Page 205 of Money Reigns
I grit my teeth, twisting, shoving hard until I gain the upper hand. Fury fuels me. “Damn, you’re strong angry,” Wilder mutters through a strained laugh.
The fight drains out of me all at once. I shove off him, collapsing back onto the floor, chest heaving. My hands drag down my face.
“I paid for her family’s inn,” I rasp. “I furnished her apartment. I don’t know what I did wrong.” My voice cracks, breaking me open. Eyes stinging. “I don’t know what I did wrong.”
Wilder sits up, rubbing his jaw, and sighs. Then he claps me on the shoulder, solid and brotherly despite the bruises.
“Get cleaned up. Get some sleep. Call your girl in the morning.”
I sit up, the fury draining into exhaustion. The glass shards glitter on the floor beside us.
Morning feels a million miles away.
But Olivia…
She’s even further.
***
The office smells like burnt coffee and ink. I sit behind my desk, phone in hand, staring at my it like it might blink first.
I should just call her.
Beg her to come back to me.
Ask her what I did wrong.
Tell her I’m sorry.
A harsh breath tears out of me. I drag a hand through my hair, jaw tight.
But I’mnotsorry.
I took care of her. Gave her everything she needed. Made sure she had more than enough.
Why the fuck is she angry?
The phone slams down against the desk, rattling the papers scattered there. The sound is sharp, final—until it starts buzzing in my hand.
Unknown number.
I answer anyway. “War Beaumont.”
A steady, gruff voice: “Mr. Beaumont, this is Logan Baker. Olivia Baker’s eldest brother.”
I freeze, blood turning to ice. The first thought in my head, something’s happened to her. “Is she okay?”
“She’s not your concern,” Logan grunts. Then, after a beat, “But I’m about to be.”
The warning in his tone grates. I sit up straighter, every nerve on edge. “What can I do for you, Mr. Baker?”
“I’m calling to thank you for paying for the rest of the year at the Inn,” he says flatly. “But we’ve got it from here. We’ve gotOlivia,from here.”
My jaw locks. “She wasn’t some kind of payment to keep your Inn afloat. I love her.”
Logan doesn’t flinch. “Then prove it. You come here, face us, and make it right.”
I scoff, sharp and bitter. “Face you? Listen, Logan, the only person I’ll ever explain myself to is Olivia. And I don’t know what she told you, but—”
