Page 72 of Designed for Disaster

But…Natashadidneed money to cover her expenses if she wanted to really devote herself to her own furniture business. It might not be as shallow a motive as a date with a football star or a spokesmodel contract—but one way or another, everyone hadtheir price, didn’t they? Everyone went into a relationship with an idea of what they wanted out of it. Maybe I’d been fooled once again, tricked into thinking I’d finally found someone who might just wantme.

My mother smirked at the look on my face. “You’re out of your depth here, Trent.” She stormed off, leaving me standing there, a sick feeling swirling in my chest.

I didn’t want to believe Natasha would sell me out. But all those details my mom brought up in the meeting had to have come from somewhere. And what other explanation was there?

21

NATASHA

Trent barged into my office like a bad storm—I’m talking hurricane-force winds. I half expected thunder and lightning to follow in his wake as he threw open the door and slammed it shut again behind him, his eyes locked onto me in a full-force glare. I frowned. This wasn’t exactly the sexy, clandestine office meeting I’d been envisioning when we’d been texting earlier.

“Trent?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”

Maybe he’d gotten bad news at the board meeting. I supposed it could be the new line. If the progress had stalled or we’d run into supply chain issues, it could mean we might not have the pieces ready for High Point. That would be a major blow to the team.

But Trent was practically trembling, his fists clenched by his sides. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. I’d never seen him so worked up over anything. Clearly, this had nothing to do with furniture. But whatwasit about? What could have put that look in his eyes?

I was on my feet and by his side in an instant, reaching for his hand as concern coursed through me. “What is it?” I asked, my voice breathy. “What’s wrong?”

My thoughts spiraled through the worst circumstances I could come up with. Nana Dee was at the top of that list. Trent did say she’d been looking even more run-down than usual. Hailey’s party had taken a lot out of her, and there were quite a few days this past week when she didn’t even have the energy to get dressed and took all of her meals in bed. Or maybe this had something to do with Jimmy. I’d told the kid to reach out if he needed someone to talk to other than his brother, but maybe he’d spiraled so hard that he’d skipped right past reaching out for help—landing himself in serious trouble instead. I unfurled Trent’s fist, threading our fingers together. “Say something. Please. You’re worrying me.”

“Say something,” he sneered in return, looking down at me with such sheer loathing that I froze in my tracks, my pulse hammering in my throat.

“Trent?”

“Don’t try that innocent little act with me,” he snapped as he wrenched his hand away from mine. He stomped across the office, whirling around as he reached the desk, an accusatory finger pointed in my direction. “It’s you!”

“Please lower your voice,” I said, well aware that even with the door closed, the entire design team would be able to hear him.

“I’ll be as loud as I damn well want!” he snarled, his voice echoing around the office.

“What’s wrong?” I asked again, desperate to figure out what could possibly have changed between our flirty text exchange and now.

“You’re what’s wrong!”

A chill ran through my entire body, a cold shock of hurt that was a struggle to breathe around. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you think, Natasha?”

I had no idea what was going on right now, but the venom in his tone pierced through my defenses, rooting itself in my chest. I felt the weight of tears behind my eyes. “I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe try explaining yourself.”

“My mother just tried to get the board to vote to unseat me as CEO!” he seethed, running a hand through his hair, tugging on the dark strands.

“Unseat you? I don’t understand…I didn’t even realize your mother was on the board.”

“She’s not—That’s beside the point.” He waved me off. “She tried to do it using personal information about my life that she was all too happy to tell me she learned from you!”

Oh no! The blood in my veins turned to ice. I opened my mouth, but an unintelligible string of garbage followed as I tried to tie my thoughts together. I didn’t know what to say. Twenty minutes ago, we’d been flirting up a storm. I’d spent the time since then imagining Trent leaning me over my desk, whispering delicious filth in my ear as he fucked me into oblivion. But this…

I’d worried about telling him I’d met up with his mother, but not because I thought she might twist my words, using them to hurtTrent like this. I’d genuinely felt sorry for Lara, for how badly she seemed to want to rebuild her relationship with her son.

“Tell me it’s not true,” he said. “Tell me you’ve never spoken to her.”

I couldn’t do that. It would be a lie, and I think we both knew that. I looked up at him, at his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. My silence only made him angrier, and I could feel the rage pouring off him.

“Fuck, Natasha!” He massaged his temples. “When you asked me about my mom the other night, it never even crossed my mind that you’d…Why the hell would you be talking to her behind my back?”

“I didn’t think?—”

---