Page 90 of Her Ruin

And then, through the murmur of the crowd, I heard it—a familiar low chuckle, a hint of mischief I knew so well. Someone moved in front of me, and I saw the glint of dark hair at the far end of the room. He turned his head slightly, and his eyes met mine across the room. I thought my heart stuttered as his gaze traveled over me.

He wore black pants tailored perfectly and a dark-gray shirt that looked like it knew it would be burned if it were ever to crease. His cuffs were loose and his sleeves rolled up. He looked…casual. As if he was just “passing by,” and I knew he was being a conniving shithead.

Looking away from him, I saw Rye, who was being more open about his perusal of the room, was with him. I straightened my shoulders and forced a smile as I made my way across to them, stopping to greet guests or answer questions, all the while my attention remained on the one man who could mess it all up. Angry that he was here, I refused to let the painful memory of last time define me.

“Zayn,” I greeted coolly. “Rye.” I looked them over, not hiding my disapproval. Rye was in dark pants and a black shirt, his jacket looped through a finger and over his shoulder. “I didn’t see you on the guest list.”

Translation: why are you here, and who let you in?

“Isla, my darling,” Gerard said as he appeared beside me. “Gentlemen, I know you know my darling Isla.”

I saw Zayn’s eyes narrow when Gerard called me his darling. In any other circumstances, it would have made me laugh.

“I’ve known Isla for a very long time,” Zayn drawled as he fixed his attention on where Gerard’s hand rested on my shoulder. His eyes flicked to mine, and I fought the look of command he gave me.

“I like the attention to detail,” Rye cut in, not bothering with pleasantries. “Pity you didn’t show that at the Shaw Foundation’s gala.”

My glare was white-hot, and Zayn took the opportunity to step forwards as Gerard shifted uncomfortably, forcing the older man to move farther from me.

“Why are you both here?” I snapped, probably harsher than I should have, considering we were surrounded.

“I…I invited them,” Gerard stuttered beside me. He cowered under my incredulous stare. “I am very proud of the work you have done here,” he said as he lifted his chin defiantly. “Hard work should be rewarded, not penalized.”

“I think she’s rewardedhardevery night,” Rye mumbled under his breath, causing Zayn to dig an elbow into his ribs as I coughed with surprise at his blatant reference.

Zayn looked around, his eyes coming back to mine very quickly. “So much work has been done,” he said with a nod to Gerard. “Works like this never come as cheap as you think, am I right?”

Gerard relaxed a little. “Indeed, and the delays.” He wiped his brow. “Thank goodness I had darling Isla here to take care of everything.” He scowled at Rye. “Her attention to detail is impeccable.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard.” Rye gave me a wide smile, and I knew I was flushing with embarrassment, refusing to meet Zayn’s gaze.

“But you just said she hadn’t given any consideration of detail at that horrible prank you pulled at your club,” Gerard protested, and I simultaneously wanted to hug him for sticking up for me and also die of nervousness at whatever Rye was about to say next.

“It wasn’t a prank.” Zayn cut off his friend, his voice firm and cool. “It was business; you understand that better than anyone, Gerard.”

I glanced at him and got caught in his stare, seeing the unexpected hint of regret as he spoke. “Isla understands too it was only business.”

A lump formed in the back of my throat, and I had to look away. Because I did understand, but I also didn’t.Not at all.And I didn’t understand how that event and what they had done resulted in me kissing him. Touching him. Sleeping with him.

“The past is the past,” I said instead, reaching out to pat Gerard’s arm. “I have work to do, so I’ll leave you to enjoy your time here.” I squeezed Gerard’s arm, hoping he understood that meantdo not leave these two alone with your guests.

He completely misinterpreted it.

“You see,” he said fondly. “This is why I need her to come and work for me.” He sighed. “With Isla running the events at the hotel, I would sleep peacefully every night.”

“You offered Isla a job?” Zayn asked softly, and I could feel the weight of his stare, but I kept my gaze averted.

In panic, I glanced at my watch. “I can’t stand here chatting,” I said with a forced laugh. “Enjoy. Gerard, stick with them; they have a tendency to steal from you if they remain unsupervised.”

I hurried away, not caring that I had completely outed my concerns about their presence here or that I’d purposefully avoided eye contact with the man I shared my bed with.

In the conference room, I ensured everything was in order. In the conservatory, I supervised everything the staff was doing. In the foyer, I ensured nothing was out of place as my phone pinged continuously with inquiries about booking events here.

I did it all, and in no time, I had no more reasons not to return to the ballroom. I hoped they were gone. I knew I wasn’t that lucky.

I opted for a five-minute comfort break in a bathroom stall. I didn’t even care that I was hiding. After my pep talk and a quick breathing meditation exercise, I left the bathroom, intent on returning to the ballroom and facing my fears.

Instead, a cool hand wrapped around my upper arm, and I was led to a smaller conference room that wasn’t in use tonight.

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