Page 59 of The Billionaire's Masquerade Ball

“Not in her.”

Wyatt gave him a knowing look. “Ah. Not her, but someone else. Someone who might have worked here … at least until yesterday?”

“Did you get the offer drawn up, by the way?”

Wyatt didn’t seem surprised by the shift in conversation. He pulled out a set of documents. “You can glance over it if you’d like. I had our lawyer look it over as well.”

Xander flipped through the pages, skimming over the legalese. After reading so many contracts, he could scan them pretty easily to get to the important parts.

“Looks good. Have it ready for five o’clock. As soon as this is done, we’ll move to the conference room.”

“Sure thing, Boss. I’ll have it all set up and ready.” Wyatt started for the door and then paused, looking back at Xander. “Can I say something? I think that this is great. Really, really great. And I hope it wins her back.”

Xander’s chest tightened and he looked down at his shoes. He couldn’t let himself think of winning Cynder back right now. Not after having to face the reality of how he had been so dismissive of so many women for so many years. He didn’t deserve her. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

“I’m not trying to win her back,” Xander said. “This is just because she deserves it. Whether or not she ever forgives me. I’d need to earn her trust again, but this isn’t about that. This is just about setting things right.”

“Okay. But don’t dig yourself a hole of self-loathing that’s so deep you can’t get out of it. Realization is one thing and you’ve done that. But punishing yourself for things you’ve done isn’t good either.”

“Your new job will also not be my personal therapist, Wyatt. Go set up the conference room.”

With a jaunty salute, Wyatt left the room. Judy stood in the doorway. “Ready, soldier? We’ve got the last group of the day. I told them downstairs we aren’t letting anyone else up.”

“Thank goodness,” Xander said. “Let’s just get this over with.”

* * *

Cynder sat on the couch, glaring at Lucy and at the amazing dress she had worn the week before. “I feel like I’m having a case of déjà vu. Didn’t I already tell you that I’m not wearing this dress and going to some event?”

“You told me last week, but then you did go to the ball and your whole life changed. It’s fate. Now put it on again.”

“Last week I had a job in my father’s company that we built. My heart didn’t feel like it had been doused in gasoline and torched.”

“Just think of the possibilities if you try it again!” Lucy said. She shook the dress on the hanger and it shimmered under the lights. “Come on, Cynder. Just put on the pretty dress and go win back your billionaire.”

The thought of putting the dress on and going to see Xander sent Cynder’s heart into a tailspin. The idea felt humiliating. Parading into Obsidian with what was likely to be hundreds of other women was bad enough. But having to face Xander after he sent her away sounded worse.

And yet, there was a tiny shard of hope lodged in her chest like a splinter. It was small, but she couldn’t ignore it.

“Did you forget the part where he’s furious with me? And he fired me?”

“Nope. But I think you need to do this. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Um, I get my heart trampled on by him again.”

Lucy sighed. “I talked to Wyatt about this last night. You and Xander both messed up. Neither of you was honest about your feelings or anything else. Time to come clean and pay the piper.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I don’t know. It just sounds good. Cynder! Get this dress on now. We’re losing daylight.”

“You’re evil.”

“Best friends have to be a little bit evil. Or we wouldn’t be doing our jobs. Dress. On. Now.”

Twenty minutes later, Lucy was dragging Cynder out of an Uber in front of Obsidian. Lucy tossed cash to the driver and started pushing Cynder toward the building.

“This was a terrible idea,” Cynder said, trying to plant her feet.

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