Page 36 of The Jaded Notes

“Now you’re manipulating me.” I spin toward him, and the stupid lights turn blue. “Great. You brought me into a space that tells you every goddamn emotion I’m having. It’s like some billionaire superhero superpower, isn’t it? Is this how you interview everyone?”

The room turns pink, yellow, green, then back to blue. Citrus, cedar, and vanilla fuse in the air. A cool ocean breeze floats over me, then the room heats again.

“I have nothing to do with what’s going on right now.” Jax tips his head up to meet my frightened but armed gaze.

“Then how does it work?”

“The system picks up breath and heart rate from the floor sensors. It’s mirroring us, not reading minds.”

“That’s reassuring,” I say dryly.

His lips quirk into a hidden smile. “The biometric detectors are picking up on both of our feelings. That’s why there’s a weird kaleidoscope of effects we’re dealing with.”

I huff and shake my head, but release a small laugh.

My shoulders relax. “You said no one else has ever been in here. Are you saying we’re breaking your elite designer program?”

“Two people have never been in here together, so it’s possible.” He gestures to the space where I had been sitting.

“Livianna, I’m not trying to scare you. I’m trying to help. But I can’t do that without knowing what you truly want. If you can’t get there, then maybe you don’t want your business to succeed as much as you think you do.”

His words hit hard.

I sink right before him, inches away. “I really want it, but don’t know how to get there without hurting people.”

“It’s simple, Livianna. Not easy, but it’s straightforward. Just admit what you see when you close your eyes.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“What would it take for you to get to a place where you would trust me and let me in?”

“It’s not you I’m worried about knowing. I think if you knew, you could lead me in the right direction. I just need to know if I can create my business the way I want without the most important people in my life figuring out what it stands for.”

“So what if they do? If you’re successful with it, wouldn’t they be happy for you?”

My nerves prick at my skin. It feels like bugs are crawling underneath the surface. I scratch at my wrist, but stop as soon as Jax places his hand over mine.

“Jax, that’s the problem. I’m not sure how they would feel about me. They might hate me even more than they do.”

The lights and the aroma continue to glitch, switching between different colors and scents. Jax doesn’t seem bothered by it. He’s focused on me and me alone.

“Make me understand.” His brows come together. “Explain what you’re struggling with. You have my word. Whatever you tell me will stay between us.”

I stare at him for a moment. It would be a relief to let someone know what I do. Maybe he could help me find a way around it. He’s brilliant, so there’s a chance.

“Jax… I think it’ll be easier to start at the beginning, but I don’t want to have your eyes on me when I tell you. It makes me feel too…exposed.”

“Okay. Get comfortable and speak freely. I’ll stay quiet and just listen.” He gestures to a place in the cocoon area where I can recline. “You go over there and I’ll sit here with an open mind.”

“That sounds like something that could work.” I rest back on the pillows and close my eyes as I replay the day I was made aware of Lehlani Rose.

I suck in a sharp breath, willing my voice to steady as I let the memory surge forward like a wave I can’t outrun, one that’s about to take me under. I speak as if I’m reliving it in the present.

“It happens just before my fourteenth birthday,” I whisper, like I’m confessing something sacred and cursed all at once. “It’s late at night. I wake to something crashing, like glass shattering against a wall.”

The impact still echoes in my head.

“The noise came from my mom and dad’s room. I get out of bed and creep down the hall toward their bedroom. My vision’s blurry, so I wipe the sleepy sand from my eyes.