"How's this one look?" Sebastian asked, sliding his phone across the table and over to me. "Three bedrooms, two bath. Only two thousand per month."

I gave him the flattest look I could muster and he laughed in return. We were currently seated in Bennett's kitchen, scrolling through online ads for apartments. After explaining what had happened the night before, Sebastian had offered his help in finding a new place for me. He'd also brewed us a pot of coffee and stolen a few of the best photos from Bennett's albums so we could get copies. I smirked at my phone a little. There had been more than enough embarrassing photos to use as blackmail. Including one little, naked Bennett face down and butt up.

"Dude, I don't even make two thousand a month," I sighed, pushing Sebastian's phone back at him. "Let's keep it under a thousand."

"You're not going to get anything good under a thousand."

"Should we clarify both our definitions of good?"

He appeared to be a little offended by my response and he flattened his lips. "I'm not saying to look for an elaborate multi-story place. I'm saying you shouldn't settle for a place solely based on the cheap price. Look at the apartment you have now. I'm not being rude when I say aim a little pricier; I'm being honest because anything that isn't completely run down is going to be close to a grand. Especially around here."

I knew he was right, but it was frustrating. A grand was about the average for a decent apartment. With the money from Bennett, it wasn't unfeasible, but the idea was a little daunting. What if something went wrong and the contract ended? That was a lot of money every month.

"According to statistics, one third of your income should be the price you pay for a living space," Sebastian continued, sitting up straighter on his chair so that he could take off his suit vest. He then rolled the sleeves of his button-up to his elbows and I watched him distractedly. He was a very handsome man.

He caught me staring and I quickly averted my gaze. "T-that makes sense. The rest for food and gas or whatever. How do you know that? Do you rent?"

"I have a house."

Of course, he did.

"However, I've recently purchased some properties I'm planning to rent out," he continued, turning his attention back to his phone. "It's a great investment, but I'd like to keep them affordable to all classes so I have to know what the general rule of thumb is."

"How many places do you have?"

"I have ten."

My jaw almost dropped. Ten?! He was basically saying was that he owned ten houses? Plus his own? I let my head drop onto the cold table, suddenly weary. Oh, how different the ways of lives were between classes.

Sebastian reached over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry. It sounds like I'm gloating."

"It's okay," I muttered, muffled by the table.

"I've found a couple relatively nice houses around here that are below market value, though."

I wanted to bang my head against the table. "I can't buy a house."

"Not for you," he clarified. "I've been meaning to purchase a few places here in Poughkeepsie and maybe in Arlington."

"Well, I'm glad to be of help," I said, putting out a thumbs up.

He chuckled. "If they turn out to be profitable, I'll let you know. I wouldn't mind cutting a deal for you."

My ears perked up and I slowly raised my head. "Deal?"

"As long as you told everyone you knew about how amazing of a landlord I am."

"Do you really think you might buy a place in Poughkeepsie?" I asked, a little more enthusiastic now. Sebastian seemed trustworthy enough. Unlike my last landlord. Maybe if he rented a place out to me it wouldn't be so bad.

He nodded. "I would still try to find a temporary place. Maybe a month-to-month lease."

"Okay," I agreed quickly. "What do you do, anyway? You know, to be able to afford this."

"I work for my family," he told me, his smile fading a little. "For now, at least. I plan to leave them when I have more of a steady income with my properties."

"Don't you make a lot of money with them though?"

"I do," he said slowly, "but not in a way I agree with. My father runs a law office. He takes on the clients that offer him the most money— whether or not the client should be defended or not."

"What do you mean?"

"My father is a great lawyer," he started off. "He wins over 90% of his cases. Last year he defended a client who'd molested multiple women and managed to get him a clear name by lack of evidence. I'm aware it's a lawyer's job to defend the client no matter if it's right or wrong, but he also has the right to refuse a case. He knows how influential he is. But he just wants money."

I wrinkled my face in disgust. "Gross."

Sebastian nodded. "I could never become the lawyer he wants me to become. He doesn't know that I don't plan on running the office yet."

"Does your mother know?"

"No. She would have a panic attack if she knew." He let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair a bit. "She has hopes that if I don't follow in my dad's steps, I'll follow in her own."

"What does she do?"

"She runs some resorts. Ever heard of Paradiso? That's hers. My mom and Bennett's mom went to Harvard together and both ended up running hotels. She thinks one day Bennett and I will be the next generation."

I smiled a bit at this. "Is that how you two became friends?"

"That and our mutual annoyance of our families," Sebastian joked, grinning. "We somehow managed to schedule all our classes together in college too. Sometimes we cheated off each other's tests."

"Where did you two go to college?"

"Here in New York, at Columbia University."

I processed the information slowly. That was an Ivy League school. So along with being rich and handsome, Bennett was also smart? What the heck was he? The protagonist of a romance novel? Somehow it irritated me. "I see."

"Bennett's a good man," Sebastian said, his voice warm. "I know it's hard to see—given the way he's spoken to you— but he's got a good heart. I'm not excusing him of his ignorance, but I think he needs some time to learn about different things in the world. He's been pretty sheltered."

"I don't think he's a bad person," I responded. I didn't think he was a pristine little angel either, but recently I was starting to see the good side of him. Sort of. "Why are you talking him up, anyway?"

Sebastian paused a bit, looking a little sheepish. "Well, Bennett only has one real friend in this world and that's me and if possible, I'd like to make that number into two. I feel like you might have the patience needed to befriend him, ha ha."

"Does Bennett really not have friends?" I asked. I was slowly realizing I didn't know anything about Bennett. Not that I expected to know everything about him after only knowing each other for a little over a week, but I knew basically nothing about his life. I knew he had a mother and maybe a dead or missing brother and he would inherit Calloway hotels. That was pretty much it though.

"If you consider people that like to use him for his money as friends, then he's got many," Sebastian commented offhandedly.

"Yikes."

"Bennett falls for it every time, too. I think that's why he doesn't understand you. You're not begging him to spend money on you."

I scrunched up my face. "I mean. Are a lot of people really like that? That would be embarrassing to do."

"You would be surprised," he told me solemnly. "I'm sure everyone has been in a relationship where they spend way too much money on their partner and their partner just keeps taking. Usually, you finally realize how much money you're wasting on someone so ungrateful. Bennett's completely blind to it. He likes the attention."

"Huh. I wouldn't have guessed."

"You're pretty sarcastic, aren't you?"

I gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry. It's kind of natural. My brother is the same way."

"I didn't say it's a bad thing."

I propped my elbow up onto the table and placed my chin on my hand, staring at Sebastian quizzically. "Has Bennett dated a lot of girls?"

He pursed his lips to the side, thinking. "Not really. Bennett's not that great at talking to girls. Usually, they just cling to him until they get bored because he won't make a move on them. There's only one person he's ever dated seriously."

"Really? What was she like?"

Sebastian leaned forward a little, a grin on his face. "You want to know?"

I nodded. Just what kind of girl could put up with Bennett for more than a few hours?

"You'll have to ask him."

I groaned, falling back. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Why do you want to know? Do you like him?"

"No!" I denied immediately. Me? Like Bennett? What a laughable thought. Sure, he could be kind of cute, but— no! He wasn't even cute. "I don't like him. I mean I do like him, as a friend. Kind of. As a friend, " I said again firmly.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "I see."

I didn't like the expression on his face. I narrowed my eyes. "What? What's that look for?"

"Nothing."

"That's not a nothing look."

He held up his hands. "It's really nothing. Why do you think it's something?"

"Are you trying to use some kind of weird lawyer trick on me right now?"

This caused him to chuckle. "No. I'm just—"

He was caught off by the sound of a door slamming shut. I jumped, turning my head up to the balcony. Was Bennett home already? Did he normally slam the doors in his house? I heard the unmistakable sound of high heels and froze because as far as I was aware, Bennett did not wear high heels to work. Sebastian and I exchanged bewildered looks before I turned back to the balcony where an older woman appeared, hands crossed over her chest, staring down at us. It only took me three seconds to figure out it was Bennett's mother. Just by her demeanor.

"Henley, play along with me," Sebastian murmured.

"We're so screwed," I whispered back at him, completely frozen. Why was Bennett's mother here? Why didn't Bennett call to warn us? What was I supposed to do?

"Hello Mrs. Calloway!" Sebastian called, standing up from the table. He kicked my foot and I got the hint to do the same.

She didn't respond as she made her way down the stairway and through the living room, her eyes on me the entire time. Her entire appearance screamed affluence— from her three-inch heels to her black pencil skirt and to her bright red blazer. Her lips were a deep red, complementing her olive skin. Her hair was long and black and perfectly curled, not a strand out of place. As intimidated by her as I was, I couldn't help but think she was gorgeous.

She came to a stop in front of me, green eyes in slits. Bennett definitely had her eyes. Except without the look of a predator ready to decimate her prey. "You."

I straightened my back, doing my best to keep eye contact. "H-hello."

"Who are you?"

I glanced at Sebastian who cleared his throat. "Mrs. Calloway, this is Henley, uh..." He trailed off, grimacing a bit. I realized he didn't know my last name. Fortunately, Mrs. Calloway's eyes were still on me and she didn't seem to notice his hesitance.

"Henley Linden," I announced, holding out my hand.

She didn't take it. I awkwardly lowered it back to my side. "Why are you at my son's house while he's at work?" she demanded.

Straight to the point, huh. "Uh—"

"Mrs. Calloway, you can't just start interrogating someone as soon as you meet them," Sebastian spoke up.

She turned to him and placed a hand on her hip. "Mr. James, are you here because you're running away from your mother again? Will you ever stop disappointing her?"

My mouth fell open in shock and I immediately went to jump to his defense but a slight shake of his head silenced me. I bit my tongue, feeling my skin crawl. This was Bennett's mother? No wonder Bennett didn't understand why I'd gotten offended by his words. He thought it was normal.

"Ha ha, I'm actually here just to keep Henley company," Sebastian said lightheartedly.

"Bennett doesn't let anyone stay over. Why in the world are you still here?" Mrs. Calloway asked, stern-faced.

"That's, um." Dammit Henley, say something. What was I supposed to say though? Was I supposed to lie directly to her face? Even then, what would I tell her? Bennett and I hadn't gone over this! How much did I need to lie about? There was no way I would pretend to be someone like her.

Sebastian sighed loudly, coming over and putting an arm around my shoulder. His touch felt relaxing and some of the tension left my body. "You're scaring her. This is why Bennett can never keep a girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Mrs. Calloway repeated. Then her eyes widened a bit. "You are Bennett's girlfriend?" Her eyes scanned my body and with a jolt I realized I was wearing Bennett's t-shirt and a ratty pair of jeans. Crap, crap, crap. Hadn't Bennett said she'd be able to realize my social status by my clothing?

"I've never heard of you. Who introduced you to him?"

"That would be me," Sebastian answered before I could. I was grateful he was here with me. Lying while under pressure wasn't my best point. Especially when it came to lying about myself to make myself seem better than I was.

She gave Sebastian a harsh look. "Why? I have a list of candidates for Bennett to meet."

"Her family was also looking for a suitable partner for Bennett, so I suggested her. Her family and mine go way back."

"How come you've never mentioned her before?"

"She just got back from France after living there for a few years," he lied smoothly. Dang, he was good. Must be the lawyer in him. But couldn't he have picked a country that spoke English as their main language?

Mrs. Calloway looked at me expectantly. "France, you say? Did you study there?"

"Uh, oui," I responded and cringed inwardly. That sounded so lame.

"What did you study?"

"Business?"

Sebastian shot me a look at my questioning tone. "Her family has a chain of hotels across France. She's the next heir so she's come back to rekindle connections in the U.S and I thought it might be a good idea for the two of them to meet. They hit it off instantly."

An impressed look crossed Mrs. Calloway's face and she appraised me yet again, this time with more interest. "You don't say? Perhaps a hotel I've stayed at while there?"

Oh, man. Why did I take Spanish in high school? I didn't know any French! What the heck was I supposed to call the hotel? Something in French? "Maybe," I finally said. "We're climbing the ranks of top hotels in France, but we're still growing. Maybe you've heard of Fleur Hotels?"

She thought about it for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "Mmm, perhaps. It's been over two years since I've last been in France. Have your parents come with you? I would like to speak with them."

"No, they're still in France," I said quickly.

Her lips twisted down a little. "I see. Still. It isn't right for Bennett not to introduce his mother to someone he's thinking about dating. Or for you to not properly greet me."

Thinking about dating? Did she miss the part about me being his girlfriend already?

"I will not recognize you as his girlfriend until I've met your parents and you prove your worth to our family," she continued as if reading my thoughts. "Our business needs to keep growing and keep evolving. Bennett needs to be with someone who will help us reach our goals. I may have given him a bit of leeway for dating, but don't think anything will be set in stone. I'm only telling you this so you don't get your heart broken. It takes a lot to become a Calloway. Some people just aren't cut out for it."

She ended as if she was trying to sound kind, but it didn't sound like that at all. It sounded like a threat. "What if it's what Bennett wants?" I asked and Sebastian shook his head vigorously and gave me an x signal.

Her eyes steeled and her lips flattened into a straight line. "Bennett understands that the business comes first. No matter how much he might come to care about you, I can make him let you go in a heartbeat. There are many pretty faces out there. So don't get too ahead of yourself, Hadley."

"It's Henley."

"Mm," she responded and I felt my jaw twitch. "When was the last time you had a haircut?"

I glanced down at a lock of my hair and grimaced inwardly. How did she pick up on that?

"Did you forget to take care of your looks after coming to America? Or do you generally look like someone who came from the slums?"

I felt my lips curl up.

Sebastian placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Alright, alright. It's a day off, excuse her looks. I'll help to arrange a meeting with her parents. This topic aside, is there a reason you came here, Mrs. Calloway?"

"Just to make sure his belongings were still here."

I moved to get up, but Sebastian held me down. "Ha, nice joke."

She smiled, but it was more like a sneer. "I respect that you and my son are both adults, but he has a reputation to uphold. Please stay decent." As if to make a point her gaze zeroes in on my shirt. She must've known it was Bennett's.

"No worries. We only do it in the bedroom," I told her sweetly, smiling wide. "Maybe once in the kitchen. We'll make sure to shut the shades."

The look of complete reproach on her face was totally with Sebastian digging his nails into my skin. After a moment of both of us staring each other down, she turned her nose up at me. "She needs to work on her manners before she meets me again."

"Don't mind her. She gets a little grumpy when she's hungry. Right?" Sebastian said, punctuating his last word with pinch to my shoulder.

I chose to remain silent and eventually Mrs. Calloway began walking away. We listened to the click of her heels all the way up the stairs and down the hallway until they disappeared. Sebastian let out a long sigh and I felt myself calming down... only for that feeling to be replaced with dread.

"Well. That could have gone better."