Page 40 of The Enemy

He had been gone for three years, after finger fucking me, and that was the first thing he wanted to ask me?

“I see you’re still as pleasant as ever,” I bit back.

Something in him shifted as I snapped at him. He leaned back in his chair and began to assess me. I could feel his eyes roaming over my face, down my neck, and what he saw of my body.

If there was one thing I was grateful for now, it was that even though he knew how I felt, he didn’t know what my face looked like when I fell apart. That was a vulnerability I was glad he didn’t have.

“And here I thought you had been fired,” he replied in a bored tone.

“They gave me your department after six months. How long did it take you? Two…three years to get it?”

Neo scoffed.

“Why would I want that when they allowed me to run a whole branch?”

My throat constricted because he had a point.

Neo kept going.

“This whole time, I thought I was doing charity work. I felt bad for you since they gave you a filler spot, and I said to myself, “It’s okay, Neo, you already took her goals and dreams, it’s the least you can do for her. Not even her grandfather trusts her.”

How was it that he had been gone for years, and he still knew where to shove his knife and make it hurt? My eyes stung from refusing to blink because if I did so, I would also flinch.

“No words, Lou? The last time we were together you were quite vocal.” The asshole smirked at me.

“Fuck you,” I seethed.

His gaze penetrated mine as if he was trying to dig up my weaknesses so he could exploit them, then he looked back at his files.

“Had the chance already. It didn’t sound appealing then, even less now.”

Ouch.

So, this was it? We were going to pretend like nothing ever happened? And if it got brought up, it was only to humiliate me further?

I took a deep breath and willed my pain to go away, at least until I could break down in private.

Back then, I would have said more to try to have the last word, but this time, I bit my tongue. I looked down at my watch, now regretting my decision to come earlier. I was already counting the minutes until this meeting ended. As I opened my laptop, I could feel the side of my face heat, and it took everything in me not to look at him.

Soon, everyone began to walk inside, and my father and Pricilla were some of the last ones to arrive.

My eyes were on my screen, as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. One of the crusty old men in the room began chatting with Neo.

“Gerald sings your high praises, my boy.”

I didn’t even bother to pay attention to who said it, I just rolled my eyes.

“It’s so good to have you back, honey,” Pricilla chimed in.

“Must’ve been hard for him to find his ass without you around to guide him,” I mumbled.

Judging by Pricilla’s glare from across the table, she might have heard me.

“While you have been running your silly campaigns, Neo has been thinking of ways to expand our reach. He’s taking us to new heights.”

I turned to look at Neo and plastered on a fake smile.

“Are we opening up a new branch in space? When do you leave?”

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