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Bianca points a finger at me. “Ever since she stepped foot here, you’ve been thinking with your dick not your head. She’s bad news. Someone needed to put a stop to her before she ruined you!”
I slam my hands on my hips. “Your fucking dirty trick could ruin us! Grab your things and get out.”
Bianca rushes toward me, grabbing my arm with pleading eyes. “I’m sorry. We can work this out. I’ll do anything to make this better.”
Flinging her hands off me, I scoff. “You can’t be serious? I never want to see you again.”
“You don’t mean that.” She tries reaching for me again but abruptly stops at the fierce don’t-fucking-touch-me-again expression I throw at her.
“If you’re not gone in ten minutes, Iwillget the police involved. You’re lucky I haven’t done so already.”
At my warning, Bianca gives one last look at everyone in the room. Probably hoping someone will stand up for her. When no one does, with her head hanging low, she scurries from the room.
“What the hell just happened?” Lucas drops into a chair, and Hayden and Juliette do the same. I’m too agitated to sit. “I always knew she had a crush on you, thought her jealous streak was kinda funny, but…this? All because she’s jealous of Harper. I never would have suspected Bianca.”
“We never should have accused Harper without more evidence.” Hayden rests his elbows on the table and shakes his head.
I link my fingers behind my neck. “I never accused her.” But I made her think I did.
“She pleaded for you to believe her. You let her walk out of here without saying a word,” Hayden reminds me.
It was so damn hard watching her leave. The sadness shimmering in her eyes was like a knife to my chest. But it had to be done. “I needed to let Bianca believe I accused Harper. I suspected Bianca all along. I just needed her to trip up. And she did.” Now I can only hope Harper forgives me for what I put her through.
Chapter Thirty-Two
HARPER
I’msittingonthesofa with an untouched glass of wine in my hand when Alyssa walks into the apartment. She throws her dance bag in the corner of the room and flops down next to me. “Hey! How did the Gala go? I ended up having to fill in for a teacher who got sick and taught classes, so I never got to watch it.” She takes one look at my face and her smile drops. “Oh no. The dress bombed. Is Portia Livingstone going to be on the worst-dressed list? Is this bad for Alessi Fashion?”
“I guess you haven’t seen the news?” I place my glass on the coffee table. “Raquel Addaman wore the exact same gown.”
“What? How is that possible?”
I fill Alyssa in on what happened. Not leaving out the part where Finn believed I was involved.
“How can Finn think you’d do this?” she asks, baffled.
“He has good reason not to trust me.” I fold my legs onto the sofa.
“Because you got flowers on the day of the Gala from some guy who was friends with your dead husband…” Alyssa scratches the side of her face. “Yeah, I can see how that might look. This is all a misunderstanding. At the moment, he’s shocked and angry. Give him time, I’m sure he’ll figure out you had nothing to do with this.”
I hug a cushion to my chest. “I hope so.” Hurting him is the last thing I want to do. I’ve only just gotten him back.
Someone knocks at the door. My heartrate kicks up a notch. Is it Finn? I jump up from the sofa and swing open the door. My shoulders sag with disappointment. “Oh…hi, Tamara.”
Tamara gives a choked laugh. “Don’t look so happy to see me.”
“Sorry.” I gesture for her to come inside. “I thought you were someone else.”
“Like Finn?” Tamara sits on the wingback chair.
I nod and drop down next to Alyssa on the sofa again. “I hope you didn’t come here to accuse me of stealing the design. I don’t have the energy to throw you out, but I might get Alyssa to do it.”
Alyssa folds her arms across her chest and feigns a fierce expression. “Don’t be fooled by these skinny ballet arms. I can take you on.”
Tamara giggles. “I bet you can.” With seriousness, she says, “I’m not here to accuse you, Harper. No one should have done that.”
“Finn did.” He looked me dead in the eye and dismissed me after I tried pleading my innocence.
