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“Emily.” Lydia gripped her shoulder tightly. “Is that...?”
Her friend’s confirmation was all it took to force her eyes back open. She bobbed between the two reporters standing in front of her and finally got a good look at the stage. There stood Michael, looking as gorgeous as ever in a tailored navy blue suit with a baby blue tie. He had an impassive expression on his face as he stared down the reporters and spoke into the microphone.
“My name is Michael Knight,” he continued, his dark eyes never blinking. “As co-CEO of Linex Investments, it is with great pleasure that I introduce the man whose hard work and dedication brought us here today. I first met Kevin Smith as a fellow student at Harvard. Even then, I could tell he was someone special. Someone to pay attention to. And now, I’m happy to say that his new app, Spark, has exceeded all expectations. I’ll allow him to further explain.”
Emily watched, unseeing, as a man with a curly top of dark hair moved himself across the stage in a black wheelchair. Michael handed him the microphone and stepped back, the smallest hint of a proud smile on his face.
“There’s not enough I can say about that man, right there,” Kevin Smith said, pointing over his shoulder at Michael. “He’s helped me through some of my darkest moments. I don’t know where I’d be without him today. I certainly hadn’t expected this moment would ever come. The moment we get to unveil Spark. It truly is an honor.”
As Smith went on to explain his app, Emily felt a barrage of emotions go through her. Rage, indignation, and betrayal. She stared up at Michael, looking so calm and collected in his expensive suit, his gaze never leaving Smith’s back.
Her cheeks warmed as she thought about their last moment together — when she’d practically thrown herself at him. She’d thought he was so noble. So full of gentlemanly good virtue. But all this time, he was just a snake in the grass. There was no doubt that all his questions about her business had been in the hopes of stealing her practices. And she’d stupidly answered every single one of them.
She’d trusted him and he had stabbed her in the back.
?
Once the last reporter’s question had been answered, Michael let go of the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Everything about this week had gone better than he could’ve planned. Smithy had made a brilliant breakthrough on the app.
His latest algorithm model had integrated the best psychological categorization methods with the techniques Emily’s company had used for decades to dig into what really made a person tick and what kind of partner would best compliment that— creating the very best matchmaking app on the market. Smithy was ecstatic. He wouldn’t stop spouting about it or pumping his fist whenever Michael came into the office.
Frankly, Michael didn’t understand a word of it, but they had impressed his father with the beta trials they’d run last minute, and that was all that mattered. The app was a go and according to first reports, it was going to make them a lot of money.
And truly, it was all thanks to Emily and her long-tested matchmaking methods. It really was too bad she hadn’t been able to save her business. But the truth was, the world was jumping on the high-speed tech track. Those who didn’t conform, got left behind. He hated the thought of her closing down her mother’s business. It had meant so much to Emily.
The woman he was falling for—hard.
There was no denying it. Not after he’d dropped by her office last week with the intentions of breaking it off and instead, found himself cradling her in his arms, wishing he could claim her mouth with his own. She was everything he’d ever wanted and more. An unbelievably sexy and intelligent woman who could match him step to step. She had a magnetism that drew him in and wouldn’t let him go. He couldn’t wait to see her again. He needed to see her again.
But this time, he would have good news to share with her. News that might ease the pain of the sudden closing of her business. It had been Smithy’s idea. Now that the app was public, he could tell her. He just needed to find the courage to apologize for his deceptions.
And pray that she’d forgive him.
He was in the middle of shaking a few of the reporter’s hands when someone tapped him hard on the shoulder. He turned and offered his hand to shake, but froze when he saw who stood in front of him. Emily Sevenson had planted her feet on the hard cement floor of Linex Investments, her hands on her hips. She wore a deep scowl that made Michael’s insides twist painfully. He dropped his hand and took a step toward her, pausing when she held up a hand.
“Lydia said I shouldn’t give you the time of day anymore,” she said through gritted teeth. “That you don’t deserve it. And after what I just witnessed, I agree with that statement wholeheartedly. But I deserve something more.”
He swallowed hard. “Emily, I’m so...”
“No, no. You don’t get to say those words to me.” Her blue eyes burned with betrayal, her lower lip trembling. Even when she was seething with anger, she was beautiful. “I won’t give you the satisfaction. You want to make yourself feel better. You think you’ll be able to sleep better at night if you just say those innocuous little words, but after the way you mistreated me, you don’t get that right.”
He gave her a pained look, wishing she could read his mind. He hadn’t meant for this to happen.
“You used me, Michael Knight.” She lowered her voice to a dangerous level as her cheeks burned red. “You used me to steal my business practices. Do you deny it? Don’t speak. All I need is a shake of the head.”
He hesitated for a moment, his brain urging him to lie. But he couldn’t do that to her anymore. She deserved better.
He shook his head and Emily gasped with self-righteous rage. “I knew it. This was all for show. The flowers, the car, the helicopter. You are something else, you know that? I’ll bet you were just tickled pink when I showed up on that first date. Couldn’t have planned it better yourself.”
He took a step closer to her, aching to wrap his arms around her trembling shoulders. “Emily...”
“I almost kissed you!” She recoiled and made a disgusted face, sending a dagger of self-loathing straight into his heart. “Just another part of your bag of tricks, of course. Keeping me blind to your true nature. Good job, Michael Knight. You played your part beautifully. You deserve an Oscar. Maybe you can display it in that ridiculous house your parents own. Right next to that overpriced selection of wine.”
He grimaced, feeling her words hit him like jabs in the ribs. She was right, of course. He’d used her. But everything else had been real. He just hadn’t meant to let it go this far.
“Michael!” Smithy came rolling up, his cheeks shiny red with happiness. “Dude, I can’t believe how well today went.” His gaze landed on Emily and he stopped suddenly, his eyes lighting up. “Is this the famous Emily Sevenson? Have you told her the news yet?”
“Oh I found out on my own, thank you very much,” she said, her gaze flicking uncertainly from his wheelchair up to his face.
