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She shouldn’t be here. She left. She left me behind over seven years ago, and I’ve never seen or heard from her since.

Not that I expected to. After she abandoned me without a word, I didn’t really expect her to call out of the blue to give me an update on her life.

We had so many plans together. We were going to move to England to attend university. We had a little flat all picked out, and despite only being eighteen, we had our future set. It didn’t really matter to me where we lived, or what we did, as long as she was there. Whenever I pictured my future, the details were always hazy, but in every version, she was by my side. I figured the rest would sort itself out with time, as long as I had her.

Then she left. She broke my heart, and I’ve never been the same since.

I threw myself into this world, learning from my father, becoming his heir. It was the life she didn’t want for me. She wanted me to get as far away from him as possible, but without her to guide me, what else did I have?

Now she’s back, and she can’t even fucking look at me.Does she still have the piece of my heart that she tore out when she left?

I can still feel the festering gaping wound in my chest where it should be. I’m guessing she discarded it, like she did with all the feelings she had for me and the dreams we had together.

“Oh, right? You remember Teigan?” Father asks, his face scrunching into a grimace as he states the fucking obvious.

“What the fuck isshedoing here?” I grind out, sounding as fucking fuming as I feel.

Teigan swings around, her long hair flicking over her shoulder with the speed of her movement. Her eyes are no longer on the ground. Her bright grey eyes bore into me with an intensity that knocks the air from my lungs.

“She,” she seethes, “is here because I have no other fucking choice.”

I shake my head in confusion. “What?”

“I work here, asshole,” Teigan mutters, her eyes flashing with fire as she curses me. My dick twitches as I think of all the ways she used to keep me on my toes.

Fuck, no. Do not think of this girl with your dick, I tell myself. I need to focus on all the pain she caused me, rather than the ways she ignites a spark in me I thought died a long time ago.

“Don’t call him an asshole. I may be your employer, but he is my heir. You will show him respect,” Father snaps, and Tee lowers her gaze, looking thoroughly chastised. Her shoulders droop again, and I hate seeing the small spark extinguished so easily.

I remember a time when nothing scared Teigan Murphy, not even the boy with a fierce reputation and a crazy family. Where did that girl go?

I don’t know what on earth possesses me, but I turn to face my father, my voice barely controlled. “Do not snap at her like that.”

Both pairs of eyes fly to stare at me. Father looks like he can’t quite believe I just stood up to him. Probably because I can’t remember the last time I did. Whereas, the grey eyes that haunt my dreams are wide and shocked, but in a different way.

She looks like she doesn’t understand why I am standing up for her, and if I’m being honest, I don’t know why either. Let’s call it a habit, though we both know it’s something more.

I shake my head again, wondering when the hell I stepped into the twilight zone. “Someone better start explaining,” I sneer, looking from Father to Tee.

They glance curiously at each other, and Tee begins fiddling with her hands in front of her, something she always used to do when she’s anxious. Father lets out a sigh. “Teigan works for us. I don’t have time to get into the details now, as we need to prepare for the party. But to cut a long story short, she needed to borrow some money, which no bank would lend her. I agreed to give her a loan, and this is how she’s paying it back.”

My eyes widen comically with each word he speaks, and my heart races as more and more questions form. “Why the hell would you go to him for money?”

Even though I aim the question at Tee, she doesn’t respond. Instead, Father answers for her. “Nobody else would lend her it, and she needed it.”

“What for?”

Now, when her eyes snap up to meet mine, I can see the pain reflected back. Her grey eyes are dull, sparkling with unshed tears, like she’s begging me not to ask that question. But I holdmy ground. She owes me this fucking explanation. In fact, she owes me a fucking essay worth of answers, but as her face shuts down, I know I’m not going to get them.

Father reaches out and places a hand on my arm, his face stern and professional. “We can discuss the full story later. For now, you have a job to do, and so does she. As I’m sure you’ve worked out by now, she will be around a lot until her debt is paid. There will be plenty of time for explanations. You are both dismissed, go do the jobs I have assigned.”

As soon as he dismisses us, I know there’s no room for any further discussion. Teigan doesn’t even hesitate, she swings around so quickly, pulling the door open without a second glance. She practically runs out of the room, and it’s like I’m tied to her, as I can’t stop myself from following.

I can hear Father calling behind me, reminding me of the jobs I have to do before the party begins, but I barely register a word he says. I follow the brunette, stalking her down the corridor.

As soon as I catch up with her, I grab her shoulder, swinging her around easily before I push her back against the wall. Driven by anger, I crowd my body over hers, pinning her in. I slam one hand against the wall beside her head, and use the other to wrap around her neck, holding her in place.

My grip isn’t tight enough to cut off her air supply, but it’s enough for her eyes to widen, fear flashing back at me. I’m practically vibrating with over seven years worth of pain, and I can’t seem to grab the composure I’m known for.