Page 29 of Breaking All The Rules

“Yeah, I know. He supposedly got one of the best in Manhattan. What’s that have to do with—” My voice trailed off as it clicked and suddenly made sense.

“Fuck,” I muttered, letting my head fall back in frustration.

“I’m so sorry. I thought you knew,” Brit apologized. “I wasn’t trying to ruin your day by bringing him up. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Now I feel terrible. Is there anything—”

“I gotta go. I’ll call you tonight,” I interrupted, hanging up before she could object.

Brit was my best friend, so I knew she wasn’t going to hold it against me for hanging up on her. I had more important things to deal with this morning.

Thirty minutes later, my blood was still boiling as I got off the train and walked the few blocks to work. I was standing outside the building, trying to force myself to go inside, when I looked across the street and saw the building where Jeremy’s new law firm was located. Against my better judgment, I turned on my heel and marched over.

The inside of the building was nice but not nearly as extravagant as Ethan’s. Large crystal chandeliers hung above the receptionist's desk that sat square between two sets of elevators. There was an extensive directory on the wall behind the young girl sitting at the desk, looking completely out of place as if she didn’t belong there. I squinted my eyes, avoiding her as I looked for Jeremy’s floor number.

“May I help you?” she asked, moving to the right to block my view. I narrowed my eyes and looked down at her, glaring at the fake smile she offered.

“I’m here to see Jeremy Rollings. What floor is he on?”

I noticed a faint rush of color flush across her cheeks before she lowered her head and checked the computer in front of her. Knowing Jeremy, he was probably fucking her too.

“Mr. Rollings is located on the seventeenth floor. It’s the elevator on your right.”

She turned her attention back to her computer as the phone rang and she answered it. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button, waiting impatiently for it to come back down. A few minutes later, I was standing in front of another desk, waiting for the older woman with gray hair and a frown painted on her face to hang up the phone and acknowledge me.

“Can I help you?” she said grumpily. I felt a low chuckle escape my lips as I thought about how Jeremy probably wasn’t screwing this one and wondering if that’s why she was hired in the first place. Remove all temptation and whatnot. While he had switched law firms after getting caught with his pants down, that didn’t mean he had changed his ways.

“I need to see Jeremy Rollings,” I said with as much cheer as I could muster. If I was going to get past grumpy ass, I was going to need to fake my excitement to see Jeremy. My cheeks physically ached from the smile I was forcing them to carry.

“Do you have an appointment?”

I gritted my teeth as my frustration mounted. I didn’t have the time nor the patience for this right now. I knew Lance had switched office buildings since the last time I’d visited him, so I had no idea where his office was in this building.

“Yes,” I lied. “He’s expecting me now, actually. So if you can please let him know that I’m here, I would really appreciate it.”

“I don’t see you on his schedule,” she countered before looking over her shoulder to an office behind her.

“Well, I’m on it now,” I said sarcastically as I rolled my eyes and walked past her, now knowing which office was his. Iopened the door and stood there, staring at him as his eyes went wide with shock before shifting to pissed off.

“Hi. We need to talk.” I tried to force a smile, but I knew it looked as strained as it felt. Being around Jeremy did nothing but raise my blood pressure, but I knew that if I had any chance of getting him to help me, I had to be nice.

“What the fuck are you doing, storming into my office unannounced?!” he demanded, standing up behind his desk. It had only been three months since he walked out and left me, and apparently, he had been using that time to hit the gym. I couldn’t remember the last time that I had seen him in this good of shape nor did I remember his torso looking that defined under a dress shirt when we were together. While he had definitely made some improvements, he had nothing compared to Ethan. I shifted my weight, straightening my back as I tried to find my confidence.

“I was hoping to talk to you about you representing Lance,” I replied, trying to keep myself calm and collected as I held my hands at my sides. “My family would appreciate it if you reconsidered taking him on as a client due to a conflict of interest, given our past.”

“Who I take on as a client is none of your business, Eva,” he growled. “NothingI do is your business.”

“It is when you’re representing the asshole who’s married to my sister!”

“You and I aren’t together anymore. Therefore, I have no loyalties to you or your family. Lance is a client who is willing to pay whatever it takes to make sure he gets what he wants. It’s as simple as that.” He shrugged and let his hands fall to his sides.

It was a struggle to fight the urge to reach across and slap the stupid smirk off his face.

“You are such an asshole,” I spit out, regretting that I had come here to begin with.

It was stupid to think there would be any chance of talking him out of representing Lance.

Before he could respond, I turned to leave and ran into a broad, chiseled chest. Strong hands reached out to grab me, holding me in place as my ankle twisted in the thin heel I was wearing. I slowly looked up and found concern on Ethan’s face as he studied me before looking into Jeremy’s office.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, his hands still on my waist.

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