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I loved him so much it hurt, but there was no way I would let him, or any man humiliate or doubt me the way he had ever again.
I needed to stay strong. I wouldn’t bend, and I wouldn’t break. I held my hands in fists and looked him in the eyes. “Thank you for saying all of that. I appreciate your honesty, but it’s too late. I can’t be with someone who would think me capable of such deceit. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but whatever it is, it’ll have nothing to do with McKenzie’s. I never want to see you again. The second you accused me of stealing from you, you lost me.”
And with that, I walked out of his office. Somehow from somewhere, I got the strength to do it without breaking down.
Melissa waited by the coffee bar. “Leaving so soon?”
I turned towards her and glared. “So, you’re my friend now?”
“I’ve always been your friend, Reese,” she said with pleading eyes.
“Not when you thought I was stealing from Kane you weren’t.”
“He’s my boss and my best friend. I’ll protect him no matter what. Please sit. Let’s talk.” She pulled a wooden chair out from the bar and gestured towards it.
“I’ve talked enough for one day,” I said. I turned on my heel and walked quickly towards the elevator. Melissa didn’t try to stop me.
The faster I got away from McKenzie Technologies and these people, the better off I’d be. I didn’t want to be part of their world. I didn’t want to be part of their games.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kane
It had been three weeks since Reese had walked out of my life and it had been three weeks of hell. Pure soul-destroying hell.
I’d thrown myself into work, had traveled when I didn’t have to, but nothing took my mind off her and the asshole I’d been. I never should have accused her of something so horrible. Reese was a good girl and a good employee, and she always had been. I should have seen through the evidence. I should have known it was Linda. Now, nothing would ever be the same.
Last night, Ray had talked me into going to the Dark Club with him, but not even the sight of writhing, half-naked girls gave me a hankering. They weren’t Reese. They didn’t have her smile, her ass, her tits, or her wicked sense of humor. So, I left quickly.
She’d moved out of her apartment, and I didn’t know where she’d gone. There were no social media updates, no Facebook or Instagram photos. No one I sent looking for her could find her and all her work friends kept silent. Something I could respect.
“Are you going to keep this pity party up all night,” Ray asked, sitting on a barstool beside me. “You need to find her or get over her.”
I shifted my weight and straightened my tux jacket. We were at McKenzie Tech’s charity ball. The one I had asked Reese about. It was supposed to be our big reveal—the night when we officially announced our status as a couple. Now, I was here alone.
I leaned into the bar and picked up my glass of whiskey. With a subtle twist of the glass, I swirled the amber colored liquid and watched it cling to its container. This was my third or fourth drink.
“I’ve been trying to find her. She doesn’t want to be found,” I snapped and took a sip. The whiskey burned a bit as I swallowed. The pain felt good.
I waved my hand at the bartender for him to refill my glass and he did.
Ray eyed me—obviously judging my increasingly drunken state, but he didn’t say anything to me. And that was why we were friends.
Melissa crossed towards us quickly, her black heels clicking on the ivory tile of the ballroom floor. She stopped short when she saw me hunched over the bar. She gave Ray a look and they seemed to have a silent conversation. I ignored them both.
We had rented one of the fancier hotels in the city and had it professionally decorated. Flowers lined the tables, silver streamers hung from the roof; it was all exquisitely done, and people seemed to be enjoying themselves, but I found it hard to care.
Melissa frowned at me. “Kane?”
I glared at her, urging her to get to the point or leave me alone.
“Ashton is here,” her voice hitched with worry. “He’s looking for you.”
She nervously pulled at the fabric of her dress. It was blue, similar to one I had Reese try on for me. My breath shook with the memory and I closed my eyes for a second.
When I opened them again, I was calm and collected. It was time to reassure my friend and business partner that everything was okay, when I clearly wasn’t.
