Page 35 of Adoring Alejandro

Her chest constricting, Maeve must have made a noise because the trio turned to look at her. Blaze’s eyes flicked to her, AJ’s eyes glanced in her direction but didn’t meet her gaze, and Denise’s eyes…they narrowed, a diabolical venom glimmering in their depths. The smile on her face twisting from faux pleasantry to all too real malice.

That woman knew the truth. And she was wallowing in Maeve’s misery.

“Are you serious?” Blaze asked, incredulous, his eyes wide. Wariness and shock flashed in his eyes, and his mouth drew into a hard line. “I didn’t think she was real.”

AJ laughed, but it was the laugh he used with potential clients. Not the laugh he used with his friends. With her.

“She’s here. This is Denise Walters,” AJ said, throwing Blaze a look Maeve couldn’t read, and she didn’t think she wanted to.

“The Denise? The one from the Miami office?” The surprise and sharp disbelief in Blaze’s voice made Denise shift, her expression becoming guarded.

Oh, yeah, the man isn’t fooled by your serpent’s smile.

“That’s me,” the viper bubbled, giving Blaze a wide grin.

He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms.

“Come on, man, give us a break, yeah?” AJ cautioned, his body tense, his arm around Denise flexing as though he was forcing himself to remain there.

Was he not as sure about Denise as he sounded?

What does it matter? Either way that woman is not you! You have to do something.

She stood, pushing back her desk chair, but the look AJ threw at her made her stop in her tracks. The coldness in his eyes…the clenching of his jaw….

He was telling her to keep her mouth shut and mind her own business.

The look on Denise’s face was one of victory.

Maeve sucked in a breath and held it, willing the burning tears behind her eyes to go away. Crying in front of AJ or Denise would only make things worse—she’d look like an idiot, weeping for no apparent reason. Because AJ had no idea what Denise had just done.

Denise smirked, AJ turned away from her, and everything holding Maeve together crumbled to pieces.

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