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since his mother passed away last year, he’s been very distant. Our father lives with me and my mother, and not with Trent and his mother. So his mother was probably the most important person in his life. I can’t imagine how much pain he must have gone through when she died suddenly. But ever since her passing, his grief seemed to change him completely, and we’re no longer close like we used to be.”
    “I see. How do you like working with him?”
    I frowned, unsure of why Dean took interests in my relationship with Trent.
    “I’m not going to lie. It’s a bit strained at work. But I think he’s just trying to be a good Acting CEO, so he tries to treat me like any of the other employees. We both didn’t expect our new positions at Parker, Inc. But with our father’s sudden stroke, we both had to step up and manage the company. So he took over our father’s responsibilities, and I took over Trent’s old ones. I’m really hoping that with all the extra time we spent together at work, we could somehow mend our relationship.”
    I looked over at Dean and noticed him deep in thought.
    “Why do you ask?”
    “Huh?” He looked at me and I saw a flicker in his eyes that left me feeling unease.
    “Why are you curious about me and Trent?”
    “Oh. Um. No reason. I just have a feeling I’ll be working with you two a lot in the future, so I wanted to get a little bit of your backgrounds.” He flashed me a smile. “Nothing to worry about.” 
    “Okay.”
    He leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. “Well. Good night. I had a nice dinner with you. I’d like to see you again.”
    “I’ll think about it.” I got out of the car and turned back to look at him. He smiled up at me and waved before driving off. I wasn’t sure why, but I had a feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling me. Something told me that there was something secretive about him that I haven’t yet figured out.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Dean
    Nine Years Ago
    A wide grin was freeze-framed o n my face during the entire one-hour flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It was Thanksgiving Day weekend, and I’d been anxiously waiting and planning for this weekend for the last few months.
    I smiled at the thought of finally holding Katherine in my arms and kissing her. It had been a busy semester of school for her, and I hadn’t seen her since the start of the fall semester three months ago. She said she was going to be swamped preparing for finals during this holiday weekend, so we hadn’t made plans to see each other during the break.
    But I had a surprise for her. A big surprise.
    I realized in the last three months we were apart that we’d been together for more than four years, and it was the right thing to do for me to take the next step in our relationship. She was my first serious relationship, my first love, and my first lover. It felt right that she should be the future Mrs. Chase.
    I touched the breast pocket of my blazer where the box was and tried to breath as anxiety crashed through me. I heard about how nerve-racking proposing to someone could be, but I never thought it’d feel like this. I had excited nerves running through me but I also felt sick to my stomach.
    “This was the natural next step in our relationship. This is probably what she’s been waiting for.” I continued to reassure myself as I got off the plane.
    When I collected my luggage at baggage claim, I called her cell phone to surprise her and to see where she was at so I could tell the taxi where to go. But after a few rings, I only got her voicemail.
    I tried again. Nothing.
    Then I texted her and told her to call me back as soon as she could.
    After fifteen minutes, she still hadn’t texted or called back.
    “Shit, she must be studying somewhere.” She’d often become unreachable when she studying in the library and had her phone on silent.
    I paced back and forth as I waited for her to call me back. Then I remembered I had the number to her landline in