Page 113 of The Husband Contract

“I mean, I don’t care—it’s not my bed and breakfast—but I guess I should, because if I lose this job, then I have nothing.”

“I don’t want you to think of it like that, Willow.”

“I don’t care what you want.”

He takes a deep breath. “I understand that.” His voice is low, his tone heavy, and he looks like a shadow of his former self. I almost feel sorry for him, which is crazy. He’s the one who did me wrong. He’s the one who betrayed me. He’s the one who didn’t listen. He tricked me. He kidnapped me. He didn’t love me.

“So, I have some ideas,” he says. “Maybe we can talk. Alone.”

“We can talk right here.” I shake my head. “We don’t have to go anywhere else.”

“I was thinking maybe for some privacy?—”

I start laughing.

He pauses and frowns. “What’s so funny?”

“What sort of privacy do you think we’re going to have, Sebastian? Do you think I’m going to take you up to one ofthe bedroom suites, push you down onto the bed again, and make love to you?”

His lips twitch. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no if that’s what you wanted to do.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. But we’re not going anywhere. We’ll have this conversation right here.”

“Fine,” he says, shrugging. “I want you to know that I don’t think Sergio actually had anything to do with it. I do believe he was set up and that it was all Louisa and Charlotte.” He pins his gaze on me. “Do you have anything to say to that?”

I stare back at him. “I don’t know your brother, so I don’t know what he did or didn’t know. I do believe Charlotte and Louisa were in this together, but what can I do? What’s your plan that doesn’t involve me losing my only livelihood?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Willow. I’m a billionaire. I can?—”

“You’re about to lose your company, aren’t you?”

“Even if I lose the company, I will still be a billionaire.” His eyes narrow. “But I guess you don’t want to hear that.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t really care. Good for you that you have billions. Like I told you before, I have $209 in the bank—actually, I think I have $162 now because I went grocery shopping. For food. Because I was hungry. And I don’t have a housekeeper to make my meals.” I pause. “How is Janice, by the way?”

“She’s not talking to me.”

“Really? She loves you. She told me how great you were.”

He sighs heavily. “Well, let’s just say for the first time in my life, Janice finally told me what she thought—and she thought I screwedeverything up.”

“And she still got to keep her job,” I say, pretending to be shocked. “That’s crazy.”

“She was right. I don’t fire people for being right.”

“Well, that’s good to know.”

“I’m going to make this right, Willow.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing you can do to make any of this right. I don’t want your money, and I don’t need your pity.”

“But you are willing to team up with me to figure out what to do about Louisa and Charlotte if we can figure out a way?”

Revenge sounds really good about now. Maybe Sebastian is on to something there.

“Yeah. I hate what they’ve done. On some level, I know you were tricked and believed I was the one who took the money from your brother. I am fully aware they used my name. But you got to know me, Sebastian. You really got to know the real me, and we had a relationship. We were physical and intimate, and you still didn’t listen to me. And that hurts beyond words.”

Hot tears fill my eyes but I quickly blink them away.