Craving The Wrong Brother (Sloane and Knox) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180

I stare at her blankly. “Frozen? There must be some mix-up. Maybe the machine’s acting up? That’s my account. I would know if it’s frozen.”

The receptionist’s expression remains stoic, as if she’s used to dealing with late-night guests having issues with their cards. “I’m afraid so, ma’am,” she says. “It’s showing as restricted.”

I feel frustration simmering beneath my skin. Whatever this is, it has Ryan’s name written all over it. Yet, at the back of my mind, I doubt. It might be a coincidence, because I can’t figure out any possible way Ryan could have done it, frozen this account without my approval. It’s a joint account. There’s a reason it’s called joint, because two people have to sign off on decisions involving the account. So yes, there has to be a reasonable explanation for this. There better be.

“What am I supposed to do?” I ask.

Angela shifts uncomfortably, typing again, like maybe she’s hoping a magical solution will pop up on her screen. When it doesn’t, she looks back at me. “I’m really sorry about this. Would you like me to try again?”

I force myself to breathe. “No, that’s fine. I’ll handle it,” I say, pulling my phone from my purse. “Give me a minute.”

The glass screen lights up as I open my banking app, waiting for it to come up.

But the app’s icon keeps spinning, refusing to load. I can practically feel the receptionist’s discomfort, and my hands tighten around the phone. I tap again, harder this time, as if force might just get me what I need. Nothing. Then a message flashes across the screen: “Please contact customer service for assistance.”

“Unbelievable,” I say. I look up, forcing a tight smile in the receptionist’s direction as I step away, pretending like it’s nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But inside, I’m boiling. First my card, now this? Today of all days? It’s like the god of shitstorms is out to get me today.

My finger jabs the call button, and I wait as the phone rings. Finally, a voice picks up.

“Thank you for calling Sky National Bank. This is Sara. How can I help you?”

“Hi, Sara,” I say. “I need some help with my account. My card’s declining, and the app says I need to contact customer service. There shouldn’t be any issues-I use this account every day.”

“Alright, ma’am,” she says in that painfully calm, overly friendly tone that customer service reps are trained to use. “I’ll need to verify your account details before we proceed. Can you provide the account number, as well as the name listed on the account?”

I recite the number, then my name. “Julie O’Brien. Actually, there are two names on the account, as it’s a joint account. Ryan O’Brien and Julie O’Brien.”

“Thank you, Mrs. O’Brien. One moment, please.” I can hear her typing, the distant clack of keys only adding to my irritation as I watch the receptionist at the counter occasionally glance my way, probably regretting not swapping shifts.

Finally, the woman on the line speaks again. “Mrs. O’Brien, it appears there’s a restriction on this account.”

“Yes, I’ve been told,” I say, forcing patience into my voice. “That’s why I’m calling. I need you to remove that restriction.”

e prim

“Well,” she says, “it looks like the restriction was placed by the primary account holder.”

“The what?”

“The primary account holder.”

I pause, feeling the words sink in. “There must be some mistake. It’s a joint account. There can’t be a primary account

holder.”

1/3

Chapter 180

“Yes,” she agrees. “It is a joint account, but in some cases, joint accounts are set up with a primary and secondary holder for security reasons.”

“And which am I? Primary or secondary?”

“You’re listed as the secondary holder, Mrs. O’Brien,” she says.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify