Page 49 of The Billionaire's Fake Wife

15

Summer

His voice slinks down my back. Every hair on the nape of my neck rises.

I pivot, shove open the door and place one foot over the threshold.

"With you on the inside, Ms. West."

My mouth goes dry. I pause mid-step. I should get the hell away. Run out of here, take the steps, never look back—

"Don’t think about it."

I angle my body forward.

"You leave now, and the deal off. I’ll ensure the doctor never sees your sister again, that she is back in your little hovel of an apartment. Oh, wait, that’s not possible because your landlord has already rented it out so—"

I whip around. "How dare you bring my sister into this."

He raises his shoulders and lets them drop, "Because I—"

"—can?" I toss my head, "Tell me something new."

"This entire exchange is getting tedious." He pulls out his sleek phone—latest model, of course, privileged schmuck— presses a number, then holds it to his ear, "Ah, Saint, that girl I told you about yesterday... Would you cancel her next appointment with Doc because—"

"Stop." I fold my arms in front of me.

"Yeah, the deal is off." He says into the mouthpiece.

"Please, I’ll do anything you want." Damn him, I am groveling now, but I can’t let Karma end up on the streets, I can’t.

"Definitely over, you can take her back and—"

I stalk up to him, grab the phone from his hand and raise it above my head.

He tilts his head, holds out his palm. I stare at the phone.

"You’ll regret it." There's an edge to his tone that assures me he means the threat.

I stare at the screen. There’s no evidence of a call in progress. Bastard. I snap my head up.

"You pretended to get on a call. Why would you do that?"

His features resolve into a mask.

"You know what your problem is?"

He pretends to yawn.

"You think you are the sole adult when you walk into a room, and that you are superior to everyone else."

"That’s because, I am." He props a hand on his hip.

"Newsflash, asshole, your confidence is going to be your downfall."

"Oh?" He pulls back his lips and his eyes glitter. He doesn’t seem angry. Far from it. He’s excited. Intrigued even? He leans forward on the balls of his feet, "And of course, you are the one who’s going to bring down the king?"

"You are the leader of this company because your team is too scared of you. They need you to pay their bills, so what do they care? They'll never question you, they’ll dance to your tune—"