Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Sweetheart?”
My eyes lifted to meet his. I stared at his hard features, the jawline that cast a shadow under his chin, the stubble that he’d let grow for a couple of days. His eyes were soft when it was just the two of us, but I’d seen their softness harden into the point of a dagger in the company of others.
He couldn’t have done it…he just couldn’t.
His eyes narrowed in impatience.
I knew my father didn’t do it, and if I asked him, that’s what he would say. Axel’s father wasn’t in danger. It was just an elaborate lie.
But what if I was wrong?
What if—what if it was true?
“I was wondering…if you would give me a loan to open my restaurant.” My eyes lifted to meet his, a flush of adrenaline rushing through me and dissipating just as quickly as it started. I swallowed again.
It took him several long seconds to process that request. “That’s what you wanted to discuss?”
“Yes.”
A heavy sigh escaped his nostrils, like he’d been prepared for much worse news. “Did something happen with Axel?”
I swallowed, so paralyzed I wasn’t sure if I could say the words.
He seemed to understand because he gave a slight nod. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He said it in a delicate voice, like he meant every word he said, like he was saddened by my heartbreak. “May I ask what happened?”
I crossed my legs then gripped my knee with both hands. I stared at my locked fingers, listening to the fire crackle in the background. “I tried to forget about what happened with Cassandra, but I just couldn’t.” My eyes lifted to see his reaction.
His expression hadn’t changed. It was focused and intense, his eyes serious. Then he gave a slight nod. “Understandable.”
I continued to stare, to pierce his expression with the sharpness of my eyes, to see any indication of a lie. If he was guilty of what Axel said, it didn’t seem like it. Or was he just the best liar in the world, should compete in poker tournaments and clean house? The only things I saw on his handsome face were sorrow and concern and devastation.
He stared at me for a while, his sadness continuing to match mine.
“I moved back to my old apartment a few days ago.”
He continued to stare. “Instead of pursuing a restaurant, how about you return to the family business?”
I used to be so ambitious, but now the suggestion was repulsive. “I never want to return to the family business.”
His disappointment was so heavy it couldn’t be masked. “Sweetheart, I assure you what happened was an unusual occurrence—”
“I’m too soft for that kind of life.”
His voice deepened. “You are not soft, Scarlett.”
If Axel hadn’t shown up, I would have been raped and killed. The threat was enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. “I don’t want it. I’m sorry.”
His eyes dropped for the first time.
I felt bad for disappointing him. I always tried to please him, always tried to make him proud, but this was something I was unwilling to do. No amount of guilt would change my mind.
He looked away, staring at the fire for a while.
I didn’t ask about the loan again, because truthfully, I didn’t want it. I’d just needed something to say in that heated moment. I would go to the bank and do it the traditional way, the way everyone who didn’t have rich fathers and husbands did.
He remained quiet, lost in his own thoughts and his sea of disappointment.
I noticed he didn’t ask how I was doing. If I needed anything. If there was anything he could do to ease my pain. He seemed to be thinking about himself, the fact that my separation from Axel had complicated his ownership.
That stung a bit. “I should go.” I rose to my feet and grabbed my purse.
After a second, he did the same and came to my side. “How much do you need?”
“I—I don’t know. Maybe a hundred thousand.”
He walked with me toward the door, his hands in his pockets. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
I didn’t want the loan, but it hurt that he didn’t give it to me without hesitation. Axel was happy to give me everything of his, to push his wealth into my hands for me to keep. He was happy to make my dreams a reality. Both men were equally wealthy, so it was clear who was generous…and who was stingy. “Alright. Goodnight.”
He opened the front door for me. “Sweetheart?”
“Hmm?” I turned back to look at him.
“Don’t be sad for long,” he said. “You were too good for him anyway.”
Chapter 6
Axel
Aldo knocked on my bedroom door.
I was on the couch in the living room, watching a game I didn’t really care about. Sports was the only distraction I had at the moment. All of her stuff was gone, but her smell remained. Hints of her perfume in the bathroom. A pair of her panties in my underwear drawer that had been placed there by mistake. One of her hairs on my pillow. Everywhere I looked, she was there, fucking haunting me.