Page 32 of Falling for the Hot Billionaire

Grateful that Lauren was there, I took her into her office and asked her a question that I was sure I would be wrong about. I really wanted to be wrong about it. That would probably be the truer assessment.

“I need to ask you something, Lauren, and I'm not quite sure how to.”

She looked at me and asked me what was wrong. “I heard something, and I need to know if it's true.”

I didn't hear it, but I just knew it deep down in my heart. Tyrell had been the one to get me demoted. He probably thought like he had said before that he was keeping me safe. It was better to say that than that he was manipulating me and trying to control everything. It was certainly how it felt.

“Did Tyrell call here and say that he didn't want me working in the ER anymore?”

Lauren’s face changed and she apologized, but I didn't need to hear it. I wanted to know what he had said and why in the world they had gone along with it. Did he give a lot of money to the hospital? Was that what he had promised for her as well?

“He had just said that he was worried about you and after what happened and that guy choking you, I think I was too. It is so dangerous everywhere in the hospital, so I figured that for a little while, keeping you in a safer area didn't seem like such a bad deal.”

“I should have a say in where I work. Tyrell is not my husband, and even if he was, he would not have a say in what I do. You allowing him to make those sorts of decisions for me is ridiculous.”

“You have to know that I never meant for you to feel that way.”

I told her that I wasn't sure how else I was supposed to feel, and she just kept apologizing, but honestly, I didn't want to hear apologies. I wanted to hear how she was going to put me back in the ER because that's where I belonged.

She didn’t argue with me. She apologized again and said that she really wasn't trying to upset me. I'm sure she wasn't, but it was hard not to be upset in this situation. I didn't want people making decisions for me.

Now I had to go back to his place, and I was grateful that he was going to be gone for most of the day. I had just found out that he went behind my back in two scenarios and tried to sabotage a new job and sabotaged my current job. It was hard for me to think that he would do such a thing, but then I started wondering. What else had he done? Was it impossible to think that he could have burned down my house as well? He'd wanted me to stay with him. What if that was his way of making sure that happened? I didn't want to think such things, but how could I not? None of this made any sense. This wasn't the Tyrell that I knew and had fallen for. I loved him; how could this be happening?

I was thankful that he was still gone when I got there. My mind was trying to figure it all out, but it was more complicated than I could imagine. How could I start out the day with such a high, to come down in the way that I had? I just wanted to cry about all of it. None of this made any sense. I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to. No matter how awkward it was, I had to. I really didn’t want to believe, and I didn't want to go. We had such a good time together and I had fallen for him. It was just that simple. It didn't really matter. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

* * *

After getting a few things,I looked at the burnt spot where my house used to be and it felt like my life was just that, smoldering after being burned to the ground. I didn't know if I was ever going to look at anything the same way again. This was certainly not how I saw all of this happening. Something had definitely gone wrong along the way.

Not sure where I was going to go, I stayed with an old friend from college. Jamie was a nice guy and had his own love problems and who knows, maybe he would have some advice for me. I needed it. I’d really made a mess of things.

24

Tyrell

Iwas feeling pretty damn good. Justine and I had an amazing night, and I was quite convinced that all I needed was her. It was perfect, our time together memorable, but there was something that made me worried. When I first got back, I didn't see her and it wasn't enough to put me into alarm, until I saw the notes sitting by the bedside table. There were also some other dresses that I’d bought her and other belongings that were sitting there as well. With it, the note read, “Thanks for the help, but the cost is too high.”

Now I had no idea what that meant, but it certainly had me wondering. What did she mean that the cost was too high? I tried to call her, but it went to voicemail. She was ignoring me, that had to be what had happened, but why was she upset with me? What had I done? I really just didn't understand it.

I didn't know how to get ahold of Justine, and I think that was the worst part of it. The unknown I hated more than anything else. There had to be a reason why she took off all of a sudden, and I needed to figure out what that reason was.

I didn't see any other clues at the house, and I finally called Jacob, hoping that he had some kind of answer. He laughed at me, and I definitely wasn't prepared for that.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Yeah, why do you think I'm not?”

“Because what did you think was going to happen? You made it so she wouldn't get hired, and you got her demoted at her job. I would guess that she found out.”

How could she? My heart skipped a beat even thinking about it. I knew how fiercely independent Justine was. She would not take kindly to me dictating her life or making decisions for her. It didn't matter what my intent was, that was exactly how she was going to see it, and I didn't want to see her face if she knew what I had done. I felt ashamed of it. I didn't know what I had been thinking, honestly, and all I could do was hope that he was wrong. I had a sinking feeling that he wasn't wrong. Jacob never was.

“How am I going to fix this?”

“Well, you could start by figuring out who burned down her house. You didn't do that too, did you?”

It was a clear moment to get offended, but considering my track record, to assume that I was capable of it wasn't that farfetched. I didn't like to think of myself in that way, but I knew it was true. I could have justified it very easily. I could justify anything to get what I wanted out of her. I had that, tasted the sweetness that had been the forbidden fruit that I couldn't taste for so long. It had been sweeter than I had imagined, better than any other time before. But that was a problem. It was especially a problem if Justine was going to leave me. What was I supposed to do now?

“No, I didn't do it. Have you found anything?”

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