Page 104 of Rival to the Billionaire

He shrugs and shakes his head in a little nod. "By knowing that we weren't right for each other. That we'd never been a good fit. I didn't know her. She didn't know me. I did the right thing, regardless of my feelings. I forgave her, even though I knew it was just a matter of time before the next shoe would drop."

He sighs and glances down at his feet for a moment. "I guess that's for you to decide, Ryder. That's up to you. I've got nothing to offer you except what I learned from the mistakes I made." He turns to me. "Don't keep doing this to yourself. And more importantly, don't keep doing it to her. You and Jenny have lived life alongside each other since you were kids. There has to be something deeper there than just a crush. Something worth fighting for."

"Like the fact that we both have plotted to kill each other more than once?"

Alton nods a little, then sighs. "Exactly." Then he looks up at the sky again. "You've been distracting yourself since Mom and Dad died. You've been running and hiding. But maybe that's not enough anymore. You're not a kid anymore, Ryder. You need to stop playing games and start dealing with the pain. Maybe if you confront the situation head on, it'll take care of itself."

The sun has just begun to come up in the distance. I rub my hands over my face and close my eyes. I've got a lot to think about. A lot to process.

Alton pats my back. "I'm going to get some sleep. You should probably do the same."

"I will. Thanks for the advice." I open my eyes and watch him walk away.

Alton has been right all along. He just has a way of telling me what I need to hear when I want to hear it.

And maybe he's right about Jenny and me. Maybe it's time that I do confront the situation head on.

I pull out my phone and scroll to her number—the one I haven't seen in days. I stare at the filled-in stars showing up when I hit her name.

My heart is racing in my chest.

I feel like I'm at the very edge of a cliff. The one from my childhood, the one with the waterfall falling off it into a deep, dark chasm.

The edge where I knew that everything would change. Where I would never be the same.

I just didn't know how.

For once in my life, I'm actually scared of what might happen. What I might find out—about myself, about life, about us.

I stare at my phone's screen and feel the first glimmer of hope that I've felt in a long time. It's a tiny light that's showing me the way forward.

It's taking me out of the darkness and into something new. Something better. Something hopeful.

I stare at my phone wondering if I have the courage to pick it up and dial. Knowing that I'm going to have to, but not knowing what I'll say when I do.

Or how it will end up.

When I finally reach the "Call" button, I hesitate.

I wrap my fingers around the phone, then close my eyes and press it to my ear. When I get to voicemail, I sigh. "Hey Needle-dick," I say, smiling at the use of my nickname for Derek. "Look, I know it's super early and your phone is probably on 'Do Not Disturb' but call me when you get a chance." I consider my next words before speaking them out loud. "I'd like to set up a meeting for when we're back in the office."

ChapterTwenty-Eight

RYDER

The hour of sleep I manage to get accomplishes nothing at all. By the time I wake up to report to work at H&H, I feel like shit, the toll of the past week hitting my entire body, and I'm pretty sure one eye is swollen shut.

In all of the excitement of the past two weeks, I'd forgotten that I am supposed to be presenting on the reception of the app at the Next-in-Tech conference today.

Walking into the office, my button-down shirt half-buttoned and my dark hair in a mess, I get more than a few odd looks.

As I get off the elevator on our floor, our receptionist Lily looks up from her front desk, her eyes widening in surprise when she sees me. "Wow. Ryder. Rough night?"

"You have no idea. Is Derek in?"

"He's not in yet. But he's got the meeting with you and the rest of the board today, remember?" Lily's eyes scour over me. "You look awful."

"Thanks, Lily."

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