Page 28 of A Billionaire's Second Shot

“Let me know if you need anything,” he says finally, his voice gentle.

He turns to leave, but I stop him without thinking. “Levi.”

He pauses, looking back at me, his green eyes filled with something I can’t quite name. “Yeah?”

I open my mouth to say something—anything—but the words catch in my throat. Instead, I shake my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips. “Never mind.”

He nods, a small smile of his own flickering across his face before he disappears down the hall.

As the door clicks shut behind him, I let out a shaky breath, my chest tightening with the weight of everything left unsaid.

Chapter Twenty

Levi

The networking dinner is in full swing, a symphony of clinking glasses and murmured conversations that I’ve always found oddly soothing. But tonight, the familiar rhythm grates on my nerves. My attention is fixed on one thing—and it isn’t the investors I’m supposed to be charming.

It’s Tania.

She’s standing by the bar, deep in conversation with a young investor who looks like he’s barely old enough to rent a car. He’s grinning like an idiot, his hand gesturing animatedly as he talks. Worse, she’s laughing. That soft, genuine laugh I used to hear late at night when it was just the two of us.

My grip on my whiskey tightens, the ice clinking against the glass. I try to focus on the conversation around me, but my gaze keeps drifting back to her, to the way she tilts her head when she listens, the way her lips curve into a smile.

It’s infuriating.

“You good?” asks an older investor standing next to me, his brow furrowed.

“Fine,” I reply through gritted teeth, forcing a polite smile. “Excuse me for a moment.”

I set my drink down and make my way across the room, my steps purposeful. Tania glances up as I approach, her laughter fading when she sees the look on my face.

“Levi,” she says, her voice tinged with surprise. “What’s?—”

“Can I borrow you for a moment?” I cut in, my tone calm but firm.

Her brows knit together in confusion, but she nods. “Of course.”

The young investor steps back, his expression shifting to something between disappointment and mild irritation. “We were just talking about?—”

“Thanks for keeping her company,” I say smoothly, already steering Tania away. “But I need her for a moment.”

“What the hell was that?”Tania demands as soon as we’re out of earshot. She pulls her arm free from my light hold, her eyes blazing.

“That guy was flirting with you,” I say, keeping my voice low but firm.

“So what if he was?” she snaps, crossing her arms. “This is a networking event, Levi. People talk to each other. It’s not a crime.”

“He wasn’t just talking,” I say, my jaw tightening. “He was practically drooling over you.”

Her lips part in disbelief, and for a moment, she just stares at me. “Are you serious right now?”

“Yes, I’m serious,” I reply, my frustration bubbling over. “You’re my fiancée, Tania. He had no right?—”

“To what?” she interrupts, her voice rising slightly. “To talk to me? To laugh at my jokes? Newsflash, Levi: this is fake. You don’t own me.”

The words hit harder than I expect, but I refuse to back down. “This might be fake, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand by and let someone treat you like a conquest.”

“Do you hear yourself?” she says, her voice trembling with anger. “You’re acting like a jealous boyfriend in a rom-com.”

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