Bria didn't bother keeping Andrew in suspense. "Yeah, there is, but the news isn't confirmed yet."
Andrew got serious. "Does it have a lot to do with me?"
"Obviously," Bria said. "I wouldn't bring up something I'm not sure about."
She didn't want to hurt Andrew or send him spiraling.
"Alright, so what should I be doing right now?"
Andrew was a pretty practical guy. He didn't tend to stress over things that hadn't actually happened yet.
"Just put on the act of being more driven and motivated. Make a show of it in front of your dad. Even fake it like there's something you're really determined to nail."
Bria looked at him. "I'm not blowing smoke. You figure out the rest."
Andrew got the gist that this had something to do with him and his dad, but he was lazy and couldn't be bothered to dig too deep. For now, he was just going to listen to Bria, since whenever it came to the big stuff, her advice had never steered him wrong.
"Fine, I'll do it your way. I'll build myself a whole new persona—spoiled trust-fund kid grows up and turns it around."
Andrew said it in his usual flippant tone, but if he was saying it, it meant he was actually serious.
With the serious stuff out of the way, he switched to teasing again. "Now that Kaleb's not here, I'll just say it—you spoil that guy like a domineering CEO. He hit the jackpot the day you fell for him."
Bria had the talent, the resources, the family background, and looks that were absolutely top-tier. Whoever she fell for was being done a favor.
A lot of people got self-conscious around Bria, but Kaleb was different. He had real confidence, didn't kiss up or get defensive, and didn't put Bria on a pedestal. He treated her like an equal, which let real feelings actually develop, instead of fake flattery.
Bria scoffed. "Kaleb doesn't care about that stuff. No need to talk about him behind his back."
"Damn, he's actually okay with the whole girl-on-top, guy-below dynamic? That chill about it?"
Andrew had a bit of a male ego himself and couldn't handle the idea of his girl outearning or outranking him. He was into the type who needed him, who made him feel essential. The protector instinct ran strong with him.
"That's because Kaleb is more of a man than you are." Bria knew Kaleb only cared about real feelings. He wasn't going to treat her any differently just because she came from money or was some rich heiress.
The only reason Kaleb was good to someone was because he could feel them being good to him too.
Otherwise, why would he have hated her getting near him at the start?
Bria had all kinds of issues, and her values were a little crooked, but Kaleb had slowly straightened her out. Of course, the change was something she'd actively chosen for herself too.
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