Jeremy had never particularly been a fan of the arts but he couldn't deny being curious about seeing Violet in her element. It was why he bothered to go to the opening performance of her new show.
He couldn't deny she was extremely talented in her craft. The natural grace and elegance she displayed in her daily life was apparent in her movements.
What truly intrigued him was how much her character changed throughout the story. Sometimes Cinderella danced slowly and sadly, other times she leaped around cheerfully, and still others she was obviously in love with the prince. Violet somehow managed to capture each emotion perfectly as she danced.
He suddenly understood what Aaron had said about her dancing. Aside from having the same natural grace, the ballerina on stage almost didn't seem like Violet at all. She had a lot more expression on her face as she danced.
At the end of the performance he clapped loudly. Jeremy had been riveted not by the story but by the ever deepening mystery of Violet Hale.
During the meet and greet with the dancers afterward he saw her from across the room talking to that man who appeared with her all over Instagram. He knew her twin was home so it was natural for him to assume that was who it was.
Finding out the man he assumed was Violet's brother was actually Cameron Singleton's son had been a bit of a shock. Well, he knew Cameron was close to Aaron and had been since they were both at Harvard. It made an odd kind of sense that their children would be close as well.
Jeremy still had a hard time believing Aaron actually hung out with people from the office outside of work, even after seeing Cameron and Aiden splashed across Keeley Hale's Instagram.
He hadn't thought Aaron was the type to have actual friends. He saw those two at work; wasn't that enough interaction for him? Especially since they seemed to annoy him so frequently.
What was even more interesting was that this guy Noah seemed to resent Jeremy's presence right off the bat. Had Cameron said something? Jeremy had disliked the man ever since they met and the feeling seemed to be mutual, though Aaron was too emotionally dense to pick up on it.
He didn't take his work seriously. Jeremy had no idea how such a person ended up keeping the position of vice president at such a prestigious institution for so long.
Cameron had no ambition and yet, heaven forbid, if something happened to Aaron right now he would end up in charge simply because of his job title. Aaron had promised the company to Jeremy after he had more training as a part of upper management—he had it in writing—and he wouldn't let anyone take that from him.
Becoming the CEO of Hale Investments…carrying on Aaron's legacy for him…it was more than Jeremy ever could have dreamed of when he was younger. Even after being thoroughly exposed to his mentor's habits and odd, changeable personality, Aaron was still his idol.
He didn't understand how such a cold, proud, intelligent man was close friends with people like Cameron Singleton and Aiden Quinn. Aiden was undoubtedly a computer genius but his personality! He supposed his usefulness was why Aaron kept him around but Cameron made no sense.
And yet Violet, clearly the apple of Aaron's eye, had been close to Cameron's son her entire life. Meaning Aaron and Cameron were even more closely tied than Jeremy originally thought.
She described Noah as her 'best friend and most avid fan.' On the day they first met, Aaron mentioned her favorite person would be back in town so she probably wouldn't be home until late. And on their smoothie date she had mentioned how she spent most of her time with her family or best friend.
All this time Jeremy assumed her best friend would be a girl. Didn't most women have female best friends? Yet her social circle seemed to be entirely limited to her family and the man in front of him.
Violet claimed he was as good as one of her brothers. Yet none of her brothers had shown up at her show tonight. Noah clearly cared more than a brother would.
There was only one reason a man would show up with flowers to a woman's performance. Noah Singleton was interested in her too. Jeremy almost felt sorry for him, being dismissed as a sibling right in front of a romantic rival.
Based on all of those pictures he had seen, they truly had been raised like siblings. Noah was in pictures with Violet and the other Hale siblings dating back decades. If Violet didn't see him as anything other than a brother now, she never would.
Jeremy relaxed. This man wasn't a threat to his interest in the only woman who ever managed to intrigue him. He decided the best course of action was to ignore him.
"Violet, I would love to talk to you more about your performance tonight. Can I take you to lunch tomorrow?"
A small smile appeared on her face. "It will have to be more like a brunch. I have rehearsals starting at one."
"Not a problem," he agreed easily.
Noah's face practically turned green with envy. It took everything within Jeremy not to laugh. This was too fun!
"Great! Text me in the morning and we'll figure out a time and place," she replied before waving him off and thanking him for coming.
She immediately turned back to her friend and talked to him as if he hadn't just had his hopes dashed right in front of his eyes. Noah was clearly trying to hold it together for Violet's sake.
These two were quite entertaining. Jeremy was interested in Violet but he might be even more interested in seeing how this soap opera played out. Plus he had to admit, snatching something a Singleton cared about right from under them was appealing.
He had already been considering Violet Hale as girlfriend material. She was beautiful, intelligent, and had a dazzling smile.
Getting closer to Aaron and his seemingly perfect family as a result would only be a bonus. Jeremy had always wished he had a family like the Hales. Violet was the only woman he had ever truly found interesting but the bonuses from getting close to her were too much to ignore.
There was nothing wrong with taking advantage of a win-win situation. He had always excelled at finding those.
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