Page 78 of Her Ruin

“You want to take your sports car?” Rye asked skeptically.

“Yes, because I’m going to meet a new vodka rep,” I replied. We exchanged a look, unspoken understanding passing between us. “I want this done with surgical precision, not careless mistakes,” I growled, locking eyes with Rye as he prepared to leave. “We switch vehicles at the bluff. I don’t want a trace—no witnesses, no extra attention.”

Rye nodded curtly. “Understood.”

As he left, I ran through a mental checklist of how we did this with minimal fuss. The weight of the operation pressed on me, yet I felt the familiar rush of control. Moving shipments in broad daylight wasn’t exactly easy, but it was just another day in Gracemont.

I waited for the adrenaline to subside into a cold, calculated focus. Every detail mattered—every misstep could be disastrous. I wasnothappy. This kind of shit should be behind me. But I knew this was Angelo’s boss reminding me what he wanted and what happened when he didn’t get it.

I’d played those games when I first started out. Now? I didn’t get pressured. I’d do this out of respect for his position. I’d already decided to let the supply happen in the club, but because of this bullshit, he would wait an extra week before it did.

With a final nod to myself, I picked up my jacket and headed up the stairs to get my keys, ready to execute the plan and prove once again that control was everything.

CHAPTER22

ISLA

My day officially sucked.I stupidly went to sleep when he left. Which meant I felt drained, exhausted, completely…well…fucked.

My eyes felt like they were lined with grit, and my tongue was sandpaper. I was on my third bottle of water.

I needed to hydrate.

I needed caffeine.

I needed to rewind twelve hours and never answer that door.

We were in a team meeting, and I hadn’t listened to one word that had been said. I knew they were congratulating me over the gala—still—because even though Zayn had stolen my thunder, there were still enough clients who had been there and whodidn’twant their event in a nightclub. So, they came to us, and my firm was more than happy to take their business.

Every victory had its costs, and every defeat had its wins.

This was my win. It wasn’t the win I wanted, but I’d be damned if I was the loser.

“I heard you were partying last night,” Monica whispered beside me, “in Elixir no less.” She gave a slight scoff. “You’re a bigger person than me, Isla. I’d have punched him for what he did.”

I just gave a small nod at the compliment, not trusting myself to speak in case I revealed how very much I hadnotpunched him. Not even close…

But today wasn’t about Zayn. I had to concentrate on my work, on myself, rather than dwell on the previous night.

“Isla?”

I looked up and saw my boss and everyone staring at me. Had I spoken out loud? Shit, what had I said? Wetting my lips nervously, I tried not to panic. “Yes?”

“The Grand Gracemont?” he probed. “How is it going?”

The Grand. Yes! Thank you, Jesus. “Yeah, it’s going,” I said with an eye roll, grateful for the smattering of laughter the comment received, enabling me to recover the lapse in my concentration. “The budget is…well, that could be its own meeting,” I told him truthfully. “But we are making headway, and Iwillmake the amended completion date.”

“Fitzsimmons was always a tricky one,” my boss commiserated. “But I know you’re the best one to keep him contained.” He gave me a nod and then turned his attention to one of my colleagues. “The Martinez wedding?”

I almost slumped with relief, but I knew there were still a few people staring at me. A nod from John, my boss, was as good as a handshake on a well-known baking show.

The meeting concluded, and after an unintended nudge from my boss, I made my way to The Grand. During the drive, I replayed my night with Zayn in my mind—the phone call from Sienna, the push and pull between him and me at Elixir, and the fact he showed up at my door. The hours that followed…

I chastised myself silently. I wouldneverbe able to tell Julian that I had a one-night stand with Zayn. I could hear the lecture already—the outrage. It would be completely hypocritical of Julian, but he hadalwaysbeen his friend.

And I had always been an advocate of why he shouldn’t be.

I knew Julian had worked on one of Zayn’s properties before. They had a relationship, business and pleasure. I grinned. That made it sound so much more illicit than it was.

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