I raised my eyebrows. “Excuse me? You’re not my fucking handler. Where is this coming from?”
“A concerned friend. That man is no good, Evie. Trust me.”
“Trust you?” I scoffed. The elevator started upward, and I stared ahead. “I don’t trust anyone in this fucking town.”
“Then why did you come back?”
The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. I stepped forward, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me back, allowing the doors to close.
“Sebastian—” I protested, but in a flash, he leaned over me and smashed the emergency stop. I flinched, waiting for the alarm, but there was none. I glanced around. What had just happened?
“Answer me, Evie. Why did you come back?”
I looked up at him. His green eyes, the color of forest leaves, pierced into mine.
“Sebastian, someone’s going to come open this door.”
“We’ve got three minutes.” He didn’t take his eyes off me. “Answer me.”
“I was invited. Dante—”
“I don’t believe that. You wouldn’t come back just to be in a stupid movie.”
“It’s not stupid. It’s my mother’s legacy,” I snapped.
His eyes softened. “I’m sorry. You know that’s not—”
“Look, thank you, I guess, for the flowers.” I shrugged. “I’m not going to take them from Skye, but they were a nice gift. I don’t have anything else to say. I look forward to our working relationship.” I gave him a tight, straight-lined smile.
His eyes widened, and he leaned back against the wall, a short laugh coming from his chest. “You look forward to our working relationship. What kind of line is that?”
“It’s a necessary one.” I sighed deeply. “Sebastian, I know—”
“Know what? That you ghosted me? Broke my heart and fucked up my brain permanently? Because I don’t think you do. If you did, you wouldn’t be acting so damn cold.”
I opened and shut my mouth.
Ghosted?
He told me to go.
I stood there speechless, taken aback by his accusation.
“Thought so.” He smirked and crossed his arms over his suit. “Now, why are you here?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” How could I confess that I was here to murder as many big-shot men in this industry as I could before I was inevitably gunned down? He stared at me as if trying to bore into my soul. They were so intense, I broke contact, my gaze sliding down his body and resting at my own feet. The longer we stood in silence, the heavier the tension grew.
“I never thought I’d see you again.”
Same.
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have found a way to warn you I’d accepted a role,” I mumbled, stepping back and leaning against the elevator doors.
“Like a phone call? Or a text? You have my number,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Really? You wanted me to call after five years with no contact?”
“Yes, really. You’re acting like we’re strangers. Why? What did I do to make you shut me out of your life?”
