Page 84 of Forty, Flirty & F*cked

"Can we not do this right now?"

"And some lovely PR executive..."

"Mother."

"I'm just saying, I heard she has excellent energy! Much better than that bobble-headed Amanda girl from high school.”

"Please stop."

"Though if you are seeing someone, we should really do a joint chakra cleansing..."

I muffle another laugh, but it comes out slightly hysterical. Because this is insane. All of it.

The crystals. The secrets. The fact that I'm literally hiding under a billionaire's bed while his mother waves sage around and talks about chakras.

My phone buzzes against my hip:

DAD: Good news!

DAD: The kidney support group loves the protein powder idea!

DAD: We're thinking of branching into essential oils...

This is not my life.

Except it is.

And sooner or later, everything's going to crash down around me.

"The energy's definitely shifting," Connor's mother declares. "Though we should probably smoke cleanse under the bed..."

"No!” I’m assuming the sound I hear is Connor blocking her. "I mean... that's not... the bed is fine."

"But the negative energy..."

"Is probably just dust," he says firmly. "Now, about those IPO crystals..."

"Oh yes! I have the perfect prosperity grid planned..."

Their voices fade as Connor finally manages to herd his mother out, leaving me alone with my thoughts and what appears to be a very expensive crystal collection under his bed.

I wait until I hear the elevator ding, then crawl out, guilt and amusement warring in my chest.

"Coast is clear,” Connor calls, and I emerge to find him slumped against the wall, looking adorably disheveled. “Fuck, I…I actually have no words for that.”

"Are you kidding? That was amazing." I straighten my clothes. “Your mom's crystal game is impressive."

"Don't encourage her." He runs a hand through his hair. "She's already trying to install a meditation fountain in the lobby."

"Better than my dad's protein powder empire."

"About that…” He steps closer. "I know some people who could handle the legal side, make sure he doesn't accidentally commit fraud. Come to think of it, I’d seen something that Will posted once. It looked like…I don’t know…”

My chest tightens. Because this—his kindness, his understanding, the way he wants to fix everything—it just makes the guilt worse.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handled my dad. And I should go." I grab my phone. "Lots of fires to put out. Literally. Because if Dad tries to blend essential oils again, I swear?—“

"Ariana."

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