Page 43 of Lavish

He turned to face me, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions—anger, sadness, and something else I couldn’t quite place.

“Miles,” he said, his tone flat.

“I didn’t think you would come.” I closed the door, taking a few steps inside.

“I had to see if you still had the fucking balls to go along with this.”

I gritted my teeth, my back stiffening. “It’s not like I had a choice.”

Erik turned, eyes blazing. His brown skin flushed; his fists clenched. “You have a choice. But you did back then too, and you made the wrong one with the whole Victor thing.”

“Don’t try me,” I snapped, stepping forward. “You wanna talk about leaving shit in shambles? Let’s talk about whatyoudid to my family. You wrecked us, man. That’s why I made that deal.”

“That was after! I warned you about those guys and their sketchy deals.” Erik’s voice cracked, his tone cutting deeper. “I didn’twantto tell, Miles. Omar was family to me too, but he was outta control. Somebody had to do something. You were obviously too pussy to do it. Don’t make excuses because you stooped fucking low to make deals with criminals.”

“You weren’t funding us!” I had to keep my voice steady. “Who was making sure my family was fed, hmm? You and the rest of your family turned your fucking backs on us. If anything, you should’ve kept your damn mouth shut.”

“You caused all this!” Erik yelled, closing the distance between us. “You always thought all this shit was a game, Miles.”

We bumped chests, and I lost it, shoving him hard. Years of anger finally blew. “Say that shit again, Erik. I dare you.”

He stumbled but caught himself, his face twisting into something feral as he came right back, shoving me with both hands. “You caused all this by pussyfooting. You ruined the town. You ruined our friendship.”

My blood was boiling as I stepped forward again, this time grabbing his shirt. “You got a lotta nerve, acting like you’re the victim. You destroyed my family, and now you wanna act all high and mighty? Fuck that!”

Erik didn’t flinch, his hands coming up to shove me off him. I stumbled back this time, but came right back at him, but before I could swing, the door opened and a voice broke through the haze of rage.

“Hey! Break it up.” Dante suddenly entered the room and stepped between us. “Please try not to destroy anything in here. My aunt would kill me if you cracked that statue.”

Erik and I froze, our breathing heavy, faces inches apart.

He took a step back. Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a manila envelope. He held it out to me, a silence stretching as I stared at the envelope.

“The fuck is that?”

Erik’s expression was grim. “A way out.”

I opened the envelope and found a stack of money.

“What is this?” I asked again, though I had a sinking feeling I knew.

“You’re smart enough to figure it out,” Erik said, his tone sharp. “Let’s end this marriage before it starts. Name your price if you need to, but don’t marry Serena. I can figure out how to fix this for both of us.”

Dante raised a brow. “Interesting decision, Erik, knowing the stakes.”

“Mind your business,” he snapped at Dante.

I looked at Erik, stunned. “You’re trying tobribeme?”

“This is about keeping my sister away from you before you drag her into your fucking mess of a show.”

“Fuck your offer, Erik. And fuck you.”

Before either of us could throw the first punch, our parents walked in, Yvonne’s eyes narrowing as she took in the scene. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Nothing like a good ol’ fight before a wedding to get everyone in the mood,” Dante drawled.

CHAPTER 10