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I laughed nervously. My heart pounded. Then emotion overcame me, and my eyes burned with unshed tears.Oh God, she can’t see me like this.
“Okay, I got to run!” My voice came out strained as I released her and whipped around so she couldn’t see my face.
“Pepper?” she yelled out, but I kept going. If she knew my tears were over her brother, she’d know what we had was much more than a fling.
With each step I took away from Lourde, the tears came like open floodgates streaming down my face.
23
Connor
Alfred lurched past my assistant, marching toward my office. She didn’t even try to stop him. Hell, I couldn’t blame her. It would be the same as standing in front of a bull—he was that enraged.
Well, good.
About time.
Why wait any longer to do this?
Francesca had left with her tail between her legs last night, and I was surprised that word hadn’t traveled sooner.
He barged into the office, throwing the door open. “What have you done, Connor?”
“Please, do come in.” I shut my laptop, casting it to the side.
“The Duke called, screaming down the phone. Why did you tell Francesca the marriage is off? What sick twisted joke are you playing at?”
“I’m not playing. For once, I’ve got things right.”
He stood against the desk with his hands on his hips, his face flushed with anger. “You need to call her and tell her you made a mistake.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “But I didn’t make a mistake.”
He clamped his jaw tight, then he swung his hands, pushing all the files off my desk, sending them crashing to the floor.
“Why are you doing this? Do you know what this means to the family name?”
“I don’t care because I found love, and now I lost it.”
Alfred shifted on the spot, taken aback by my candor.
“Yes, I found her, and now I can’t have her. Problem is, I know what that tastes like, and I can’t go into a loveless marriage knowing what I had.”
He shifted from foot to foot. I’d never seen him like this before, so out of sorts.
“You’re fucking out if you do this,” he cautioned, regaining his composure.
“I don’t care anymore, Alfred. You win. I don’t want any part of it.”
“That’s bullshit, Connor. You want what I have. You want the notoriety. You want the recognition an empire brings.”
“No. I don’t. I’ve realized something. Maybe it’s from years of watching you and Mom, or maybe most recently, it’s from realizing my sister can have it all as she has with Barrett. But just maybe, I’m not cut out to be CEO. Just maybe my role in life is to be the best man I can be for someone else.”
He stared at me for a moment before laughing. “You’re willing to throw this all away for a girl?”
“She’s not just any girl.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. You know if you do this, the whole arrangement with Francesca’s family, it will start a war. We’ve signed contracts. The relationship is binding.”
