Page 13 of Only Fate

“What’s the other then? To make my life hell?”

He opens his mouth to answer, but I put my finger in his face again.

“You know what? Don’t answer.” I blow out a harsh breath. “Please, just stay away from me, and if you have a heart and ever cared about me, you’ll tell Terrance you don’t want his firm and never come back here.”

“I won’t do that, Essie,” he says to my back when I turn around. “I’m here to stay.”

“Then, stay away from me,” I mutter.

I don’t wait for his reply before rushing back inside the diner. People stare, and I try to return to my booth as casually as I can. Thankfully, my food has arrived.

“Um, who was that?” Amelia asks, glancing over my shoulder. “He looked familiar, and obviously, you know him. You stomped out of here like he’d told you Netflix shut down.”

At this point, I’d rather have Netflix shut down than Adrian in Blue Beech.

And this is coming from a stream queen who watches Netflix every night before bed.

I snatch the syrup bottle. “That was Adrian.”

“TheAdrian?”

I nod.

Amelia met Adrian once, years ago, but he’s changed so much. He has more muscle now that he doesn’t spend all his time cramming for exams and speaking with me at all hours of the day and night.

I peer over my shoulder when I hear someone in the boothbehind me whisper, “Who is that?” in the same tone as Amelia did.

Everyone’s eyes are on Adrian as he joins Terrance at their booth. They shake hands, and he sits across from him.

Adrian looks good.

And me? I’m scarred.

“I take it him meeting with Terrance isn’t a good thing?” Amelia asks.

“He’s taking over Terrance’s firm,” I say.

He and Terrance haven’t finalized the deal, but Adrian made it clear he’s taking it.

Amelia freezes mid-bite, and syrup drips onto the table. “What?How?”

“Terrance’s future wifey? That’s Adrian’s grandmother.”

“Oh, how the plot thickens. What are you going to do?” She finally shoves the bite into her mouth.

“What did we say before? If you can’t join them, beat them.” I smother my waffles with syrup. “I’ve made my decision. I’ll start my own firm.”

“I like it.” She wipes up her syrup spill with her napkin.

We brainstorm firm ideas while eating. It takes every ounce of my restraint not to turn and look at the back of Adrian’s head. But I still hear people around us talking about him.

Amelia asks Margo for the check when we’re finished.

“Not necessary,” Margo replies, shaking her head before smiling toward the diner’s other end. “The gentleman with Terrance paid for your meals.”

I slap my napkin on the table and start to stand. “I’m going to kill?—”

Amelia grabs my elbow, pulls me back into the booth, and shoots me anot herelook.

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