Page 126 of Beauty
He nods once. “Mine either.”
My eyes widen without my permission, making him chuckle.
“I haven’t changed that much since we broke up. You know I like my privacy.”
I nod. He’s always valued it above just about everything else. “So why are you here?” I ask, getting right to the point.
“For you.”
Those two simple words set my nerves on edge instantly. The ease with which he said them, as if the statement is a well-established fact, only adds to my discomfort.
“Garreth, I—” I close my eyes. The fact that he thinks there’s still a chance leaves me feeling utterly bewildered. We cut ties cleanly, with no loose ends, and in truth, I haven’t thought about him except in passing since I walked away.
“I did some digging into the settlement agreement you signed.”
My body goes rigid. “Youwhat?”
I ensured the terms of the agreement were confidential. Because if my brothers caught wind of them, especially Beckett, they would have lost their minds. I did it to protect them, and I’d do it again, but I lost everything in the process.
Back then it felt like I’d lost a piece of myself, a limb. LikethatSienna had died. Now? With time and distance, I realize that though the loss was real, it constituted a much smaller part of me than I believed it would. I can still create, and I am. I just can’t sell my designs. No, it isn’t ideal, and yes, it hurts, but I can live a full life without it.
“I didn’t understand how you could have just walked away from it all. I know you, Sienna. You wouldn’t give up your company unless you were forced to.” He stares at me, the look far too knowing. “It didn’t sit right with me, so I hired an investigator.”
Stomach plummeting, I lurch forward. “You had no right.”
He nods. “I’m aware. But I did it anyway. We both know I’ve never been great at accepting what I don’t want to hear. Case in point: You told me over and over that your heart wasn’t up for grabs, yet I foolishly tried to win it anyway.”
I slump, the fight draining from me. “Garreth.”
He shakes his head and picks up his whiskey. “You were honest from the beginning. Things may not have gone the way I’d like, but I still care about you. And I can still give youthis.” He pulls an envelope from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and pushes it across the table. “You didn’t deserve what happened to you. It wasn’t right and I couldn’t leave it be. I’m sorry.”
Frowning, I ease the envelope open and pull out the document folded neatly inside. “What is this?” I ask as I squint at the small print.
“It’s a rescission of the settlement agreement. I located the funds that were stolen from you. While the authorities deal with the victims’ recompense, yours included, I took what I found to the artists who sued you. Presented them with the proof that you had also been defrauded. I made them see that what they did to you was no better than what that charlatan of a financial planner did.”
My heart hammers in my chest and my mind whirls, making me lightheaded. “D-does this mean what I think it means?”
“It means you’re free to return to your company. Free to return to Paris. Or stay here. Or go to London.” Hope flashes in his eyes, though it’s gone quickly. “The point is that you’re free to design, to create, to rebuild.”
Choking on a sob, I launch myself over the table and into his arms and hug him fiercely. “Thank you. Thank you.Thank you.”
He chuckles as he squeezes me, and as I pull back, those usually shrewd eyes soften. “I’d do anything for you.”
His focus drops to my mouth, and my stomach flips over on itself. Shit. He’s going to kiss me.
I rear back, but before I can put a safe distance between us, the scraping of chair legs against the floor startles me.
The two of us turn at the same time, our cheeks so close that I can feel the warmth of his skin.
A large figure looms over us in the dim room, but as the man drops into the chair, straddling the seat, his arms resting on the back, his identity is revealed.
Noah.
His expression is one of indifference, his eyes unreadable. Still, I find myself cataloging every inch of him. He’s wearing black pants and a black Oxford. The top two buttons are undone, exposing his thick, gorgeous neck and collarbone. His glasses are firmly in place, the black frames casting shadows on his face. Every inch of him screams sex.And anger.
“Can I join you?”
Scrambling, I push away from Garreth. While I may technically still be single, my body knows who I truly belong to.
