Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 429(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
I thought it was Evan. It’s the only thing that made sense when I saw the article. It’s exactly the sort of twisted thinking he’s capable of, but what Dylan’s said changes everything. “You did this?”
He shakes his head, pinning me with a furious glare. “Of course not, not this. I put Vanna on the opposite track… destroying Evan, like we agreed on.” The reminder is sharp, and I flinch. I knew whatever Dylan did would be ugly, which is why I didn’t want to know about it, but this? I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t revenge by gossip monger. “She has more reasons than us to hate the Faulkners, and I trusted her motivation for that.”
“You trusted her?” I question sarcastically, and my tone is full of the shock and rage I feel.
He tilts his head, looking at me wryly. “I leveraged her,” he corrects. “It’s what I do.”
Throwing my arms wide, I huff, “That backfired, didn’t it?”
I’m panicking. My heart races faster and faster, thumping against my ribs. I can’t get enough oxygen, and there are black speckles at the edges of my vision. The reality is that my reputation isn’t worth a damn. All I will ever be known for is the fact that I slept with Dylan. I think I’m going to pass out…
Dylan is up and around his desk in a single second. At first, I pull away, but he presses. “Raven,” he says, “please don’t do this.”
I wait a moment, and when he tries again, I lean into him. He’s all I have. He wraps me in my arms. Gratefully, I sag into him, the top of my head going to his chest as I stare at our shoes. “What are we going to do?” I whisper, fighting back every racing thought.
I feel him press a firm kiss to my head, and then he lifts my chin, bringing my eyes to his. He looks murderous, but when he peers at me, it softens into something else entirely. The fury is still there, right beneath the surface, but he’s controlling it… for now. He kisses my lips, a gentle promise in the movement of his mouth on mine.
His phone dings on his desk.
And then it dings again.
And again.
This is it, our new reality. People are coming after him, after me, after us.
“Enough!” I growl, pushing him away. For a second, he tries to cling to me, and I realize he’s trying to escape this fucked up mess just as much as I am.
But I break free and grab his phone from his desk. My first instinct is to chunk it to the floor, stomp on it, and release the war cry that’s churning in my soul. Instead, I hand it to Dylan, slamming it into his palm.
“Fix this. I don’t know how, but please, fix this. Do whatever you have to do so that you’re okay,” I plead.
He looks at me in surprise. “You mean so that you’re okay. Your name, or close enough to it, is the one splashed all over that article that everyone’s reading and talking about.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t care what people think about me at this point, because losing everything I’ve worked for in one fell swoop is nothing compared to what could happen if your investors think you’ve been played by some ‘sexual siren’ looking for a sugar daddy who pays with insider information. The consequences of that could be catastrophic, Dylan.”
Because that’s the worst part of this. He’s right that the article is about me, which is infuriating and makes me feel nakedly vulnerable even though it’s all lies, but at its foundation, the article is about Dylan and how he’s been so easily duped by a pretty face and some pussy.
And that could bring Dylan’s entire empire to the ground.
I refuse to be the bringer of his ruin. I will not be his destruction.
Because I love him. I love him too much, but I don’t know what to do.
So if I have to sacrifice myself to save him, then so be it.
“A sugar daddy?” he repeats what I said with disbelief. “Raven, no one thinks that,” he says, but I pin him with a knowing look. That’s a lie and we both know it. There are plenty who will think exactly that based on one little gossip column and my sudden switch from Evan’s side to his. “Fuck!” he hisses, admitting that I’m right.
“I’m going to go home for the day, I think. If you need me, call, but otherwise, I understand that you have to do what’s needed to save yourself and what you’ve worked so hard for.”
Before he can argue, I lift to my toes, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, and then I leave before he can stop me. Tamara side eyes me as I pass, her glasses magnifying the sadness I see in her gaze.