Page 127 of The Renter

After saying it, tears run down my face. “I’m not another asset to be managed.” The raw, tear-filled plea leaves me. I can’t un-say it now, but it’s a truth I’ve felt for a while.

Adam shakes his head. After a silent moment, he asks, “What happened after he paid your bill?”

“We talked about sound baths,” I say, wiping my tears and deciding to leave out the fact that Declan walked me home and hit on me.

“And?”

“And?” I reply, full of sass.

“You think I don’t notice when you leave out details?”

Do I want Adam and me to work?IsThe Renter’s lease up in my life?

“He asked me how much more time I’m going to waste with you … and I don’t have an answer for that yet.”

108

Slamming the door of Dani’s apartment, I walk quickly toward my office. One name keeps replaying in my mind—Declan. The audacity. The gesture. The question. Is this war? All of it is a blatant disregard for my relationship with Dani. It’s more than picking up the dinner tab. It’s a challenge, demanding a response.

Emotions still running high, my pace quickens. I need to call him now. Reaching for my phone, I dial Declan. The line connects, and I don’t waste a moment.

“Let’s be very clear. You’re done with Dani. This is the last time we talk about this. If you see her somewhere, you turn the other way. You don’t know who she is.” My voice is hard as steel. It’s a command, not a suggestion—an ultimatum leaving no room for ambiguity.

“Good morning to you too,” he replies, too chipper. “You should meditate on why I’m so threatening to your relationship.”

If I could punch him in the face right now, I would. “Declan, we’re engaged. Have some respect.”

“Engaged?” Declan’s tone drips with skepticism.

“That’s right. I know you have this little fantasy, thinking there’s something more with her. Get it through your head—she’s mine, and you have a seat at the table only because I allow you to. Don’t bite the hand that feeds.”

Declan’s defiant laugh grates on my nerves. “You think you can dictate who Dani talks to? Are we talking about the same person? She’s going to do what she is going to do.”

The challenge—that he knows her better than I do—only fuels my aggression. Our exchange feels competitive, a dangerous dance on the edge of civility. “This isn’t about control, Declan. It’s about respect—something you clearly need a lesson in. I don’t know how things are in the mafia, but this is not how you conduct yourself in the business world.”

“You left her last night. I don’t know what you think is acceptable in a relationship, but I would never put work before Dani.”

“Declan! Stay away from her. I can fucking end you with one email!” He laughs, and I squeeze my phone tighter.

“I can delete your net worth with one line of code.”

“Dani’s the one riding my cock.”

“If I’d responded to any of her texts over the last five years, you wouldn’t even know Dani Sommer existed.”

I throw my phone against the window of a passing storefront. I fucking knew there was more between them. I knew there was something I didn’t know, a detail left out.

The fiery exchange inspires me to take the stairs as I enter my office building. I am too riled up. I need to get this energy out. Today, I’m a man on the edge of a precipice, teetering between the demands of my professional life and the complexities of my personal one.

The Real-ity deal is on the verge of closure, and its CEO is about to face a fired-up Adam Harris today. I’ve already reached my day’s limit on concessions.

109

Still recovering from Adam storming out of the apartment this morning, I’ve been considering and reconsidering our relationship. Ignoring my emails and my laptop shut, I stare out the window for hours. I’m frozen, ruminating on too many distinctly familiar feelings.

I feel scared. Even though it was just one sentence, it was the tone and the look in his eyes.It’s fucking Sorin.

The jealousy.It’s Sorin.