Page 31

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ASHER

S eeing Billie so upset with me has left a hole in my fucking heart. Over the years, we’ve been at each other’s throat, tearing out the other’s jugular, and had public blowups that were just short of gouging out one another’s eyes.

But this is different. This time, it’s so damn personal that it hurts deep inside.

Not telling her about Project Glass Slipper sooner might be one of my biggest mistakes. I understand what it’s like to have trust issues and be betrayed.

I think back to where the folio was kept. I must’ve forgotten to put it away, which was careless, but so is keeping secrets from the person you love.

My anger steadily boils on the elevator ride to the top floor, and I’m upset with myself. I step into Easton’s office and close the door more forcefully than intended.

“Did you know she would be here? Was this a setup?” I glare at them incredulously.

“No,” Weston mutters. “We’re masterminds, but that shit wasn’t planned.”

“What did you want to speak to me about?” I ask, checking my watch, needing to leave immediately.

Nick is still in the car, waiting for me. I’ve already been here for nearly ten minutes.

“Are you fucking my sister?” Easton bluntly asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That’s none of your goddamn business,” I tell him.

“Billie will always be my business, no matter what. If you hurt her …” he sneers and turns to Weston. “I thought you said they weren’t together.”

They stare at one another, and I can tell Easton isn’t happy.

Weston tucks his hands into his pockets. “I haven’t confirmed becau—” Easton opens his mouth to say something, but Weston continues speaking. “Let me finish. It wasn’t my place to ask our adult sister if she was hooking up with our friend .” How he stressed the word friend isn’t lost on me. “I trust Asher will make the right decisions. I believe he cares deeply about Billie and won’t hurt her.”

“It will?—”

“ Fuck, Easton ! Leave it alone, or I’ll lose it. I don’t have any patience left today after everything we’ve gone through this morning. Okay? Fucking drop it.”

Stormy doesn’t say anything. The office is so quiet that I could hear a pin drop.

I shake my head. “Please tell me you didn’t call for an emergency meeting to ask me that because if?—”

“Actually, no,” Weston says, waving his hand. He’s calm, but he’s also tense. “Can we all sit?”

My brows rise. “Actually, no. What do you want? I have a fucking mess to deal with and need to go.”

Stormy opens her mouth, and I hold up my hand.

“Shut the fuck up. I don’t even know why you’re here. You’re shady, and I don’t like your tactics. I look forward to the day when I replace you. ”

She bursts into laughter. “I’m irreplaceable, babe. But, wow, still that cocky asshole, I see.”

“You told Billie to stay away from me. You told her to forget I existed,” I say.

She smirks. “Of course I did.”

I stare at her, nostrils flaring.

“But I knew she’d never listen. She’s too rebellious. A complete wild card. She enjoys going against the grain and doing what she shouldn’t . It’s why the two of you get along so damn well, isn’t it?” She licks her lips. “Her career is now in your hands, Banks. Don’t fuck it up. That woman chose you over her entire career.”

I smirk. “Every person in this damn room, including me, already knows that. Anything else, or is more of my fucking time going to be wasted today?”

“Are you in love with her?” Easton asks.

He’s never been the type to make subtle hints. It’s something I appreciate about him.

“Yes,” I say without any hesitation, meeting his eyes. “And she’s in love with me. So, either you can both accept that or disrespectfully fuck off. I won’t lose her.”

I move to the door.

“What are you waiting for?” Easton asks.

I turn to him, and my brows crease. “Excuse me?”

“If you’re in love with her, what the fuck are you waiting for? Someone else to swoop in and marry her?” His voice is stern.

I cross my arms over my chest. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but your sister is currently fake dating Prince Louis while trying to pull off a fucking magic trick for the London fashion show in less time than what’s needed. She’s under a lot of stress and pressure from the public attention, and she can’t handle anything else right now.” I stare at each of them. “So, let me do my fucking job and stay out of my way.”

“Are you aware that Josh is telling everyone that he’s getting back with Billie?” Weston questions .

Stormy rolls her eyes as she picks at her nails. Everyone knows Josh is a trash human.

“Have you told her I love you yet?” Easton asks. “Has she said it back to you?”

“That’s none of your fucking business. Don’t ask me anything else about her. I won’t tell you, Calloway.”

Easton moves forward, stepping into my face, and Weston crosses his arms over his chest. “If you hurt my sister, I will ruin your life.”

“I hope you fucking do.” I smirk, wishing he would test me right now. I stare into his eyes, not intimidated, not backing down.

Weston pulls Easton away from me, and I move toward the door.

“Wait. The reason we called you here was to discuss LuxLeaks.”

My eyes darken. “I will find her.”

“You won’t,” Weston says. “I can guarantee that.”

“I have people, Weston. Hackers. Men who laugh at the dark web. If I wanted to find LadyLux, I absolutely would,” I say, my voice lowering to a near growl. It’s not a threat, but a promise. “Unless you’d like to admit that she works for you.”

“No.” Weston shakes his head with a laugh. “Hilarious. LadyLux works for no one, which you can see by how she’s chewed me up and spit me out over the last decade.”

“She continues to,” Easton says, and I think I see him almost smirk.

Weston’s jaw clenches tight as he pins me in place. “Believe me when I say, you do not want to mess with her, Asher. What is wrong with you?”

“Ahh, did she call her watchdogs to take care of the issue ? Is that how she gets into all the private parties and has insider information no one would have unless they were there? LadyLux may be doing her research on me, but trust me, I will do my research on her.” I glare at him. “She should’ve left my name off her site. Mmm. Guess she fucked around and found out. ”

“Fine. Good luck,” Weston says, his smile fading to a straight line. “You’ll need it.”

“Anything else?”

“You don’t need to start a war with LuxLeaks while fighting battles with my sister and Josh Lustre. You have more than enough on your plate right now.” Weston pats me on my back, squeezing my shoulder as he leads me to the door.

I reach for the doorknob. “I do what I want.”

“That will be your downfall,” he tells me as I leave the office with my heart in my throat.

I step into the elevator, almost wishing I’d have stayed cooped up inside today. So far, it’s turning out to be an awful experience.

Paparazzi snap photos of me leaving Calloway headquarters, and I slide into the back of the waiting car.

Nick stares at me. “What the fuck happened? I saw Billie leave, and she was furious . Did they tell you to stay away from her?”

My face cracks into a smile. “Actually, no. Guess this clusterfuck does have a silver lining.”

I enter my loft, and the weight of everything that’s happened today settles heavy on my shoulders. My mind races with thoughts of Billie—her fighting spirit, her fiery temper that I both love and fear. I want to call her, apologize, and explain everything, but I know better. She needs space to cool off, and I need to own up to the mess I’ve made of things.

This is the consequence of my actions of saying hello. But I’m not giving up after how she kissed me back on the elevator.

As I move into the living room, something catches my eye, and I stop. A white box, tied with a ribbon, sits innocently on the counter. My heart skips a beat because Billie left this for me. I move closer, knowing this is how she found the folio. I slide the lid off, and inside is a letter, already torn open.

Billie’s name stares back at me in my sister’s familiar handwriting. A chill travels down my spine.

I can’t read it now. My throat tightens, an unwelcome lump forming. Not yet. I’m already too emotionally drained. I set the letter to the side and dig deeper into the box, my fingers brushing against something rectangular. I pull it out, carefully unwrapping the tissue paper as curiosity tugs at me.

When I see a small painting of my sister smiling brightly, surrounded by flowers, my eyes water. I try to blink away my tears, but I fail. The colors explode on the canvas.

Below the painting, an inscription reads, Don’t be an Ash-hole.

A smirk tugs at my lips despite the storm brewing inside me. I move to my bedroom and stop in the doorway when I see red lace panties on my pillow.

I’ve let Billie down, and there’s no denying it. But as much as regret gnaws at me, I wouldn’t change my choices regarding her. I hope she shows up at eight p.m., like we planned before. Either way, I try to prepare myself for whatever comes next.

She chose me once. Will she do it twice?

I pace the length of my loft with my hands shoved deep into my pockets. It’s well after eight, and I know Billie’s home. I watched her enter the building from my window. Every step feels heavier; each second stretches into eternity. She’s not coming over. Can I blame her?

Billie saw everything, the entire truth. Project Glass Slipper was a secret I’d carried for thirteen years, and it was exposed in the harshest light possible. She deserves answers, an honest, unfiltered explanation. I owe her that.

My phone buzzes, pulling me away from my racing thoughts.

Nick

Well?

Asher

She didn’t show.

On the way to my loft, I gave him the abridged version of what had happened.

Nick

I’m sorry. I’m sure she needs time to process it.

I glance at the chicken Alfredo and breadsticks I made for tonight, no longer feeling hungry. I toss the phone aside, trying to calculate my next move. I miss her.

My eyes glance at the painting she gifted me of my sister, and I scan over the words at the bottom.

I leave my loft and stand in front of Billie’s door. Intimidation isn’t something I typically experience, but right now, I feel it in the pit of my stomach. My palms grow sweaty, and I wipe them on my pants. My nerves take hold as I knock softly, using our secret knock.

A minute passes, and her not answering is an answer. As I turn to walk away, the door slides open. She’s standing in sweatpants and an oversize hoodie with red eyes. She’s been crying, and it hurts me, knowing I’m the cause of that.

“Princess,” I whisper.

“Don’t princess me,” she says.

“Whatever you say, Ice Queen.” I give her a small smile, but she doesn’t return it. I lower my voice. “Billie, please.”

“You have five minutes,” she replies, stepping to the side to let me inside .

I enter, knowing we can’t be seen talking to one another, just in case Mrs. Chambers catches us. Neither of us trusts her.

I face her. “I was wrong. Completely. No justifications, no excuses. I know I broke your trust, and I will spend the rest of my life proving that I’ve always had your very best interest in mind.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t get it. Neither do my brothers. I want to make my own mistakes. I don’t need to be guided or manipulated to do things. You had every opportunity to tell me when we were in the Hamptons. You chose to say nothing, but you still took notes and wrote journal entries about our time together. I’m your passion project.”

“Oh, you are much more than that to me,” I say. “You’re my person. And I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m so fucking sorry for not telling you how much you fucking meant to me all those years ago. However, I am not sorry for what I did for you. I am not sorry for making sure you were safe. I am not sorry for cleaning up bullshit articles about you online that should’ve never been posted. I’m not sorry that I protected you. I’m also not sorry for loving you. You. Just you. For exactly how you are.”

She tucks her lips into her mouth, tears streaming down her face. “Did my brothers force you to be my friend in the Hamptons? And to kiss me that summer?”

“No,” I whisper, tilting my head. “There was nothing fake about our relationship. Ever. We met at a business conference, and they learned I was heading to Stanford. They asked me to look after you. I promised I’d make sure you were safe, and they promised me guaranteed support. They didn’t know we’d met as kids. No one ever knew other than Eden and you. No one tells your brothers no, especially not an eighteen-year-old kid.”

She walks past me, moving into her kitchen. She grabs a bottle of water and drinks. “You continued this after college.”

“You’re my favorite hobby, babe. Everything I wrote, every thought I documented, every moment I tracked—it was because I cared. It’s how I connected with you, knowing I’d never have you. The more you hated me, the more I helped you, and I needed the reminder. Macro, not micro.”

“Turning pain into pleasure,” she whispers.

I nod. “I also continued to help you because of Eden. You were at the top of her list that she was working on behind the scenes.”

“Then why did you work with Josh?” she asks.

“Because you’d never work with me,” I explain.

“You know me too well and used it to your advantage, knowing I’d work against you.”

Billie shakes her head, staring at me, and the awkward silence draws on.

“What happens after phase three? You move on and find another project to complete?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, understanding she’s hurt and upset. “You can’t begin to understand how much you mean to me, how much you’ve always meant to me. I would burn the world to ash for you without apology—because the glass slipper only fits one princess. And that’s you. It’s always been you. It will always be you, Billie. I’m so sorry for hurting you. I hope, one day, you’ll forgive me.”

She stands there like a fucking goddess in a baggy hoodie that hangs off one shoulder, exposing the smooth curve of her collarbone, and a pair of sweatpants that clings to her hips like they’re begging to be ripped off. Her hair’s a wild mess, her lips—damn, her pouty lips—are slightly parted, like she’s contemplating telling me to fuck off.

“Hmm,” she says ruthlessly, but I see a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “I think you should beg. On your knees.”