Folding For You

Chapter 18: Killian

The soft knock on my bedroom door stirred me from sleep, and as I blinked awake, I immediately noticed something wrong—Sabrina wasn't next to me. My bed, the space that was supposed to be hers as much as mine, was cold and empty. Panic prickled at the back of my neck.

"Mr. Kincaid?" Valeria's voice came softly through the door.

I opened it to find her standing there, looking anxious. My gaze darted past her, and the scene outside was chaos. People were scattered around with laptops and papers—my penthouse looked like a war zone. And there, on the couch, was Sabrina, flanked by Gayle and Iyana, who were trying to console her. Sabrina wore a black buttoned top and jeans, looking out of place amidst the frenzy. When she saw me, she mouthed a silent thank you before returning to her friends.

Brandon rushed toward me, his face tense. "Boss, Cece is on her way. Best you get ready, and we can start."

After a quick shower, I called Derek. He needed to take over for me for a few days. This situation was a storm, and I couldn't risk letting it bleed into my business.

"Derek?" I said, sounding exasperated.

"Killian, don't worry. I got your back," Derek replied, not missing a beat. "You okay, man? Don't sink, you got this. I need you to crush these motherfuckers." That's why Derek is my partner—no bullshit, no hesitation.

"Thanks, man. I owe you big time," I said, feeling a pang of guilt. We were restructuring our asset allocation strategy, and now this... the timing was terrible.

"You owe me a winning game. I want you to be happy, alright? Look, I've got back-to-back meetings, my schedule's a shitshow. Gotta run."

I chuckled despite the weight on my chest. "Don't die on me, man. You're my lifeline."

"And you're mine," Derek replied before hanging up.

With that settled, it was time to face the fire. I walked into the dining room, which now resembled a damn startup office.

Cece Richmond, my legal counsel, was already there with her sharp tongue and deadpan expression.

"Killian," she greeted me coldly.

"Cece," I replied, equally curt. We didn't have time for pleasantries.

Without missing a beat, Cece called Sabrina to join us. Sabrina sat beside me, looking tense, and I immediately gripped her hand, trying to calm her down. I could feel her nerves radiating through her skin.

Cece gave me that sarcastic smirk she always did when she was about to land a jab.

"You know, Killian, if you had given us a heads-up that you were finally dating someone, we wouldn't have to scramble and spend so much time and resources cleaning up this mess. You wait until a dating scandal explodes, and of course, it's with a girl-next-door type that the media will chew up and spit out. Brilliant."

I clenched my fists under the table, holding back the urge to snap. "Cece, I didn't plan for this to become a circus. I don't date. I've been working my whole life, but when I finally find someone who matters, the media wants to tear her apart."

She arched a brow, completely unphased. "Oh, don't worry, Killian, we'll fix it. But next time, maybe don't wait until the media gets their claws in before you give your legal team a heads-up. Might save us all a lot of trouble."

Sabrina stayed quiet beside me, but I felt her hand tense in mine. It wasn't her fault; none of it was. And it pissed me off that anyone would make her think otherwise.

"How long have you two been dating, Ms. Norwood?" Cece asked her eyes on Sabrina.

Sabrina looked at me for confirmation before answering, "About a week?"

Brandon let out a long, drawn-out laugh. "A week? Are you kidding me? We'd be better off if you said two or three months. Celebrity couples don't even go public this fast."

"I'm not a fucking celebrity, Brandon," I snapped, already on edge.

Cece, looking like she's about to slit my throat, said, "You're a motherfucking Kincaid, Killian. That's royalty compared to some washed-up celebrities. You should know better."

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep from blowing up. Sabrina squeezed my hand, silently telling me to calm down. But my blood was already boiling. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone making her feel like she was less than perfect.

Cece sighed and turned to Sabrina. "Ms. Norwood, as part of our standard procedure, we did a background check on you to make sure there were no financial or personal reasons you'd be motivated to date this asshole client of mine." She rolled her eyes at me like I was the idiot here. "But you seem to have a clean record. No debts, no credit cards."

Sabrina, always so matter-of-fact, responded, "I don't believe in paying interest. If I can't afford it outright, I won't buy it."

Not missing a beat, Cece shot back, "Interesting, considering you're dating the CEO of KincWood Asset Management, who profits off compounding returns and interest."

Sabrina glanced at me, unsure if she'd said something wrong, but I smiled. She didn't need to know the intricacies of finance to be perfect in my eyes.

Brandon immediately muttered something about needing to media train everyone, including Gayle and Iyana. I nodded in agreement. This was getting messier by the second.

Cece continued, "There's also a potential conflict of interest with your job. You work at one of Killian's brother, Kaleb's agencies."

Sabrina then explained that she'd been at RebelKinc Advertising for years before we met and that she didn't even apply for the job—it was offered to her. Cece raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.

Then Cece hit a nerve. "Last one, Ms. Norwood, has your last name always been Norwood?"

Sabrina's hand started trembling in mine. She looked down before answering. "No."

Sabrina continued, "Norwood was my maternal grandmother's name. After my parents died, my grandparents changed my last name. I never thought much about it."

"And your real last name?" Cece pressed.

Sabrina's hands were shaking harder now. I could see the fear in her eyes, but she wasn't alone in this. I squeezed her hand tighter, willing her to be strong. Finally, she whispered, "Kellerman. My real name is Sabrina Kellerman."

I felt like the air had been sucked from the room. Kellerman. My mind raced. Was her father that Kellerman? The driver who worked for my grandfather?

"Ms. Norwood," Cece began, her tone icy, "do you know that your father, Mr. Liam Kellerman, was the driver of Killian's grandfather, Bronson Kincaid? You told me you've never met a Kincaid—not even Bronson Kincaid?"