "Besides, I don't need to be up north in Montana or Denver to kill companies. Look where you are. The Teton Valley is the Mecca of dumb money. People clawing at each other just to get a half-acre lot of land for their mini home for a quarter of a million dollars just to look at a mountain in the morning. I'm very surprised I haven't seen trust fund babies walking here on I-90 barefoot, flogging themselves. This is the greatest concentration of wealth in the west. Not L.A., not New York City, right here."