Page 43 of Mending Our Chance

All the fire left my body. I hung my head, understanding that her brothers had just shared what I hadn’t. There was no fight left in me. Shit, this empire is done for. There was no time to make my escape, so I sat there, waiting on her to arrive. She didn’t make me wait long.

“What the fuck did you do?” She stormed into my office with an electric energy, body bristling, her features brittle. “I expected this duplicity from my father, but to have you deceive me in such a way too?! This is not okay, Mr. Bowers!”

I met her gaze, feeling as low as I’d ever felt. My honor had been ripped bare, my soul torn out and smashed into a thousand pieces. When I looked into her dark eyes, all I saw were twin pools of wrath mixed with hurt glaring back at me.

“What do you have to say for yourself?” she demanded.

Calmly, and with a dignity I didn’t feel, I said, “I couldn’t let you invest all your money without regaining some for your aunt’s treatment. I knew it would kill you to lose her. So, I reached out to a wealthy investor before your Aunt died. It wasn’t until the funeral that I found out that the devil I had gotten into bed with was your father. I did all this for your good, not for mine, and since the funeral, I’ve been wondering whether to tell you or not, especially because I’ve already asked your father to step back from the deal. Once I knew it was him, I knew I couldn’t make a deal with him. I knew how hurt you’d be, and I didn’t want to hurt you, Felicity—not ever. Please, you have to believe me.”

“And just how the fuck were you going to keep this a secret?” Felicity’s hands were in the air, waving about as she yelled at me. “I have my nose in every inch of this business. Do you think I’m that stupid? That I wouldn’t notice an influx of cash on that level?”

I shrugged. “I was going to deal with that when it happened. Argento wouldn’t let me go to another investor, but he has been hanging back for weeks now.”

“No. Just no.” Felicity snapped her fingers. “I’m not stupid. You thought I wouldn’t know? You think I’m stupid? Fuck you!”

Felicity pursed her lips. I couldn’t tell what was going on in her mind and it was driving me bat shit crazy, but I held my tongue, aware that I’d said my piece. It was her turn to make up her mind.

To my chagrin, Felicity just turned on her heels, pausing only to grab her purse, and left. I should go after her. But by the time my body had begun to give effect to that thought, she had gone.

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