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“Enjoy the wine,” Emily said good-naturedly before grabbing her coat and heading out the door. The sound of the door slamming thrust Bre into complete and total silence. The first bit of pure silence, she experienced in nearly a month, and instead of it feeling incredibly freeing, the silence made her feel lonely.
Staying in her own apartment was supposed to be freeing and was supposed to calm her frazzled nerves, but as she sat alone, she wished she went to back to Rochester House and Henry. As she sat alone in her flat surrounded by her and Emily’s cheap, mismatched furniture, she contemplated why she did not tell Henry about his mother’s powerplay or how much Sienna’s presence on the board truly bothered her.
Bre swished her wine in her glass feeling dejected as she realized the reason she did not confide in Henry was that at the end of the day she wasn’t sure who he’d side with, and as time went on, she knew if he chose someone else sides the pain she felt would be tremendous.
Without meaning to, Bre had fallen in love with Henry despite her better judgment, and now, she’d wait for the bottom to drop out underneath her when he finally realized that he didn’t need her anymore.
The idea nearly made her vomit, so Bre poured herself a fuller glass of red and wallowed in her self-doubt.
Chapter Twenty-One
It seemed as though no matter what Henry did a woman in his life found herself upset. After her tea, Bre asked him for space, and Henry felt like an idiot for giving it to her, but he had. Henry did not do emotions very well, and he was not sure how to handle Bre’s. Handling his mother and Sienna was one thing, but figuring out how to navigate Bre proved much more difficult. She shut down after telling him about the tea with his mother and the board, and Henry did not know what else to do to fix it.
“Why do you only phone me when you are having female trouble?” Nathaniel asked him as he set down a tray of drinks. After speaking with Bre, he phoned Nathaniel for a night out in London. A taste of the old life felt like what the Doctor ordered, and Henry knew no one better at providing distraction than Nathaniel.
“I phone you because you are the only son-of-a-bitch capable of drinking me under the table, and I am in desperate need to be drunk,” Henry told him before downing two shots in succession. The tequila burnt his way down his throat, and the heat of the alcohol started to melt away his problems.
“Cheers mate!” Nathaniel yelled over the loud music before downing his own shots. “Shocked to see you out. Figured the fiancée kept your leash too short.”
At the mention of Bre, Henry fought the urge to phone her. The loud, pulsating music from the club and the tequila dulled his sense to the point where the ache he felt at Bre’s absence felt barely noticeable, but he still longed for her presence. The past few weeks they spent every night together, and Henry did not want to spend another night alone in his bed without her presence. “No one controls my balls,” Henry grunted out before downing the scotch that sat on their table.
“Where is the lovely Breanne?” Nathaniel questioned loudly. “And why have you kept her from me? Scared she’ll leave you when she meets a real man?” he joked. The idea of Nathaniel hitting on Bre made Henry see red. He grabbed another shot to keep himself from strangling his cheeky mate. The shot burned as it slid down his throat and calmed his restless anger.
“I need more alcohol,” Henry yells as he jumps from his seat and begins making he was to the bar. Henry doesn’t look back to see how Nathaniel fares without his presence but assumes his mate will entertain himself trying to gain their waitresses number.
As he pushes his way across a throng of dancers writhing to the beat of some top-twenty rhythm, Henry considers why he came to this place, to begin with. Sure, the booze were excellent, and Nathaniel knew the owner, which automatically guaranteed the two of them VIP access, but the lights, music, smell, and general crowdedness made Henry’s skin crawl.
“Henry? Is that you?” a voice questioned as Henry made his way to the bar.
Looking over, Henry caught sight of Sienna Marlborough and groaned as his luck. ‘Fuck me,’ he thought to himself. Sienna was dressed in some sort of mini-dress that made her look like a disco ball. Her sky-high heels made her legs look endless, but her presence did nothing for him. Once upon a time, Henry would probably have fucked her against a wall while others danced around him, but now he knew better pussy awaited him at home. ‘Well, not quite at home, since my fiancée doesn’t want to see me tonight,’ Henry thought bitterly his anger towards Bre beginning to peek through.
“Sienna, fancy meeting you here,” he said politely as he attempted to flag down the girl behind the bar. He needed more shots.
“How odd to see you here. I assumed you were no longer into this sort of scene,” Sienna said. “Is Bre here? I’d adore the opportunity to share a drink with her.” Henry almost snorted at her comment, but his excellent breeding kept his face made of ice.
“Bre’s home,” Henry said, not volunteering more information.
“Oh, too bad.” Henry doubted she felt that way. “Are you here with someone else?” she asked, not taking his silence as a hint.
“Nathaniel’s somewhere,” he said noncommittally before downing one of the shots he finally managed to get ahold of. Sienna moved forward-leaning her body against his on the bar. “Are you alright?” she asked, placing her hand against his arm. “I know we aren’t particularly close, but I just want you to know that I’m more than happy to listen if you need a friend.” Again, her words brought irritation, but Henry being the gentleman he was didn’t show it. Despite his knowledge of Sienna’s real personality, her caustic actions never really affected him, and he refused to believe that after a month of lunches she was somehow ready blow a hole through his relationship with Bre, especially since he and Bre seemed to be doing fine damaging their own situation.
“I’m fine,” he said, curtly shaking her arm off. He might not bear Sienna any particular ill-will, but touching was off-limits. “Nathaniel’s waiting for our drinks.”
“Are you in VIP?” she questioned despite knowing the answer. Nathaniel enjoyed screwing the ordinary people, but he’d never wish to be accused of being one. If he was attached to a specific party situation, everyone knew they’d be rolling in style. Tonight was no exception. “We are in VIP, as well,” she told him as if he cared.
Henry groaned assuming the ‘we’ referred to more of her annoying friends he wanted to avoid. More and more, he considered that he should have remained home that evening, but why should he suffer because Bre let her feelings get tarnished.
“Henry, old boy, seems you came back with a friend!” Nathaniel exclaimed wildly upon seeing Sienna following behind. He’d been unable to shake her, especially considering they were both hanging out in the VIP section. “Where are the rest of your beautiful friends, love? Get them over here, so we can really get the party going,” Nathaniel yelled jovially.
Sienna giggled before setting off to find her ‘crew.’ “What the fuck?” Henry questioned annoyed at Nathaniel.
“Too many dicks in this crew. We needed some beauty to ease your beast.” When Henry called to ask Nathaniel for a raucous night, he expected the copious amount of booze, perhaps some pool, and for Nathaniel to leave with some girl. What he didn’t expect was clubbing with Sienna and her friend.
“Bre and Sienna are not on good terms, and being photographed with her probably won’t go over well with my fiancee, yea?” Henry told Nathaniel ire rising in his voice as he considered the implications.
“You mean your fake fiancée, who is currently sulking in her flat? Look, mate, I know you enjoy Breanne’s company, but fuck-off with the Debby downer attitude. Drink and be merry. You are one of the most powerful men in Britain, and she’ll get over it.”
“Fuck me,” Henry said, downing his two new shots, as well as, one of Nathaniel’s. A little harmless fun never hurt anyone, and if Bre couldn’t handle his life, maybe she needed to take her to leave. Plenty of women would kill to be in her position, and instead of being grateful, she sulked off leaving him to deal with her fallouts. Frankly, Henry was tired. Tired of trying to be someone he wasn’t.
