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“If that mattered, you’d be across the pond, eye-fucking himinstead of me. I know how you act when you’re in love. Completely insufferable.”
“I am absolutely not eye-fucking you.” I pull back, creating as much distance as possible, refusing to let him turn the tables while the paparazzi are all over us. If anyone knows how to handle the media, it’s him. “Just leave this alone.Please. I’m asking nicely.”
His gaze is way too intense. Ever since he kissed me, I haven’t been the same. Right now, I can’t decide if I want to slide my tongue against his or slap him across the face. It’s torture.
“Hmm.Naaah.I don’t think I will,” he says playfully, but I know he’s serious.
“You’re anactualmenace.” Frustration bubbles inside me.
He chuckles, and I hate that I enjoy the low rumble in his throat. To feel both hatred and desire so intensely might just be insanity.
“And to thinkall of thiscould’ve been avoided if you had just set your ego aside.”
“You would have loved me submitting to you too much.” I’m acutely aware of the eyes watching us from the windows.
“One thing we can agree on.”
He returns my gaze, and it feels too intimate. I quickly look away.
“What happened to you?” he asks, pulling my attention back. “You’ve grown soft.”
“I don’t care about your opinion, and I certainly don’t like you. Never have. Never will.” My eyes flicker to his plump lips, and I momentarily get lost in the memory of our elevator encounter.
He raises a brow, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“Let’s talk facts, shall we? Your business is failing. Your love life? Nonexistent. You haveonefriend, no pets, and zero hobbies. And that billion-dollar fortune of yours? Locked away until you find some unfortunate soul to endure hell with you for eternity. Look me in the eyes and honestly tell me you think you’re living your best life.”
He pauses, and I can’t deny I’ve been asleep at the wheel for far too long.
“What frustrates me is that you can change this, but you’re too fucking busy coasting and blaming everyone else for your failures instead of looking in the mirror. This has been your MO since you and Josh split.Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the biggest disappointment of them all? Hmm. Ice Queen.”
My brow furrows. “How dare y?—”
“I’mnotyour enemy, princess. Your self-sabotage has done a fantastic job of fucking you over.” Banks removes the lid from his coffee to let it cool. “The girl I met at Stanford would be furious with you right now. To think, Billie fucking Calloway rolled over for a man who pretended to understand the fashion industry. Heusedyou, and you let him. This is the consequence of your actions. Nothing else.”
I glare at him. “My personal life is off-limits. Leave it alone. Stop prying. You have no idea what happened between Josh and me.”
“I know you broke it off with him,” he says.
“You don’t know why.”
The only people I’ve confided in are Harper and my brothers, and they’re like vaults.
“That’s where you’re wrong, babe. I do know.” He lowers his voice.
“Yeah?” I narrow my eyes. “I’m sure he gave you the same lie he tells everyone.”
“He admitted to cheating on you with his ex.”
His brown eyes meet my blues, as if trying to see me crumble, but he gets no reaction. My skin is thicker than steel.
“Josh told you the truth. Wow.” My brows crease. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked. “And even then, you still decided to work with him?” My adrenaline surges, and my face feels like it’s on fire. I haven’t been this angry in a long time. “You’ve officially lost the little respect I had left for you. Leave me alone, Banks. Seriously.”
Josh has always claimed we mutually split due to business differences. It’s an easier lie to navigate publicly, but when anyone tries to delve deeper, I avoid their questions. I’m ashamed and upset that I gave my heart to a mediocre man. Banks is right. Josh pretends to understand fashion and doesn’t. That was the first red flag I overlooked.
“You do realize I’m immune to your reactions. I’m completely unbothered by your bitchiness; I actually find it kind of endearing.” He waves his hand dismissively. “And if you must know, Josh seemed remorseful about his actions. He said he’s still in love with you.”
“He’s manipulating you,” I snap. “You can’t love someone and also willingly sneak around and cheat and lie. That’s not how it works. He’s in love with the idea of me, with what I could do for him. He is not in love with me. And why are you telling me this? So you can use it against me? Planning to spin this narrative that I’m a horrible person who deserved to be cheated on? Then you’ll play the white knight for Josh Lustre, right?”