Page 112 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

“So you’re staying?” Hope brightened her eyes.

“I am,” I said firmly. “I’m declining the offer. This is where I want to be. Where I need to be.”

“And Dean?”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t know. He made it pretty clear he doesn’t want to try. That he thinks I’ll regret staying for him, that I’ll wake up one day and blame him for holding me back.”

“That’s not fair,” Alexis said. “He doesn’t get to decide that for you.”

“That’s exactly what I told him.” I took a sip of the coffee. It was my usual order, nice and strong. The caffeine hit my veins almost immediately. “But I can’t force him to fight for us if he won’t. And I’m not staying because of him. I’m staying because this is where I want to build my life.”

“So what now?”

I took a deep breath. “Now I focus on my business. On building something that’s mine. And if Dean comes around?” I shrugged, trying to ignore the ache in my chest. “Great. But I’m not waiting around for him to decide I’m worth the risk.”

“Seth’s hearing is today,” Alexis said quietly.

I nodded. “I know.”

“Are you going to check on Dean afterward? He’s going to need someone, Portia.”

I hesitated, torn between my pride and the knowledge that she was right. “I don’t know. He made it pretty clear he doesn’t want me in his life.”

“I think you might change your mind,” she said.

“Probably, but I’m not going to let myself.”

“I came over here to see if you’d seen the news,” she said.

“What news? Please don’t tell me it involves me. Did Lila already hear about our breakup?”

She slowly shook her head. “No, but I’m sure she’ll write about that later.”

She pulled out her phone and put it on the desk in front of me.

I glanced down and read the headline posted on the local community Facebook page. My stomach dropped.

SETH JACKSON SENTENCED TO SIX MONTHS IN COUNTY JAIL.

Dean’s name jumped out at me from the article, again and again. The press was tearing into him—speculating about how involved he’d been, whether he’d pulled strings, if he regretted cutting his brother off. My fingers curled against the desk.

“Holy shit,” I murmured.

“Yeah,” she said. “Half the people in town are pissed the sentence was so light and the other half are surprised he got anything at all, considering Dean’s usual pull.”

I knew Dean. Knew exactly how he’d be handling this—shutting everyone out, shouldering the blame, convinced he deserved every bit of it. I wanted to grab my keys, drive to his shop, and⁠—

No.

I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to relax. Dean had made his choice. I had to trust mine.

Alexis was watching me, her brow furrowed. “You okay?”

I took another drink from the cup of coffee. “Yeah.” My voice sounded steadier than I felt.

“You’re thinking about going to him,” she said.

“But I won’t,” I said. “He made his choice and I’m going to honor it.”