Page 6 of King of Envy

We were scheduled to fly to California tomorrow to meet with Sammy Yu, whose wedding cakes had become a status symbol for those in the know. Brides across the country waitedmonthsto get a tasting appointment. Couples literally booked a whole trip to San Francisco just to see him.

“No. It’s okay.” I shook my head. “We’ll reschedule. Your family is more important.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to reschedule before the wedding. We’re cutting it close as it is, and my mother will pitch a fit if we don’t have a Sammy Yu cake at the reception.” Jordan rubbed a hand over his face. “The shitty part is, she wants to take the jet to Rhode Island, so you can’t use it for Cali. And I don’t want you to do the tasting alone. If only…” His gaze slid across the table.

Dread suddenly coalesced in my stomach.No.

“Vuk, I know this is a lot to ask, but would you mind taking Ayana to San Francisco tomorrow?” A pleading note entered Jordan’s voice. “You have your jet in New York, right? It’ll only be for the weekend, and I’ll owe you one.”

I braved another glance at Vuk.

Any hint of warmth he might’ve shown earlier had disappeared. He resembled a stone statue, his mouth a grim slash as he stared at Jordan like the other man had asked him to peel off his flesh and fashion it into a carpet for me to walk on.

Okay, ouch. I knew he didn’t like me, but he didn’t have to lookthathorrified at the prospect of traveling with me.

“Please. I don’t trust anyone else to go with Ayana, and you know how my mother is,” Jordan said. “I’ll never hear the end of it if we don’t get this damn cake.”

She can take the jet.Vuk didn’t look at me.I don’t need to go with her.

I bristled. While I appreciated his jet offer (sort of), I didnotappreciate them talking about me as if I weren’t here.

“I don’t need a jet,” I said. “I’ll book a commercial flight like a normal person.”

“That’s too much hassle,” Jordan argued. “You need to be back by Monday morning, and there’ve been so many cancelled flights lately because of that big IT outage.” He turned to Vuk again. “Two days. That’s it. You know my food preferences, so you can sub in for me at the tasting, and Ayana doesn’t like flying alone.”

I winced. My anxiety over flying wasn’t a secret, per se, but it seemed too intimate a detail to share with Vuk.

Everythingseemed too intimate to share with him.

His features twisted into a scowl. If he was annoyed before, he was downright irritated now.

Part of me hoped he’d say no. Yes, flying private was much more appealing than popping a Valium before a crowded flight, but Vuk and I had never been alone together before.

Even now, surrounded by dozens of diners in one of the city’s hottest restaurants, he managed to suck all the oxygen out of the room. His presence was like a black hole—powerful, inescapable, and so all-consuming everything else paled in comparison.

Fine.His expression was pure ice.I’ll go.This weekend only.

“Great.” Jordan’s relief was palpable. “I appreciate it, man.” He squeezed my hand again. “Isn’t that great, sweetie?”

“So great.” I beamed so hard my cheeks hurt.

If I were an actress instead of a model, I’d get fired on the spot. Luckily, Vuk didn’t notice my pitiful attempt at feigning enthusiasm because hestillhadn’t acknowledged my presence.

It was like Jordan’s return had flipped a switch. He’d gone from sort of carrying on a conversation to straight up ignoring me.

Okay. I could deal with that. I’d rather have a silent companion than one who didn’t understand boundaries.

Besides, it was a cake tasting. It wasn’t like Vuk was accompanying me to buy bridal lingerie.

One round-trip flight and one weekend in California. It’d be easy.

I reached for my water again, my ridiculously opulent engagement ring flashing beneath the lights. It wasn’t my style at all, but Jordan had insisted on something showy “for appearance’s sake.”

Vuk’s eyes narrowed. They bore a hole in the diamond before they slid up to meet mine.

A fresh wave of goosebumps scattered over my arms.

Easy. I swallowed. The water tasted like metal.Right.

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