Page 420 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

Gio

Stonehole: Woman, you realize you’ve given away the equivalent of the economy of a third-world country to your favorite charities?

I read his message and allow myself a small smirk.

I gave away close to a billion dollars, by my count.

And yep, I settled for calling him by that name in my contact list. Bosshole or even Alphahole seemed too tame.

Stonehole seems more apt. He is a stone, and I need him like I need a hole in the head.

More like I need him to fill my holes, a-n-d, nope, not going there.

I slow down my pace and message him back.

Me: Are you complaining?

Stonehole: I have no problem if you give away my entire fortune, all I ask is you spend some of it on yourself!

Me: I don’t need your money

To which he doesn’t respond. There isn’t even the jumping around of dots on the screen to tell me he was even contemplating a response. Typical Rick. It’s like he slammed that stone wall down, and now, I have no idea what he’s thinking.

"Was that him? What was his reaction to the card charges?” Mira pants as she tries to keep pace with Tiny, who’s walking fast enough to force us to trot to keep up with him.

The big dog needs his exercise, so the two of us set off on a walk first thing in the morning.

I reach for my bottle of water and take a swig.

"Not what I expected." I look up at her with a frown on my face.

"So he wasn’t angry?"

"He seemed to expect it. In fact, he almost seemed thrilled about the money I’ve spent." I bite the inside of my cheek. "His only question was why I haven’t spent any of the money on myself."

"It’s a question I have, too. Anyone else would buy themselves designer clothing and shoes. Given your love for designer brands, you could buy out half of Selfridges and still not run out of money, but you chose to give it to charity."

"Does that make me a loser?" I shuffle my feet. "It’s not that I didn’t think about buying clothes or shoes or going out to a fancy restaurant, but the gestures have begun to seem empty.

I don't feel the need to spend his money on myself.

I have enough of my own to take care of my needs.

" I raise a shoulder. "Maybe I’m not like other girls. Maybe that’s why I went from one man who betrayed me to another who also betrayed me. "

Tears crowd the back of my eyes, and I blink them away. I am not a loser. I am not. So what if I’m in a marriage that doesn’t mean anything? It’s been a week since I moved out of Rick’s room, a week since he reveled of the reason why he’d asked me to marry him, a week since I married him anyway.

I shake my head. I’m working from home today.

A suggestion Edward green-lit, but which was met with stony silence from Rick on the call today, given I hadn’t informed him of it.

I figured he was going to find about it anyway, so there was no need for me to tell him.

Throughout our conference call, Rick didn’t say a word.

His disapproval was a sheet of glacial ice that loomed high over my updates.

Edward pretended not to notice, so I followed his cue and addressed all of my comments toward him. Except at the end, when he said congratulations. I faltered then. Edward gently chided me on not keeping him updated on the step Rick and I had taken. My husband still didn’t utter a word.

Argh, my husband. It feels strange to think of him that way.

It doesn’t seem real to me. Maybe because I haven’t told anyone else—certainly not my mother, who wouldn’t have cared either way.

I’m wearing my engagement ring but took off my wedding ring after that run-in with Rick.

I don’t want to risk running into anyone else while wearing it.

It would raise a lot of questions, most of which I have no answers to.

Tiny must sense my distress, for he slows down and bats his head against my side.

"Hey baby." I bend and hug him. He immediately nestles his head into my neck. I giggle. "Ooh, Tiny, that’s tickles."

"He’s making the most of having two women at his beck and call.

" Mira rubs his side, and he makes a purring noise.

I chuckle, then straighten and tug at his ears.

His eyes roll back in his head. Both of us burst out laughing.

Tiny pants a little, and his tongue lolls down one side of his mouth.

The dog definitely has a smile on his face.

"So that’s why Grams insisted I take him. She knew I was feeling down and Tiny would cheer me up."

"She seems like a wise woman."

"She is." I nod.

"I’d love to meet her."

"I’d love for you to meet her, too, but I’m not sure that’s wise, considering the situation between me and Rick." I raise a shoulder.

"I’d think your relationship with his grandmother is separate from your relationship with him."

"You’re right, of course. It feels weird, is all, considering I met his Grams through him, and now he and I are not exactly on speaking terms. And it would be hard to keep that a secret from her."

"Maybe you should speak to him and sort things out. Especially since you’re going to have to face him sooner or later."

I wince. "Hopefully, it’s later." I’ve managed to avoid him, for the most part.

But with the League finals coming up, and with the Ice Kings having made it to the final round, the media attention around the finals is at an all-time high, too.

I have my work cut out for me. I simply have to find a way to make it through without running into him.

"You’re going to have to meet him, at some point." She looks past my shoulder and her gaze widens. "A point which might be sooner than not."

"If you see him coming yell 'alphahole,' will you?" I murmur.

"Alphahole," she mumbles.

At the same time, Tiny barks, then strains at his leash with enough force that he pulls it out of Mira’s hand.

"Tiny!" Without even thinking about it, I pivot and begin to follow him, then stop when I take in the gorgeous man, clad in shorts that mold to his thighs and a T-shirt that shows every hard plane and divot of his delicious chest, grab his leash, before petting him.

I will not drool. Will not drink in the sight of his familiar features which send a burst of happiness and arousal coursing through my veins.

I tip up my chin, then fold my arms across my chest. "Are you following me? "