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His brows quirk upward. “She apologized toyou?”
“Right? I didn’t know she was capable of that.”
He leans forward, intrigued. “What’s your goal with this, little brother?”
“Truthfully?” I ask.
He nods. “I just want to understand so I can help you better. I know you’re up to something.”
I sigh. “The Ice Queen has coasted through life for far too long. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met, yet she’s become complacent. Since she would never workwithme, I’ve decided to have her workagainstme. It’s actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”
He lowers his voice. “What if this doesn’t work?”
“Then she’ll lose her business,” I confirm. “But I know her, and she won’t give up because I’m involved. She’ll fight harder. Billie wasn’t concerned with Lustre until Josh hired us. What does that tell you?”
He shakes his head. “It tells me she knows you can polish a turd.”
“Exactly. Now Lustre is a real threat to her because of me. So, she’ll wake the hell up and fight for her company or go bankrupt. I’m convinced Josh dated her just to infiltrate Bellamore. Now I’m her karma.”
“Good karma or bad karma?” Nick asks.
“That’s in the eye of the beholder. I see myself as good karma. She’d probably call me bad.”
My brother’s face softens. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“If fighting me makes her stronger, that’s Josh’s problem. My contract with Lustre will be fulfilled, and I’ll have done everything I promised. But I also know Josh burns every bridge he crosses and messes up every great opportunity that comes his way. In ninety days, when my contract expires, Josh will see a spike in profits, but Bellamore will leave him behind.”
Nick raises an eyebrow. “How can you be so sure?”
I smile. “It’s personal for her. Oh, that reminds me. I need to swing by Lustre at some point to just randomly drop in.”
My brother laughs. “This is unbelievable.”
“I don’t think it is. Eden would’ve helped her. We both know that. Now it’s time to troll.”
He follows me to my office. I grab the giant roll of paper stacked in the corner, and we spread it across the long table. I hand him athick black marker as I decide what message I want to send to the world. It needs to pack a punch.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the kiss Billie and I shared at Weston’s. I’ve checked the Blind Items website like it’s my religion. The posts only focus on her and Louis. While I suspect it’s a facade, I also know they have a very real history. Is this a stunt or a second chance?
“If you keep this up, you’ll end up falling for her,” Nick says.
“No. It would never work,” I admit, trying to push aside that flicker in the dark.
“But if it could?” he questions. “What if this mutual hating game is the greatest and longest foreplay of your life?”
“Somehow, I don’t think so.” I decide what I’ll write on the sign.
“What happened at that party?” Nick finally asks since he wasn’t there. He was hanging out with a friend from out of town instead.
Our eyes meet.
“I kissed her in front of everyone.”
His eyes widen. “What?”
Nervous laughter escapes me. “And then in the elevator.”
“What?!” His voice jumps an entire octave. “Were you trashed?”